South Carolina's Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area - Note how close the contour lines are near trail #14 and #11, denoting the big dropoff of the Blue Ridge escarpment. (zoom button in upper right)
8.4 mile Raven Cliff Falls loop in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area (Caesars Head State Park).
Early morning at the SC Hwy 11 (Cherokee Foothills Parkway) exit off of I-26. A cold front had just blown through and cleared out the skies
Cherokee Foothills Parkway - View of the expensive homes at 'The Cliffs'
Caesars Head State Park - Views down into the Piedmont
Caesars Head State Park - Views of Pinnacle Lake, Table Rock Mountain, and Sassafras Mountain (behind Table Rock) from Caesars Head Overlook.
Caesars Head State Park - The Blue Ridge escarpment abruptly drops 2000 feet here down into the Piedmont
Caesars Head State Park - Views south into the Piedmont
Caesars Head State Park Overlook - Beautiful clear morning views of Pinnacle Lake, Table Rock Mountain, and the highest peak in South Carolina, Sassafras Mountain (3560 feet)
Caesars Head State Park - Views down into the Piedmont from the brisk overlook
Caesars Head State Park - Views to the west
Caesars Head State Park - Couldn't get enough of the morning view
Caesars Head State Park - The USGS marker on top of Caesars Head
Caesars Head State Park - A brilliant red maple
Caesars Head State Park - Raven Cliff parking area, 1.2 miles north of the Visitor Center and overlook.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Here's something I'm not used to...a fee for walking a trail. Yep, like a good citizen I paid my $2.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - These handy maps were located at all trail intersections. The trails are color coded and blazes of that color are marked along the trail for hikers to follow. Today I would do a loop on #11 (red), #13 (blue), #14 (pink), #12 (purple), and back to the car on #11. (in the opposite direction than Danny Bernstein describes in her book)
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Starting out along the carriage route that used to take visitors to view the Falls in the early 20th century.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - An example of the handy-dandy blazes all along the trail. Without them the rescue squad would still be looking for me today. (I'm not kidding)
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Today I was back to hiking rookie status, because all of my proper gear was back at base camp in the Smokies. It would nearly prove to be a costly mistake.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - I had some beautiful color on today's walk, but it was also clear that Autumn 2009 was on the down slope even at these relatively low elevations.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Handy and unique trail signage was a theme for today's walk, a noticeable change from the standard Smoky Mountain signage.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - The first section of the 2.2 mile Raven Cliff Falls Trail was a well graded, nice walk
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Occassionally I had to stop and gawk a the beauty of the valley views through the trees. Pictures never seem to do it justice, at least with my lack of photography skill.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - More valley views
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - more valley views
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Golden oaks and ash abound on this south-facing slope
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - More golds
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Note the thick carpet of freshly fallen leaves. This would make for a significant challenge later in the day.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Some beautiful reds from the maples are mixed in
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Looking toward Raven Cliff
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Clear blue morning skies would give way to some cloudiness later in the day
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Another example of unique trail routing signage as the trail switches back and changes character going through a thick laurel and rhododendron
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Red blazes show the way through a laurel thicket
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Views opening up of this afternoon's ridge.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Several levels of handy steps were placed on this short steep section traversing the laurel thicket
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Now back on a nice flat ridge through a white pine forest
Gum Gap Trail/Raven Cliff Falls Trail intersection - Here I eschew the advice of Danny Berstein's book and travel counterclockwise around the loop so I could save the big Falls view for last...almost another costly mistake. I now switch onto blue-blazed Gum Gap/Foothills Trail. Note the handy map that is at all major intersections.
Gum Gap Trail/Raven Cliff Falls Trail intersection - Another view of the map. It is amazing how so many people just can't seem to resist vandalizing trail signs, exhibits, or features.
Gum Gap/Foothills Trail - This trail has only a moderate grades while traveling through pine-oak forest.
Gum Gap/Foothills Trail - Note the majority of the trees are bare.
Gum Gap/Foothills Trail - More unique signage.
Gum Gap/Foothills Trail - More unique trail signage. Turn sharply left here and travel a muddy jeep road.
Gum Gap/Foothills Trail - A creek ambles under the road
Gum Gap/Foothills Trail - A good look at he wide jeep road in this section with white pine forests
Gum Gap/Foothills Trail - One of the big white pines, a favorite tree of Old Dan.
Gum Gap/Foothills Trail - Another lowland creek that empties into huge Matthews Creek downstream.
Gum Gap/Foothills Trail - This was a low spot in the trail where the trail water break was filled with last night's rain.
Gum Gap/Foothills Trail - Trailside Galax
Naturaland Trail/Gum Gap/Foothills Trail - Now I switch onto pink-blazed Naturaland Trail to walk the southern part of the loop.
Naturaland Trail - The pink blaze of the Naturaland Trail. The western end of this trail was tame compared to what I would face after passing the Falls.
Naturaland Trail - Climbing a ridge now I could definitely hear the roaring Falls.
Naturaland Trail - A look back at Caesars Head
Naturaland Trail - The trail now dropped sharply down to parallel RAGING Matthews Creek.
Naturaland Trail - Matthews Creek picks up speed across many nice cascades here, but unfortunately weren't many good vantage points for photos.
Naturaland Trail - A deep pool in Matthews Creek
Naturaland Trail - One of the pre-Falls cascades
Naturaland Trail - A pre-Falls cascade
Naturaland Trail - Another nice cascade of Matthews Creek
Naturaland Trail - A view of the layers of rock that create the many unique falls and features here.
Naturaland Trail - Closing in on the Falls
Naturaland Trail - Reaching the nice but a bit unnerving suspension bridge hanging directly over the top of Raven Cliff Falls.
Naturaland Trail - The suspension bridge
Naturaland Trail - Views of the ridge I will climb later today from the bridge
Naturaland Trail - Looking directly over the upper Raven Cliff Falls from the bridge. Little did I know this was the smaller upper falls.
Naturaland Trail - Looking down from the top of the 400 foot drop of Raven Cliff Falls
Naturaland Trail - Looking upstream from the bridge as unsuspecting water is about to get quite a roller coaster ride over the 400 foot drop of Raven Cliff Falls.
Naturaland Trail - More views down the 400 foot drop
Naturaland Trail - Over the Falls
Naturaland Trail - From the bridge. Later today I would get a straight on view of the Falls from an observation platform directly across the ridge.
Naturaland Trail - Looking back across the ridge from the bridge.
Naturaland Trail - Rhododendron line the sides of the dropoff
Naturaland Trail - Now continuing past the Falls, onto the most treacherous downhill section I've done to-date.
Naturaland Trail - The skinny trail skirts a rock wall
Naturaland Trail - Ridge views through the trees
Naturaland Trail - More color on opposing ridges
Naturaland Trail - Ok folks..yes, this is the trail. I would slip about 30 times on the fresh layer of leaves on this treacherous steep downhill section and once fall hard on my back, landing on a rock. Be careful here.
Naturaland Trail - More help for the steep drop down to Matthews Creek
Naturaland Trail - Heading down into the valley
Naturaland Trail - Looking down Matthews Creek valley
Naturaland Trail - The awesome 120 foot-high rock wall known as the Cathedral. I had nothing to show the scale, but this was awesome.
Naturaland Trail - Layers of fractured rock show at the 120 foot high Cathedral.
Naturaland Trail - A small fall cascades down from the top of the Cathedral
Naturaland Trail - Trees hang precariously at the top
Naturaland Trail - The small fall
Naturaland Trail - Looking back down the valley
Naturaland Trail - Layers of rock stacked up like sheetrock at Home Depot
Naturaland Trail - The Cathedral
Naturaland Trail - After paralleling the Matthews Creek on the hard-to-follow trail for what seemed like a very long time, I was relieved to turn back towards the creek for the inevitable crossing.
Naturaland Trail - We're not in the Smokies anymore Dorothy...parallel cables to cross tumbling Matthews Creek.
Naturaland Trail - I'm really glad nobody was here to capture the sheer terror on my face as I slinked across the creek on a tiny slippery cable. :o)
Naturaland Trail - At this point I was feeling quite relieved to have made it across the raging creek.
Naturaland Trail - A small stream crossing further up the trail
Approaching the Dismal Trail/Naturaland Trail intersection - WHEW!!! I've never been so happy to see an intersection in my life.
Dismal Trail - Now on to the purple-blazed Dismal Trail, aptly named for those traveling in this direction.
Dismal Trail - Again the trail was hard to follow in some spots due to the fresh fallen leaves.
Dismal Trail - Nice big poplars on this trail
Dismal Trail - Mushrooms
Dismal Trail - A view of the lower Raven Cliff Falls from the Dismal Trail.
Dismal Trail - More exposed rock
Approaching the Raven Cliff Falls Trail/Dismal Trail intersection - Another relief..I survived the climb up the Dismal Trail
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Now back on the red-blazed Raven Cliff Falls Trail for a short spur over to the Falls overlook
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - The new overlook
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Signage explaining the acquisition of the land to protect this beautiful area.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Raven Cliff Falls from the overlook.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - The suspension bridge I was on early today above upper Raven Cliff Falls. (as viewed from the overlook)
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Raven Cliff Falls from the overlook. This fall was so spectacular I had to take multiple shots.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Raven Cliff Falls and Raven Cliff from the overlook.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Heading back to the parking area now.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - On the home stretch.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - A few more shots of the pretty trail.
Raven Cliff Falls Trail - Goodbye Autumn 2009.
Raven Cliff parking area - Jammed full now and overflowing.
Raven Cliff parking area - There was only one car in the parking lot when I start this morning, but now it was overflowing with trail users.
Caesars Head State Park overlook
Caesars Head State Park overlook - More closing shots before heading home.
Caesars Head State Park overlook - Pinnacle Lake shimmers now in the afternoon sun
Caesars Head State Park overlook - The overlook was jammed as well
Caesars Head State Park overlook - Looking back to the southwest
Caesars Head State Park overlook - The South Carolina Piedmont from Caesars Head
Caesars Head State Park overlook - It was a great day in the South Carolina mountains.
