South Mountains State Park

Kelly Morris

Beautiful park with so much to explore. The waterfall trail is definitely strenuous (and gets more so the higher you go), but absolutely gorgeous. Bring your water shoes! But beware- some ppl are just nasty and have urinated along that trail, so unfortunately you will smell it periodically. There’s a nice area with numerous picnic tables and grills plus a beautiful, large pavilion at the beginning of the trails. Looking forward to going back.

Melissa Jarosinski

Super beautiful with hiking trails that can accommodate any level of ability. Opportunities to be active or relax and enjoy the extraordinary scenery and sounds. I hiked to High Shoals Falls from River Trail in a walking boot. Not super strenuous in terms of hard to do, rather you’ll exert yourself from climbing up steps made of rock and fairly tradition wooden stairs. The falls were beautiful and worth it! Also, the trails we experienced were well marked.

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The Chestnut Knob Overlook is a fairly rough hike of five miles, round trip. But the view is awesome, especially on a cold winter day. If you zoom in and look closely in one of the pictures I added, you can see the city skyline of Charlotte, even though it's a good 50 miles away. I avoid Chestnut Knob in the summer because I have seen several copperheads and rattlers hanging out on the rocks. The waterfall hike is via a different trail, and is also nice. (The pictures showing snow and ice were taken on a much colder day while hiking to the waterfall.)

Ranita Isaac

Beautiful and perfect for reconnecting with nature. Lots of trails and secluded spots for people who want some space and time for themselves. Some trails are steep, and some are not. It really depends how much you want to workout and challenge yourself. I've climbed one to a waterfall twice now and I love how the flowers are different this time around. If you look closely you'll see small critters here and there. Make sure you follow the rules and to pace yourself or you can find it hard coming back down (especially if you're unused to strenuous exercise). You can walk your pets on these trails which is a plus. It's a lovely mini getaway since my house is only 20 minutes away - great for working up a sweat and enjoying flora at the same time. There are also horse trails. Maps can be found at the visitor's center in a shelf that needs the top to be lifted up. Restrooms on the trail are clean and toilet paper is provided. Remember to bring water, snacks, and to use insect repellent and you'll be fine!