Height:	56 feet
Type:	Cascade into a cascading free-fall
Stream:	Fall Creek
River Basin:	Savannah River
Elevation:	1,429 feet
Landowner:	United States Department of Agriculture
Recreational Area:	Sumter National Forest, Andrew Pickens Ranger District
Nearest Community:	Long Creek
County:	Oconee
State:	South Carolina
USGS Map:	Rainy Mountain
Difficulty:	Moderate
Accessibility:	Logging road, trail, steep scramble & creek walking
Trail Blaze:	None
Admission Fee:	None
Hike Length:	1.18 miles
Waterfall GPS:	34.821882 -83.256476
Parking GPS:	34.820918 -83.249760

Understanding Waterfall Listings

Overview

Somehow this beautiful waterfall went unnoticed by the vast majority of the waterfall community for quite some time, and it’s located surprisingly close to the well-known Fall Creek Falls Trail in the Long Creek area of Oconee County. Pristine Falls is also known as Upper Fall Creek Falls in some publications.

This waterfall has an amazing veil that you can safely get behind and even stand underneath the falling water, giving one heck of a hillbilly baptism. Please be careful not to trample the rare plants near the base of the waterfall!

Driving Directions

From Walhalla, South Carolina. From the intersection of SC-183, head west on SC-28 for 6.1 miles and turn left onto Whetstone Road. Drive 4.9 miles and turn left onto Chattooga Ridge Road. Drive 3.8 miles and turn right onto Fall Creek Road (FS-722). Drive 0.3 mile and turn left to stay on Fall Creek Road (FS-722). Drive 0.4 mile and park on the right side of the road just before the third right-hand curve.

From Westminster, South Carolina. From the intersection of US-123, head north on US-76 for 15.4 miles and turn right onto Chattooga Ridge Road. Drive 2.1 miles and turn left onto Fall Creek Road (FS-722). Drive 0.3 mile and turn left to stay on Fall Creek Road (FS-722). Drive 0.4 mile and park on the right side of the road just before the third right-hand curve.

From Clayton, Georgia. From the intersection of US-441, head east on US-76 for 10.2 miles and turn left onto Chattooga Ridge Road. Drive 2.1 miles and turn left onto Fall Creek Road (FS-722). Drive 0.3 mile and turn left to stay on Fall Creek Road (FS-722). Drive 0.4 mile and park on the right side of the road just before the third right-hand curve.

Hiking Directions

From the parking. Look for a faint trail on the southwest side of the road and follow it for about 260+ feet to an old logging road and head left. Follow the logging road for 630+ feet to an intersection and head right. Continue following the logging road for about 0.24 mile to another intersection and head left. Continue down the logging road for almost 400 feet and look for a faint path to the left. Follow the path down for 150+ feet towards the creek, the last section of the path is a steep scramble down to the creek. Once down to the creek carefully creek walk a short distance upstream to the waterfall.

From the Andrew Ramey Falls/Fall Creek Falls Trail. Continue driving down Fall Creek Road (FS 722) for 0.15 mile and park on the left side of the road in a small pull-off, just past the large culvert that runs beneath the road. (Parking GPS 34.82253 -83.25067.) Head towards the southwest corner of the parking and look for a tree with red painted bands on it and a trail heading downhill to the left of it. Follow the trail downhill for 200+ feet to an intersection in the trail. (You’ll pass by Andrew Ramey Falls on your way down.) Keep right to stay on the main trail and continue following the trail for 100+ feet to where it runs into an old logging road and head left. Follow the logging road downhill a short distance to where the trail splits and the main trail heads right up the hill.

Continue following the trail for 550+ feet to where it curves right and brings you to the top of a short but steep rocky area that drops down into a stream, which is North Fork Fall Creek. Carefully scramble down the steep rocky section into the stream and cross over to the other side. (You’ll see Rhodo Falls to your left as you’re crossing over the stream.) Continue following the trail for about 0.37 mile, and you’ll come to another junction in the trail. Head left and follow it a short distance to the confluence of North Fork Fall Creek and Fall Creek. Cross over the North Fork Fall Creek and continue following the trail a short distance to an old logging road. Follow the logging road uphill for about 350+ feet to a faint path to the right and follow the path down towards the creek. The last section of the path is a steep scramble down to the stream, once down to the stream carefully creek walk upstream to the waterfall.

My GPS track can be found down below. Click on the track name to be taken to the Gaia GPS website where you can save the track to your phone or computer.