DuPont State Forest Part 1
*We have added DuPont State Forest to the list of Best Hikes in the Southern Appalachians. This outstanding state park that featuring it is practically a waterfall week in itself!*
**DISCLAIMER: While all of the waterfalls featured on Becauseitzthere can be safely hiked and enjoyed, be aware that there is GREAT RISK involved in venturing off trail near ANY of the waterfalls described here. We advise you to HIKE SAFELY. Please remember that you are responsible for your own safety on the trail. This site and its editors bear no responsibility for any accidents that occur as a result of engaging in any of the hikes described on these pages. Don’t be blamin’ us now, hear? END DISCLAIMER**
Last week our site archivist dug into the dusty virtual cabinet and pulled out photos from our 2011 visit to Table Rock State Park in South Carolina, which gets our vote on the admittedly short list of best places to hike in that state.
Today we’ll feature some more from that mother load of photos as we explore DuPont State Forest, which is located in roughly the same region as Table Rock, but on the north side of the NC/SC state line.
There is no shortage of great hikes in North Carolina, as this site is evidence of. But DuPont State forest acquits itself quite well even in such an impressive group – it’s definitely a worthy outdoor destination. Dupont State Forest is by far the most popular state forest in NC for recreation, and is so for a reason.
In fact, it’s so good that Hollywood is aware of it. Parts of the movies Last of the Mohicans and Hunger Games were filmed there.
The big attraction of this park, and what brings most visitors and film directors here, is its waterfalls. DuPont State forest boasts the most significant collection of impressive waterfalls in such a localized area in the entire state – many of which are reachable by easy hikes.
One of the traditions of BecausItzThere has been waterfall weeks. DuPont State Forest is basically a waterfall week in itself.
We hiked DuPont State Forest over a period of days in October of 2011, just a few weeks after we hiked Table Rock. We also visited Looking Glass Rock on that same trip. Fall colors were a bit past peak but still quite nice.
The first of the park’s half dozen so major waterfalls that we visited is Hooker Falls, which takes its name from a mill that operated in the area. Hooker Falls is the one that was featured in Last of the Mohicans, and the one most easily accessed from one of several parking areas.
It’s more broad than tall, being just 14 feet high but spanning the entire breadth of the Little River. It’s fairly impressive, and easy to get close to. We spent a lot of time just lounging around here.
But with that said, it is far from the most impressive waterfall in this park. There are several more even bigger and better. We’ll get to them in the new couple of posts, as the waterfall week in itself that is DuPont State Forest continues.
Next up: Triple Falls
