Falling Waters Scenic Byway

Falling Waters Scenic Byway climbs 13 miles through Sumter National Forest in the South Carolina mountains, from Walhalla north to the North Carolina line. Following SC Highway 107 through Oconee County, the byway passes Isaqueena Falls and the abandoned Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel, a 19th-century railroad bore left unfinished when funding ran out. Oconee State Park and the Walhalla State Fish Hatchery sit along the route, along with access points for the Chattooga River, part of which carries a National Wild and Scenic River designation. Near its northern end, the byway climbs toward the Oscar Wigington Overlook at roughly 2,000 feet, with views west over Lake Jocassee and the surrounding Blue Ridge foothills. The road runs through dense hardwood and pine forest that turns color in October and November, drawing leaf-peeping traffic that can slow the narrow, curving pavement. Its combination of waterfalls, forest, and mountain overlook views makes it one of the more physically dramatic scenic drives in the Upstate.

• Walhalla to NC state line
• 13 miles on SC Highway 107
• Isaqueena Falls
• Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel
• Oscar Wigington Overlook
• Sumter National Forest