Hooker Falls is a 12-foot high ledge waterfall and swimming hole in Dupont State Park. It’s just over the North Carolina line from the upstate region of South Carolina. The swimming area is larger and an Olympic-size pool. This park is where they filmed a bunch of forest scenes from the first Hunger Games movie. There’s a gravel parking lot that you can’t miss, but it fills up pretty quickly on hot days. You could end up parking far away on the street.
There’s half-mile or so walk from the parking area to Hooker Falls and people bring enough food, drinks, and water accessories to play all day. The folks at Dupont have done a great job connecting the Hooker Falls lot to the Triple Falls trail, meaning you can park at Hooker Falls or above Triple Falls and spend all days hiking around riverbeds and waterfalls. No matter what time of year you go, plan for very cold water.
This really is one of the most car-friendly of the nature parks in the area. Just about anyone can get in and out of the waterfall viewing areas, and those with more adventurous spirits can play in the water until they’re either worn out or hypothermic or both. You can learn more about the area with the Friends Of Dupont State Forest Map.
I can’t say enough good things about DuPont State Forest. This is one of my favorite hikes to take visitors to because you can sort of choose your own adventure. Most of the trails are old logging roads, so they’re easy to navigate. I usually park at Hooker Falls and walk on the new bridge toward Triple Falls. At some point, I’ll lead everyone into the river rocks and we’ll scramble all the way to the falls. Once there, some people can hike to the overlook at the top. Others can stay at the base of the falls. Those who really want to swim can remain back at Hooker Falls.
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