November 3, 2015 - Yellow Branch Falls, Issaqueena Falls, and Stumphouse Tunnel

Upstate South Carolina got a lot of rain yesterday and I thought today would be a good day to revisit the 50' Yellow Branch Falls near Walhalla, SC.  It's one of the prettiest waterfalls I have been to when the water is flowing good.  I was also hoping there would still be some fall color in the area.  The drive from Hendersonville took about 1 1/2 hours - I-26 to US25 south to SC11 south to SC28 in Walhalla.  The turn into the parking area is about 6 miles on the other side of Walhalla off of 28.

The hike is about 1 1/4 miles and we did see some color in the trees, but there was still green leaves also.  When we got to the waterfall, there was a little more water than I had hoped, but it was better than the times I had gone when there was barely a trickle.  We knew we would be getting our feet wet, so we both packed sandals to change into when we got to the falls. The first shots were from the opposite side of the creek that we arrived on as trees block the view from this side. 

Yellow Branch Falls

There's another angle that's nice, but it requires wading in front of the falls and climbing on the rocks.  This shot requires a wide angle lens and the problem today was keeping the lens dry from all the mist coming off of the waterfall.

Yellow Branch Falls

There's also a rock to climb up on for a different view, but the spray was worse up there. 

Yellow Branch Falls

I had hope to spend more time here shooting isolation shots and a lot of video, but the spray was just too bad.  There's another waterfall just on the other side of SC28, so we opted to hike back to the vehicle and drive over there.  Issaqueena Falls and Stumphouse Tunnel are in the same park and make a nice stop.  The link says the park is free, but there's a new pay station and the fee is $2 per vehicle. The parking area for the waterfall is right at the top of the falls and it's a short walk down to a viewing deck.  There used to be a good view of the falls from here, but now it's obscured by trees.

Issaqueena Falls from the viewing deck

From the deck, there's a steep goat path that leads down to the base of the falls for a better view.

Issaqueena Falls from the base

Stumphouse Tunnel is at the end of the park road.  The tunnel is a short walk past the gate and there are some info signs on the history of the tunnel - very interesting!

By now it was late afternoon and time to head back to the house.  Apparently the  park gate closes automatically at 5PM and there's a $25 fee for someone to come and let you out!