Well went with the wife to Gorges State Park today and hiked up Rainbow Falls Trail to check out all the waterfalls. Very nice place lots of cool waterfalls and swim holes.
On the way out we drove up Chestnut Mountain Rd. This road starts out as a gravel two track road that goes up the mountain. On the far side it has some really steep descents. When you get to the end of this road take a right and head down the mtn a couple of miles and you'll come to this bridge crossing. After this bridge crossing the trail starts to get real rough! The wife and I went up the other side about two miles before we turned around (time was running out and Gorges closes at 9) to come back down.
While airing back up at the Rainbow Falls parking lot a Park Ranger stopped by on a atv.
I asked him about the trail on the other side. He said the trail goes all the way past the South Carolina line and is open to all types of traffic, "If the gates are open go for it". He said that the trail is gated by Duke Power on the other end and you would have to back track the way you came in. He asked if we made it to the top of the mountain, while pointing to a very high ridge. I said we didn't get that far as we were afraid we would get locked in the park. He stated that the park's gates will raise up after hours to let you out but you can't get back in. He then said that near the top it gets rough enough that a winch maybe needed since it's washed out and isn't really maintained very well.
Ill be going back sometime soon to try and make it all the way to the locked gates and I'll record it with my action cam. Anyway this is a REALLY great trail for you expo guys that want to trail ride. There are some nice looking camp sites on the river and also on the Rainbow Falls trail.
On the way out we drove up Chestnut Mountain Rd. This road starts out as a gravel two track road that goes up the mountain. On the far side it has some really steep descents. When you get to the end of this road take a right and head down the mtn a couple of miles and you'll come to this bridge crossing. After this bridge crossing the trail starts to get real rough! The wife and I went up the other side about two miles before we turned around (time was running out and Gorges closes at 9) to come back down.
While airing back up at the Rainbow Falls parking lot a Park Ranger stopped by on a atv.
I asked him about the trail on the other side. He said the trail goes all the way past the South Carolina line and is open to all types of traffic, "If the gates are open go for it". He said that the trail is gated by Duke Power on the other end and you would have to back track the way you came in. He asked if we made it to the top of the mountain, while pointing to a very high ridge. I said we didn't get that far as we were afraid we would get locked in the park. He stated that the park's gates will raise up after hours to let you out but you can't get back in. He then said that near the top it gets rough enough that a winch maybe needed since it's washed out and isn't really maintained very well.
Ill be going back sometime soon to try and make it all the way to the locked gates and I'll record it with my action cam. Anyway this is a REALLY great trail for you expo guys that want to trail ride. There are some nice looking camp sites on the river and also on the Rainbow Falls trail.
