Yellow Branch Falls

Sumter National Forest, South Carolina, USA

About Yellow Branch Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Yellow Branch Falls seemed to be almost like a virtual twin to the nearby Issaqueena Falls.

After all, they both possessed similar “character” (as Julie likes to say), and they were similar in size where I believe Yellow Branch Falls is said to be 40-50ft or so with a width of about 75ft.

Yellow_Branch_Falls_049_20121015 - Yellow Branch Falls in pretty low flow during our Autumn visit
Yellow Branch Falls in pretty low flow during our Autumn visit

However, unlike Issaqueena Falls, we had to earn our visit to Yellow Branch Falls with a bit of a 3-mile out-and-back hike.

While we didn’t have to do any scrambling for the waterfall, we did have to spend a little over two hours at a leisurely pace (which included taking photos along the way).

Indeed, the hike was mostly gentle in terms of the net elevation loss from the trailhead to the falls.

Plus, the nice Fall colors decorating the tall trees surrounding the trail further kept us occupied throughout our time on the hike.

Julie and I did spot a snake during our hike, which attested to how naturesque the relatively quiet experience was.

Yellow_Branch_Falls_004_20121015 - One of the unbridged stream crossings on the hike to Yellow Branch Falls
One of the unbridged stream crossings on the hike to Yellow Branch Falls

Anyways, I counted around 3 or 4 stream crossings throughout the hike, but I don’t recall if any of them were bridged.

Overall, we found that hiking to this waterfall was very much like a back-to-Nature experience as it was just us and the tranquil surroundings.

Perhaps the only thing that disturbed the peace was the presence of loud gunshots echoing and piercing through the tranquility during our visit.

We suspect that it was probably due to hunting, but since we’re not familiar with the hunting laws in Upcountry South Carolina, we’re not sure how commonplace it is to be within earshot of hunting activity on this trail.

Yellow_Branch_Falls_009_20121015 - Pretty Autumn colors starting to reveal themselves on the hike to Yellow Branch Falls
Pretty Autumn colors starting to reveal themselves on the hike to Yellow Branch Falls

Like with Issaqueena Falls, we happend to see this waterfall with pretty low flow, and I’d imagine its best volume comes during the Spring or right after a storm.

That said, we had to cross the shallow stream one last time in front of the falls to get the full frontal views you see on this page, but the low flow made that crossing a piece of cake.

Authorities

Yellow Branch Falls resides in the Sumter National Forest near Walhalla, South Carolina. It is administered by the USDA Forest Service. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website or Facebook page.

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Tagged with: sumter, national forest, walhalla, greenville, south carolina, waterfall, upcountry, issaqueena falls



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.