Bee Cove Falls is a two-stage, 70-foot waterfall in the Mountain Rest area of South Carolina. It’s actually closer to Cashiers, North Carolina, than any other popular city in the area. The falls are 2.1 miles down a primitive forestry road (FS 702), making it a 4.2-mile round trip if you park on the highway and walk the road to the falls. If you have a 4×4, you could actually drive all the way down to a berm that blocks the final spur of the trail. You might have to clear some brush, so be ready for that if you roll the dice and drive.
I parked at a pull-off on SC Hwy 107 and strolled the 2.1 miles down to the falls with a puppy pulling me the whole way. It’s a pretty easy hike. About halfway, the road forks (photo 3 above) and you veer to the right and follow the creek. You eventually come to a berm (photo 4 above) blocking the road and walk past it to your right. After a little while, the trail to the falls veers off to the right again. There’s no signage, but the pathway is pretty obvious. When I was there, someone had marked the trail with tape.
There are trails to the 40-foot upper, and 30-foot lower, cascade. Use your best judgment and follow well-trod footpaths. If you have trekking poles, this is not a bad scramble. It’s nothing like the near-vertical descent to Lower Bearwallow Falls in nearby Gorges State Park.
There’s not much to say about this hike. It’s mostly downhill to the falls and uphill back to the road. The falls are pretty, but there are no swimming holes. Don’t plan to spend your day here. I went in July and was covered in ticks after bushwacking to the lower cascade. Bring tick-repellant bug spray.
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