Jumping Off Rock Overlook in Sunset, South Carolina

This is by far the best scenic view I have found in South Carolina. It is located in the Jocassee Gorges Wilderness Area. It’s not exactly easy to get to. If you enter Jumping Off Rock into your GPS, it will take you to a private gated community. Security at the gate directed us to Shooting Tree Ridge road off of Cleo Chapman Highway. Shooting Tree Ridge Road is a gated dirt road and you may only be about 8 miles away but expect to take a good 45 minutes or more to reach this overlook on a twisting, one lane road. It is gorgeous and peaceful out here. You will pass campsites along the way. According to a sign on the entrance of Shooting Tree Ridge Road, this area is open to the public March 20-May 10 and September 15-January 15.

Address: 448 Horse Pasture Road #440, Sunset, SC 29685

There are plenty of rocks that make a nice seat and table for enjoying a lunch while taking in the view.

After spending awhile here, we continued on the same road for about 10 more minutes. It turns into Bootleg Road (stay to the right when you reach a fork) and the road ends at a point on Lake Jocassee. It is worth spending some time along the shore here. This is the clearest, most scenic lake I have found in the southeast so far.

This was the perfect place to enjoy the last of the fall colors. While they weren’t at their peak when we went in mid November, it was still a perfect day.

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