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SCDNR News

Jocassee Gorges roads reopened

COLUMBIA, S.C.

January 25, 2022

Beam of sunlight shining through the clouds over Jocassee Gorges

The road to Jumping Off Rock, the iconic overlook of Jocassee Gorges, has reopened after being closed for winter weather. [photo by Scottie Fredrickson]

CLEMSON, S.C. - Most year-round roads within the Jim Timmerman Natural Resources Area at Jocassee Gorges in northern Pickens County have been reopened by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).

The year-round roads include Horsepasture Road from the Laurel Valley entrance on US 178 to Jumping Off Rock. Shooting-Tree Ridge Road, from its Eastatoee Valley entrance on Cleo Chapman Highway, is open to an intermediate gate about 5 miles in, to give small game hunters better access.

Camp Adger Road at US 178, which goes to the Franklin Gravely Monument, has not yet reopened but SCDNR officials expect it to reopen later this week.

Musterground Road on the Oconee County side of Jocassee Gorges, which was already scheduled to close for the season Jan. 15, will remain closed until its seasonal opening date of March 20.

According to SCDNR, road closures helped prevent road damage and avoided public safety issues during the snow storm that hit the Upstate recently.

The road to Sassafras Mountain Overlook, the F. Van Clayton Highway, is still closed. Access to that road is controlled by Pickens County. As of Monday afternoon, the road was still covered in ice and snow. For information on the road to Sassafras, call the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office at (864) 898-5500.

The Jocassee Gorges is in northern Pickens and Oconee counties along the North Carolina border and surrounds Lake Jocassee. For more information on Jocassee Gorges, visit South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (sc.gov).