Wadakoe Mountain Heritage Preserve
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
Mark Hall, Jocassee Gorges Manager
(864) 878-9071
Hours of Operation
The area is open during daylight hours year-round.
Contributions to the Endangered Wildlife Fund on the South Carolina Income Tax Form help to make the identification and management of these preserves possible.
Important Information for Visitors
Jim Timmerman Natural Area Jocassee Gorges
Description
The 37-acre preserve lies adjacent to the Jim Timmerman Natural Area at Jocassee Gorges (aka Jocassee Gorges). This important property is a small portion of Wadakoe Mountain, which has been studied by botanists for more than a decade. Although two-thirds of the Wadakoe Mountain area is owned by DNR, Wadakoe is quite different from other parts of the Jocassee Gorges due to its distinct bedrock materials that produce circumneutral soils with high concentrations of magnesium and calcium. These soils provide habitat for rare species not commonly found in the Southern Appalachians.
Characterized by rich, hardwood cove forests, the preserve contains eleven rare plant species of concern. They include:
- blue cohosh
- liverleaf
- plantain-leaved sedge
- southern nodding trillium
- faded trillium
- Great Indian plantain
- Fort Mountain sedge
- yellow violet
- three-parted violet
- showy orchid.
Hunting is allowed in accordance with the Franklin Gravely Wildlife Management Area regulations for Game Zone 1.