Yellow Branch Falls Reprise
Located in the northwest corner of South Carolina, Yellow Branch Falls was definitely worth a return visit on a summer jaunt around my favorite outdoor spots.
If you live in the so-called “Golden Corner” of South Carolina, or in a neighboring area, and you haven’t visited Yellow Branch Falls, you should. If you are able to make the 1.5-mile hike to the falls, you should go now, right now. This waterfall is one of the best waterfalls I’ve seen in hikes around my area. In fact, I drove over three hours to revisit this place when I had some vacation time.
This is not my first trip to the falls, to be sure. I’ve been there before, and posted about it. Some of my pictures from that trip still grace the walls of my house, because I just love this waterfall. But nothing quite compares to being there.
Now, summer hikes are a mixed bag. I usually have more time in the summer to go hiking, but the temperatures can be pretty oppressive. If I had the time and the will, I would have left Tennessee very early so that I would have gotten there while it was still relatively cool. I didn’t and so this was a very hot and humid hike. But, even knowing that would have been the case, I would still have gone.
This trail begins just off of SC 107, not too far from where SC 28 joins up with it, north of Walhalla. The trailhead is well-marked, and the Google can lead you to it, if you search for “Yellow Branch Falls Trail”. It’s a relatively small parking lot, so keep that in mind. When I arrived, I barely squeezed in, as someone left.
I expected to be at the falls with a mass of humans photo-bombing my attempts to capture the falls. But, I drove three hours to get there, and I was going to take pictures, regardless. I grabbed my pack, camera and tripod, and set off.
The temperature at that time was still in the high 70s, so it wasn’t bad at all. The trail also follows a creek for much of the beginning, crossing it here and there. The water kept things cooler, I suspect. But, eventually, after a few such crossings, the trail leaves the water behind, and at that point, it’s all about the trees.
It’s a moderate trail, in terms of strenuousness, particularly at the beginning. But, as you near the falls, there is a significant downward incline. Something to remember when ready to come back up. I passed many people coming back up the trail, heading out, and by the time I got to the falls, it was deserted.
I got the camera set up and set out to capture the falls as best I can. Nothing will really do it justice other than just the live view, but I always try. After the shoot, I sat down on a large rock just in front of the falls, and had lunch. I tried to read, as well, but after a chapter, the heat was starting to be too much. So, I started packing up.
At just about that time, I heard someone call from behind me, and I looked back. Someone was asking if I was still taking pictures. I let him and his family know I was done and packing up, and we traded places. They were already starting to gather for pictures as I headed back up and out.
I sweated my way out, shedding massive amounts of water weight, I’m sure. That would have been annoying enough, but about halfway out, I hit a root. Roots are something every hiker deals with, but when you have weak ankles (for which I thank so many of my ancestors), roots can be even more challenging. So, I took a nice spill, my tripod going shooting forward. I slammed my elbow down to prop me up enough to keep from crushing the camera, but I hit and slid. The nice family who were there to witness this undignified situation, brought my tripod back and helped me up. I was fine, just scraped and bruised. After determining I was ok, they headed on to the falls, and I headed out.
Bruises, scrapes, dehydration..it was all well worth it. I’ll be back here again, I have no doubt.
