Table Rock State Park

Table Rock State Park worked for me as a base camp while hiking around in South Carolina looking for waterfalls.  The park itself has several waterfalls, and most of them are easily accessed via a two mile round trip hike on the Carrick Creek Trail.  I have a book telling me of five specific waterfalls named Carrick Creek Falls, Upper Carrick Creek Falls, Spring Bluff Falls, Mill Creek Falls, and Green Creek Falls all along this trail.  Realistically I hopped on the Carrick Creek Trail from the park’s nature center, which acts as the main trailhead in the park, and there were far more than five waterfalls!  On this lollipop loop style trail I gave up counting after a dozen.  Some are in your face and obvious, and some you have to peek through dense vegetation to spot.  There is also a huge ongoing natural water slide to be seen.

Before hiking I’d gone to the visitor center and talked with one of the park staff, which was delightful because she was probably in her 20s and an avid hiker who was able to tell me almost everything about the trails.  She grabbed a park map and scribbled on it, insisting I take the Carrick Creek Trail in a clockwise direction because it is easier to spot random falls that way from that angle.  She then told me about the natural water slide that runs down the first part of the trail and how you’re not supposed to climb on it, but that she had totally gotten on it somewhere and slid down part of it for fun before.  I wasn’t going to duplicate this in winter, but I can see where that’d be attractive in summer.  The park however would frown on this, so, that’s all I’m going to say on that.

That trail aside there is another waterfall up on the Mill Creek Falls Spur Trail, and if you look at the Table Rock State Park map you can see that’s a whole hike in itself from a turnout on the Carrick Creek Trail.  What I did not get to do this trip unfortunately was go up the namesake Table Rock Trail to the top of the mountain.  Fog dominated while I was there which would have obscured the view and I was pretty beaten up from another adventure at nearby Caesar’s Head State Park.  The South Carolina famous Palmetto Trail also runs into this park.

Since this was my camping location for the adventure I got to know the campground fairly well.  Here’s what I find relevant and may answer someone else’s questions about camping at Table Rock State Park.  The bathrooms are clean and heated (see picture of a shower below).  I had sketchy cell service but there is designated WiFi near the general store in the campground.  On one day while I was out hiking I was kind of shocked to come back to my site to find the fire ring had been cleaned (de-ashed) even though I wasn’t checked out or anything.  Some sites were packed close together, others had a little bit of space and vegetation between them, so that could go either way.  As usual at a modern state park they’re mostly set up for RVs and tent campers like myself just make due putting a tent on a gravel pad.  But there is primitive camping elsewhere in the park.  In winter however I’m taking the option with the fully functional bathroom!  There is a gate code (padlock) for the park but it is only used after hours, and when I registered online for my campsite the code was automatically given to me.  I didn’t even officially manage to check in for over 24 hours after arrival and no one cared.  So this is a nice low hassle check in experience in my opinion.

Address:  158 E. Ellison Lane, Pickens, SC  29671