Lee Falls, in NW South Carolina was once called the most scenic waterfall in Oconee County. I have seen quite a few waterfalls in this very large county. I am not certain that it was the most scenic, but it sure was very nice. It’s a very nice 1.5 mile one way hike that is not too bad….as long as you make the left turn. I did not, which made my hike much more interesting than it needed to be. The first challenge finding the the trailhead.
Finding Lee Falls means finding SC Highway 11, in the Walhalla vicinity. From Walhalla the turn off is about 8 or 9 miles north of town. For myself and many visitors from North Carolina, we use different routes like US 25, US 178, US 276, or even NC 281 / SC 130 to find our way to SC Highway 11. There is a lot to do along this highway as it passes right by Table Rock State Park, but for now we are heading west along Hwy 11 looking for Cheohee Valley Road. This will be just past the communities of Salem and Tamassee. Once here, it will be a right turn if heading south, and a left turn if heading north from Walhalla. Follow Cheohee Valley Road for 1 1/2 miles or so, and make a left turn onto Tamassee Knob Rd. In 1/2 mile take a right on Jumping Branch Road. Follow this for 1 1/2 miles and make a right onto Government Road 715A. …..This is where it can get tricky. Before 715A, you will pass 715…which is also a dirt road. I took this first, drove about 1/2 mile and crossed the creek but did not find the parking area. I turned around, back to Jumping Branch and went to the next dirt road.
The trail starts just beyond the gate. It will be a single narrow path through 4 consecutive wide open grassy fields. There will be a crossing of Tamassee Creek after the 1st field and 3rd field. These may be wet crossings depending on your skills. The fields however were simply gorgeous. I was here on a bright, sunny, day in early May. The grass, knee high on both sides of me filled the air with a sweet smell that only grass can make. Mix the wild clover in, and the scents were intoxicating….. I saw some fields similar to this on my way to Sid’s Falls in January and was told they were wildlife fields. I guess that is what these were for, although I was not blessed to see any wildlife on this day.
On the 4th and final field, I passed the only other hikers I saw on this day. At the end of this field the trail enters the woods. The creek is on your left here and the trail initially heads away from the creek . It is here where I made my critical error that turned this 3.0 mile moderate hike into a 4.2 strenuous one. As the trail winds into the woods, after 1/4 or so, there is a fork. At this fork, one trail turns left here and one goes straight. The trail to Lee Falls is the one that goes left….but I went straight. The trail came back to what I thought was Tamassee Creek. But what happened while I was on the section of trail away from the creek, another tributary stream worked its way into the picture. The trail I was now followed this smaller stream up the right side. It was a clear trail marked with fresh red flagging tape in many spots. I thought I was on the right path for sure. It kept getting steeper and steeper, until soon, I was holding on to trees and rocks to get up the steepest sections. I took a break and checked my phone. I was now 1.8 miles past the trailhead or 0.3 miles past where Lee Falls should have been.
After actual reaching a waterfall which I knew wasn’t Lee Falls, I stopped and pulled the phone out. I had instructions saved from 2 websites and read over them closely.