Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / South Carolina / Upstate South Carolina

Foothills Trail: Upper Whitewater Falls to Laurel Valley (Jocassee Gorges)

Foothills Trail through Duke Energy land, Gorges State Park (North Carolina) and the Jim Timmerman Natural Resources Area at Jocassee Gorges, Oconee and Pickens counties

The middle of the Foothills Trail is its wildest and steepest stretch. From Upper Whitewater Falls in North Carolina, it drops into the Jocassee Gorges, crossing the Whitewater, Thompson, Horsepasture and Toxaway rivers on their way into Lake Jocassee, then climbs out past Laurel Fork Falls to the Laurel Valley access on US 178.

Duke Power built this middle portion with its Bad Creek pumped-storage project, according to Wikipedia. The Foothills Trail Conservancy’s four sections add up to 32.6 miles.

The hike

The first 2.3 miles, from the Upper Whitewater overlook to the Bad Creek access, are rated strenuous. The trail follows the Whitewater River past Corbin Creek Falls and a spur to Lower Whitewater Falls. You can also start at Duke Energy’s Bad Creek access on SC 130, where N2Backpacking describes a spur that crosses two footbridges over the Whitewater River to meet the Foothills Trail.

The 16.4-mile section from Bad Creek to the Canebrake boat access, also rated strenuous, is the longest on the trail. The conservancy lists crossings of the Horsepasture and Thompson rivers, Hilliard Falls, and a Horsepasture River boat access that may be usable depending on lake levels. The Treeline Review guide puts the trail’s halfway sign at mile 38.1 and notes stairs down and up at the Horsepasture.

Power lines mark the entry into Gorges State Park, Treeline says, followed by a steep 620-foot descent to the Toxaway River. The 225-foot suspension bridge there was built in 1981 and refurbished by Duke Energy in 2019. The conservancy calls it the longest suspension bridge on the trail. Clay Bonnyman Evans, writing for The Trek, recommends the rocks under the bridge for lunch and drying gear.

Climbing out of the Toxaway, Heartbreak Ridge has hundreds of steep steps; Treeline counts about 300 up and 300 down. The trail then follows the Lake Jocassee shoreline to Laurel Fork. The final 8.1 miles, rated moderate, pass Laurel Fork Falls, Virginia Hawkins Falls, high ridge views, and many bridges before reaching Laurel Valley.

The Treeline writer rode out a severe thunderstorm at the Virginia Hawkins Falls campsite. A 2008 thru-hiker camped at a designated site on Whitewater Mountain, 0.6 mile from Bad Creek, and at Toxaway Creek.

The previous section is Oconee State Park to Upper Whitewater Falls; the next is Laurel Valley to Table Rock.

Tips

Camping

In the Jocassee Gorges, SCDNR’s regulations allow camping “at any point along the trail and within one hundred feet of either side,” but only for hikers “while engaged in backpacking.” No camping is allowed within 25 feet of a stream or lake. Treeline says camping isn’t allowed in the Whitewater Falls corridor, which Duke Energy controls. The conservancy says bear cables are at many designated sites, and Treeline recommends a bear canister.

Inside Intel: The Treeline writer calls the riverside Toxaway Campsite, with tent pads, picnic tables and fire rings, “one of my favorites.” Evans points to several streamside sites about a tenth of a mile east of Laurel Fork Falls. A hiker named Clint, writing on the conservancy’s site, camped on the Thompson River beside a waterfall that “proved to be a convenient water source.”

Trail facts

The Lowdown

A thunderstorm at Virginia Hawkins Falls:

The Treeline writer rode out a severe thunderstorm at the Virginia Hawkins Falls campsite on this stretch. See how the Beta SL, Torrentshell 3L, and Foray 3L compare before your own Jocassee Gorges trip.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.