Jones Gap

PARK ADVISORY

Parking reservations are required for guaranteed entry on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays from 9am-1pm. Outside of this parking is first-come first-serve.

Trails close one hour before sunset, daily. Hikers are required to fill out a registration card at the trailhead. All trails regardless of difficulty rating are considered advanced hiking trails. Please exercise caution and have an emergency preparedness plan. Phone service is unavailable at the park.

A map of currently open trails can be found here.

Campers must check in at the Ranger Station before proceeding to your campsite.

HOURS

9am-8pm, daily. Trails are open from 9am to one hour before dusk.

OFFICE

9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily

ADMISSION

$6 adults; $3.75 SC seniors (age 65 & older); $3.50 children ages 6-15; ages 5 and under, free.

PETS

Pets are allowed in most outdoor areas provided they are kept under physical restraint or on a leash not longer than six feet. Owners will be asked to remove noisy or dangerous pets or pets that threaten or harass wildlife.

No Wifi Available

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Jones Gap State Park

Mountains

Matthew Slawiak

Park Manager

Welcome! My name is Matthew Slawiak and I am the park manager of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, which includes Caesars Head and Jones Gap state parks. Before I started my park ranger career, I worked for the Department of Social Services as a Crisis Worker. After a few years, I knew that wasn’t my calling. I wanted a change. I started researching how to become a park ranger and realized I already had all the qualifications that were needed. I heard from a friend that Hickory Knob State Resort Park was hiring an assistant park ranger. I applied, interviewed and was offered the position. In 2016 I was promoted to a full-time ranger, and I have been “Living the Dream” ever since.

My favorite place at Jones Gap is Rainbow Falls. After a 2.2-mile, 1,200-foot climb to the bottom of the falls, you are rewarded with a spectacular view of a 120-foot waterwall cascading over a massive granite rock cliff.

One thing a first-time visitor should experience at the park is feeding the fish at the trout pond, which is the location of the oldest state-owned and operated fish hatchery in South Carolina.

**Our Ultimate Outsider stamp is located on the emergency kiosk near the vehicle bridge. This kiosk is to the left of the office building near the river. Visitors can also find a stamp in the park office during office hours.

Visitors can find the unforgettable peace and repose of a deep mountain cove at Jones Gap State Park. Trails and 17,000 acres of pristine mountain woodlands join the park with Caesars Head in what is known as the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. The Jones Gap State Park trails allow hikers to traverse between the two parks, as well as connect to a portion of the Foothills Trail and Palmetto Trail South Carolina hikers know and love.

When it comes to angling-especially trout fishing-South Carolina really shines. The state’s first designated scenic river, the Middle Saluda River, runs through Jones Gap and offers some of the best trout fishing South Carolina has to offer–and the trout fishing in South Carolina is quite good. The park also features a living lab for the park’s hand-on ecology learning center.

BY THE NUMBERS

2 scenic waterfalls

18 wilderness/back country campsites

60+ miles of hiking trails of all difficulty levels

1 fish hatchery exhibit and trout pond that once was part of SC's first state-owned fish hatchery

1 designated scenic river, the Middle Saluda River, runs through the park and is available for fishing

17K acres of wilderness when combined with Caesars Head to form the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area

Fall Foliage

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At Jones Gap State Park

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