Issaqueena Falls is a beautiful 100 foot waterfall, just 6 miles or so north of Walhalla, SC on HWY 28. I first noticed this waterfall on New Years Day 2014 on my first trip to Yellow Branch Falls. As I left Walhalla on SC Hwy 28 heading north, I could see a waterfall on the side of the mountain across the valley as HWY 28 began to climb. As I continued to climb, I came to my destination of Yellow Branch Falls and spent the afternoon there. However, directly across the Hwy 28 is the entrance into Issaqueena Falls. After driving down the mountain some from the entrance, I am pretty certain that Issaqueena Falls is what I was able see from SC 28.
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I did not visit Issaqueena Falls on my initial trip, but nearly a year later, on 12/27/14, I made my return to Yellow Branch Falls. This time I left some extra time and visited Issaqueena Falls first. This area requires a $2 fee, while the Yellow Branch across the highway does not. I found that odd. Anyway, it is a short drive down and into the waterfall area.
After reading about the “Legend of Issaqueena”, I crossed the bridge to the 2 overlooks. While they were nice, they just did not suffice. A trail continues past the overlook that works down the mountain to the base of Issaqueena Falls. It is fairly steep and I needed the aid of roots and rocks in a few places . Once down at the bottom the view was very nice, however the top section wasn’t in clear view.
It wasn’t until I got about half way back up that I found the view of the entire waterfall that I liked best. Sorry for the lack of color, but it is December after all.
I noticed something else while I was here. There was something else called the Stumphouse Tunnel here. While I did not take the time to visit this, I did research it later and learned that an enormous project was once in the works during the Civil War era. 13 miles of railroad tracks including 4 different tunnels were to be built to cross the Appalachians. The project was started but never finished. I read something that the incomplete tunnel was later used to make Blue Cheese, and is now owned by Clemson University….interesting! I must revisit this area, to see this Stumphouse Tunnel. I will wait until color returns for my next photos of Issaqueena Falls. I will leave you with a nice short video of this beautiful 100 foot waterfall.