![]() Note that if you access the preserve from the Stumphouse Tunnel Park the hours of operation are posted on the gate. The blazed trail continues the entire width of the preserve and goes past the Middle Tunnel to the Saddle Tunnel. Follow that yellow blazed trail, signed and marked by the Boyscouts of America, into the Heritage Preserve. Follow the trail toward the waterfall and look for a sign "BRRR" and yellow blazes on your left. Take that gravel road which leads to parking and Issaqueena Falls and park. Follow winding Stumphouse Tunnel Road for 0.39 miles down to a gravel road on your right. From Walhalla, SC, follow SC 28 north (toward Mountain Rest and NC) for 4.5 miles and then go right into the Stumphouse Tunnel Park on Stumphouse Tunnel Road (paved). The park also has a nice picnic area.Currently, the best access for hiking and sightseeing is via the City of Walhalla Park at Stumphouse Mountain. to sunset, except on Christmas and during inclement weather. Located 7 miles northwest of Walhalla on Highway 28, Stumphouse Tunnel Park is open from 10 a.m. (Photo by Jeff Samsel) A short easy walk leads in Stumphouse Tunnel Park leads to a platform that provides a great view of Issaqueena falls. Past the platform, an unofficial but heavily traveled trail allows for a steep descent to a flat area at the base of the 100-foot main drop for an up-close vantage.Īsher and Eli Samsel enjoy an up close and personal look at Issaqueena Falls. ![]() The creek drops 100 feet over an almost vertical edge, with just enough ledges breaking its fall to spread the flow into a complex and striking veil.įollowing the footpath across a small bridge leads to an easy downhill walk to a platform that provides an outstanding view of the falls. (Photo by Jeff Samsel)Ī short walk away from the tunnel, small and nondescript-seeming Cane Creek suddenly plunges into a gorge to form beautiful Issaqueena Falls. On the way out, you can just walk toward the light.Ī gentle, cool breeze comes out of the entrance of the Stumphouse Tunnel at all times. That said, enough natural light creeps in to sort of see once eyes adjust, and exploring without the aid of a flashlight is kind of cool. There are no artificial lights, so phone flashlights get used a lot. An air shaft just past the gate creates a constant cool breeze coming out of the tunnel and condensation, which keeps the tunnel floor moist. However, a locked gate prohibits travel past about halfway for safety reasons. ![]() The tunnel, which is 17 feet wide and 25 feet tall, is 1,617 feet long. ![]() The boys also spent at least a half hour flipping rocks in a tumbling tributary of the main stream, catching crawfish and seeing what kinds of aquatic insects were under rocks.Ī dead-end tunnel cut into a mountainside that was part of an abandoned railroad project, the Stumphouse Tunnel was created in the 1850s. ![]() The splendor of the falls exceeded what I had remembered, and the tunnel, which had been closed last time I was there and only visible from the outside at that time, turned out to be super fun to explore. What I’d expected be a half hour stop for quick looks at a couple of features turned into more than two hours of fun discovery. The park is pretty close to Walhalla, and we had time, so we made a detour. Until a couple of weeks ago, I’d forgotten just how just how cool South Carolina’s Stumphouse Tunnel Park is. I was in Walhalla with two of my boys and had just finished a round of disc golf when it struck me that they might like to explore the park’s namesake tunnel and to see Issaquena Falls, which is in the same park. There are no artificial lights inside the tunnel, but on the way out you can just walk toward the light. ![]()
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