Contact Information
SC Department of Natural Resources311 Natural Resources Drive
Clemson, SC 29631
Mary Bunch, Preserve Manager
(864) 654-6738 ext. 15
Tom Swayngham, Region 1 Coordinator
(864) 654-1671 ext. 21
Hours of Operation
The area is open only during daylight hours.
Contributions to the Endangered Wildlife Fund on the South Carolina Income Tax Form help to make the identification and management of these preserves possible.
Photographs
Description
Bald Rock, comprising 165 acres, is currently managed by the SC Department of Natural Resources. A lease agreement with SC Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism is pending. The property adjoins Caesar's Head State Park and is part of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. The rock for which the preserve is named is a popular tourist attraction. It provides scenic, panoramic views of the east side of Table Rock Mountain and the surrounding foothills of Pickens and Greenville Counties.
The preserve contains a complex of granite outcrops, seeps, and waterslides surrounded by a mosaic of mixed pines and hardwoods. Lichens and mosses have colonized portions of the rock outcrops. Joined with forces of weather, these pioneer species create pockets and cracks in the granite, which are filled with sand and organic matter. Some display patches of herbaceous plants.
The preserve protects two headwater streams that are essential in maintaining several groups of rare plant species. They include the nationally threatened plant species, piedmont ragwort, and the state threatened plant species, grass-of-parnassus. Additional rare species that have been documented nearby include the New England cottontail, woodrat and northern long-eared bat.
A beautification project, involving the partnership of the SC Department of Transportation, with the SC Department of Natural Resources and volunteers resulted in improved access, reduced erosion and stabilization with native plant species, stream restoration and litter clean-up. The project was awarded second place in the 2005 Colorful Spaces Program. Please report anyone defacing the property with graffiti.