Vertical walls and deep
ravines…..the Blue Ridge Escarpment
The Blue Ridge Escarpment, a
treasure of mountain and river landscapes, reaches from Georgia to southern
Virginia. Throughout its 70-mile stretch across South Carolina, the
mountains tower at elevations of more than 3,000 feet, reaching its zenith
at 3,554-foot Sassafras Mountain, the state’s highest peak. The Cherokee
Indians who lived in the shadow of the mountains, grew to call this place
they held sacred the “Blue Wall”. Oconee County plunges deep into these
mountains and has become renown for its crystal clean lakes and rivers.
T. Wyche and Westcliffe Publishers, Inc. |
T. Wyche and Westcliffe Publishers, Inc. |
Lakes
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Tucked away in the
foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Lake Keowee serves as the focal point
of this foothills community. The lake’s 18,500 acres of clear, mountain fed
water and 300 miles of shoreline make it ideal for boating, fishing,
water-skiing, swimming or just plain relaxing and soaking up the splendor of
nature. Duke Power Company’s subsidiary Crescent Resources has developed
some of the popular neighborhoods along the Hwy. 130 and Hwy. 188 corridors.
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Lake Jocassee is a
7,500-acre reservoir of cold, emerald-green water enclosed by the steep
walls of the surrounding mountains. The once free-flowing waters of
Horsepasture and Toxaway Rivers now lie buried beneath the lake. Accessible
to the public by Devils Fork State Park, Lake Jocassee is a wonderland of
outdoor recreation. Anglers work Jocassee’s waters for trout and smallmouth
bass. Boating across the lake will take you to the Laurel Fork and Thompson
River waterfalls.
Rivers
- In 1974 Congress
designated the Chattooga a National Wild and Scenic River. The Chatooga’s
turbulent waters and renowned whitewater rapids drew paddlers and rafters
from around the country after the 1972 movie “Deliverance” was filmed in
and around the river’s deep ravines. Fed by rains that exceed 90 inches
per year, the Chattooga gains momentum in North Carolina for 10 miles and
is a full-fledged river by the time it becomes, at Ellicot’s Rock, the
boundary of South Carolina and Georgia. The river picks up pace below
Earl’s Ford, which marks the beginning of Section 3, as boaters have
dubbed the 17-mile stretch to the Highway 76 bridge. Below Highway 76,
Section 4 picks up the remaining seven-mile stretch to Lake Tugaloo. The
stretch of river is one of the country’s most challenging whitewater runs,
known for it’s pristine wilderness and rapids such as
Screaming Left,
Seven-Foot Falls, Corkscrew, Jawbone, and Sockemdog. For those who wish
to experience these sections of the Chattooga in a professional, certified
outifitter, please contact
Wildwater.
- Not as long or as large
as the Chattooga, but equally pristine and rugged, the Chauga River flows
freely for 20 miles before being swallowed up by Lake Hartwell. Dropping
800 vertical feet in this span, the Chauga offers many tight turns and
steep drops that many people consider to be just as challenging and
technical as the lower sections of the Chattooga.
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