Hiking Trails of Caesars Head State Park in South Carolina

Caesars Head State Park is in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area of Upstate South Carolina located within easy driving distance Greenville, SC, and is home to a wide variety of trails appropriate for nearly every fitness level. The park offers some of the best and most accessible vistas in the upstate and has a large population of raptors such as eagles, hawks, and other birds of prey. As Caesars Head State Park shares the Mountain Bridge Wilderness area with Jones Gap State Park, many of the most popular trails travel in and out of each park.

Raven Cliff Falls

This moderate in and out hike follows the . Hikers have two options in approaching Raven Cliff Falls. For a pretty easy day hike, there is a 4 mile round trip hike that takes hiker to an overlook of the falls across a wide gorge. Keep an eye out for the park's raptors. This is a great view and an excellent destination for a short trip. Hikers who would like to get closer to the falls can hike out to the observation area and then follow the trails over to the suspension bridge that is considerably closer to the falls for a close up view. This second route is 7-8 miles out and back and is moderately strenuous but well worth the effort.

Gum Gap Trail

The Gum Gap route is a great choice looking to cover some mileage and see some different terrains without dealing with any serious inclines. This an 8-9 mile in and out hike that begins on the Raven Cliff Falls trail then branches off on to Gum Gap Trail. The trail itself is pretty leisurely, following an old logging road. There are a few good side trails worth considering, including another jaunt over to Raven Cliffs suspension bridge, so be sure to bring a trail map and description. The trail continues until the state border at which point it's time to turn around and make the trek back.

Natureland Trust Trail

For a more strenuous hike and opportunities to get off of the beaten path, consider taking up the pink-blazed Natureland Trust Trail. This hike is another out and back hike which covers 5.8 miles each way and includes ascending 1000+ foot inclines a few times each way. Some of the rewards of this hike include Ravens Cliff Falls,Cathedral Rock and an optional detour to Moonshine Falls. There is a full description of the Moonshine Falls located here on Associated Content.

For more hiking trails in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness, see Hiking Trails of Jones Gap State Park also located here on Associated Content. Trails that share both Caesars Head and Jones Gap include Pinnacle Pass,Coldspring Branch and Rim of the Gap.

Sources:

http://www.alleneasler.com/raven.html
http://www.sctrails.net/Trails/ALLTRAILS/Waterfalls/Ravencliff.html
http://www.sctrails.net/Trails/MAPS/RavenCliff%20map.html
http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGD078-017
http://www.sctrails.net/Trails/ALLTRAILS/Hiking/Upcountry/GumGap.html
http://www.sctrails.net/Trails/MAPS/MountainBridge%20map.html
http://www.sctrails.net/Trails/ALLTRAILS/Hiking/Upcountry/NaturalandTrust.html
http://hikecarolina.tripod.com/trails.htm