In the upstate of South Carolina there is a beautiful waterfall that awaits you. Station Cove Falls is located at the end of a nature trail that begins at Oconee Station State Historic Site.

If you begin your walk at Oconee Station, you will have a 1.5 mile walk to get to the falls. You will pass by a pond before you cross over the highway to get on the trail to the falls. Or, if you are lucky, you can park at the kiosk that is at the trailhead for the falls, and take a hike that is only 0.5 miles from the parking area. I parked at the kiosk both times I have hiked the trail, so I really can’t compare the two different hikes. The parking lot at the kiosk is rather small, so only between four to six cars could be parked there safely.

Once you get on the trail you will immediately be drawn to all of the different wildflowers that are growing alongside the trail. Some of the different varieties that are listed on the parks website are trillium, mayapple, redbud, pink lady’s slippers orchids, and bloodroot. I obviously don’t know all of the names of what I am looking at, but they are always absolutely gorgeous.

As you hike deeper into Sumter National Forest, you will start noticing some beaver ponds and an Adler swamp, which is a result of past beaver ponds. It also seems as if the trees are greener the more you walk. You see trees that have already lived their life, and have already fell down to become homes to the wildlife that calls the forest home. You can start hearing the trickle of the waterfall before you ever get to it. You can hear the birds singing their songs as you continue your walk through the forest.

Eventually you will come to a wooden maze like fence in the woods. If you go to the right, you will be heading to Oconee State Park, so you want to go to the left so you can continue your hike to Station Cove Falls. By this time you can really hear the water from the falls. After a short walk you will come to a pathway across some water that has stones in it for you to walk over, and there is the falls. Please be careful on the stones because if you aren’t too steady on your feet, you will end up in the water. I’m speaking from experience on that.

Station Cove Falls is a stepped 60 foot tall waterfall that is formed from the headwaters of Station Mountain which is directly above. Depending on how much rain the mountains has had depends on the size of the waterfall. Sometimes the water can be barely be trickling down the side, and other times it can be gushing down like a raging river. On the times I visited, the water was trickling down differently, but I have seen pictures of a full fledged gush. It was gorgeous either way.

Station Cove Falls can be found at Oconee Station State Historic Site which is located at 500 Oconee Station Road in Walhalla, South Carolina. You can either park in the parking lot at the state park and take the trail, or try to park at the kiosk a little bit up the road. Admission is free, so it is a great way to get your exercise for the day in. You might need to take a hiking stick to make it across the stones in the water to get to the waterfall, but overall it is a fairly easy hike.

Published by travelingthesoutheast

My name is Donna. At an early age I had a love for photography. There was nothing more fun than taking film to a store and then having to wait several days to get the photographs back, sometimes only to find out that none of the pictures turned out the way I wanted them to. Quite a few years ago digital came out, and the rest is history. I can always be found with a camera around my neck, on my arm, or in my hand. I have always had a love for telling stories and sharing them with others. My imagination has always been a little on the wild side. About ten years ago, I decided one day that I wanted to start traveling, and I have never looked back. There is nothing in the world that I enjoy more than traveling and taking photographs. View all posts by travelingthesoutheast