Hiker’s Peril Falls is a 3-tiered waterfall just off the Foothills Trail in the Mountain Rest area of South Carolina. Park at the map point below. There are picnic tables and a privy in the parking area, so you can make this a rest stop if you’re visiting several nearby attractions.
There’s not much to tell. Take the Foothills Trail west for about ⅓ mile. You’ll pass a small waterfall on the way. If it’s named, I’m not aware of it. There’s a picture above as seen through the foliage on the river bank. You’ll cross a couple of small bridges and then you’ll hear the falls before you see them.
The hike down to the water is pretty steep, but roots and rocks provide reliable hand and footholds. Once you’re at the bottom, you can walk around the rocks to access the upper, middle, and lower falls.
There’s another waterfall a little farther downstream, but it’s not easy to access from the trail. I didn’t have time to bushwhack on this day. I had one more stop to make at nearby Silver Run Falls before racing home before the snow stuck to the road and my fellow southerners started abandoning their cars.
There is zero cell reception in the area, so get your navigation app up and running while you’re still in civilization. I learned about this waterfall from the book, Waterfall Hikes of Upstate South Carolina.
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