Oconee State Park: Camping and a hike
It was 2020 and my birthday weekend. What to do? So many things were closed down so there were not a lot of options for celebrating. My girlfriend at the time and I both had off from work so we decided to go camping and hiking. We really wanted to find a place where we could hike to an awesome waterfall.
We went to the South Carolina State Parks website to do some searching. This site is awesome! They have a park finder based on what type of activities you want to do. I highly recommend that you check it out if you are deciding on a camping or hiking trip to South Carolina. Through research, we decided to check out Oconee State Park because there is a great hike to an awesome waterfall.
Oconee State Park
Located in the Northwest part of the state in South Carolina, lies Oconee State Park. Near Mountain Rest, South Carolina this state park is part of the foothills of The Great Smokie Mountains. Oconee State Park is a family-friendly park with lots to do. There is miniature golf, a swimming hole, and hiking trails, among many other things to do. There are a lot of RV spots with water and electrical hook-ups with water and 15 primitive tent sites for those who like to tent camp. The longest hike to set up a tent hike is just a little over a mile. They have fire rings and a picnic table in each spot. I was surprised at how quiet it actually was.
There are 7 hiking trails here. They are not too long, with the longest being 2.4 miles and the shortest being .5 miles. The longest at 2.4 miles is the Hidden Falls Trail which takes you out to a beautiful waterfall. There are also 1.2 miles of the Foothills Access Trail which gives access to the Foothills Trail which is almost 200 miles long of connected trails.
This park was a lot of fun and a great place for a quick getaway and a family camping trip. I will definitely come here again to explore more hiking trails and create more memories.
Our camping adventure starts
We drove through many little towns and winding roads for a while to get to where we were heading. Finally, after a little nice drive, we arrived at Oconee State Park to start our short camping and hiking adventure. It was nice to see so many people out camping and enjoying the outdoors during the pandemic. Once we got past the main gate, it was a short 5-minute drive to get to our parking area in the primitive camping area of the park. As we were driving up we noticed some dark clouds rolling in the area so we checked our phones to look at the radar: storms are coming!
We throw the car into park and come up with a plan on what to do. First, let’s take what we can including the camping kit so I can get the tent up. We load up and hit the short 1-mile trail to get to our campsite. This place is awesome! Our site is secluded enough to be very comfortable. There is a place for a tent that is on level ground, a fire ring, and a picnic table. Secondly, we start to set up the tent and hear thunder. We have just started setting it up and I suggest that whatever we need, let’s go get it. But, we split it up, I will stay to put up the tent and she will run to the car to get whatever else she can.
Thor shows up
So there I am moving as fast as I can with the wind whipping through the site, trying to get the tent up before it starts raining. The sky is getting darker and darker and I am moving faster. I finally get it all up and ready for us to get in it as she gets back to the campsite just loaded up like a packhorse with so much stuff. We quickly throw the things that we need in the tent that need to stay dry. As soon as we zip up the tent, Thor himself decided to stop by and let us know.
For a little over an hour, we were stuck in the tent while it poured down on us. Took the time to get everything all set up then finally we could get outside and get the rest of the camp set up. After all of that, it turned out to be a pretty perfect night of camping. First, there was a good fire and great food and drinks. Secondly, it was a perfect night for sleeping under the clouds and stars.
The hike to Hidden Falls
After we got up and went about our morning business we finally departed on our hike to the Hidden Falls. It was a short 5-minute drive in the state park to get to the parking lot for the start of the trail. We put on our day hike packs and set off on our way. Check out what I use in my day pack for hikes if you need ideas. The start of the trail was pretty flat and not too challenging. The whole hike was moderate.
There are plenty of hills on the trail which made it fun. There are some spots where you can see The Great Smokey Mountains in the distance. The hike itself was beautiful with chirping birds and amazing green foliage. Finally, after about an hour and ten minutes, we heard the water and made it to The Hidden Falls!
At the end of the trip
We spent about 30 minutes at the waterfall enjoying the spraying of water and taking a nice break. After loading back up and continuing our hike back, our good friend, Thor decided to show back up about 3/4 of the way back. It down poured heavy again and it felt amazing! As we were enjoying the rainfall, it occurred to us that we made a rookie mistake, we left the tent window open! After hurrying back to the campsite, we found our bed and pillows soaked!
We decided to cut our trip short and head home after looking at the radar and seeing it was supposed to rain all night long. We both wanted another night and to hike more but not if it was going to rain the whole time. It was a great, short little trip. I look forward to going back to Oconee State Park again in the future.
Here is a map of our walk.
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