One of the best parts of going the adventure way is that you are often overwhelmed (in a good way) by what you encounter. This happened to us on our trip to South Mountains State Park. What we read on the NC State Park website and other places online made us think that this was mainly a park for camping, horseback riding, and mountain biking. We didn’t think that we would find much for us if we were just planning on being there a couple of hours. Boy were we wrong! We had a great time visiting the “mountains before the mountains”.

Where Is South Mountains State Park?

South Mountains is located in Connelly Springs, about 20 miles south of Morganton in Burke County. Most people get there off of I-40, and you are traveling about 20-25 minutes off of the interstate. If there weren’t any brown signs telling you where to go, you would swear that your GPS was lying to you. It is in a very isolated place of North Carolina, which is part of the beauty of it.

South Mountains has three different areas. The main section is the Jacob’s Fork Section. The Clear Creek Watershed and the Henry River area are both within a 20 minute drive from Jacob’s Fork. These areas are not frequently patrolled by the State Park Rangers. Online there is a warning of vandalism if you leave your car unattended at either of these areas. We only went to Jacob’s Fork. There were plenty of park rangers everywhere we went and we never felt nervous for us or our property. We had a blast!

What To Do At South Mountains

South Mountains State Park has a ton to do. On our trip we hiked a couple of trails, visited the welcome center, and had a picnic.

Hiking Trails

During our visit we hiked the High Shoals Falls Loop Trail. This trail is one of our favorite trails in the state and leads to one of the best waterfalls you can see in North Carolina. It was especially great for us because we went on a rainy day. The reason that this trail is so great is because it has a ton of shade, is next to the river, and there are a ton of cascades that you walk by. It is beautiful, definitely one to check out. The second half of the trail leading up to the waterfall is fairly strenuous, but it is definitely worth it. It includes a lot of stairs – but don’t stop! Once you get to the waterfall you can double back and shave a little over half a mile from your hike.

We also hiked the River Trail and the Hemlock Nature Trail. Both of these trails are easy and have great views. There are stations along the Nature Trail where kids (and adults) can learn about the plant and animal life around the park. The River Trail is a Kid’s Track Trail with brochures for self-guided tours.

Picnic

There are plenty of picnic areas throughout the park and many of them have pretty scenic views. If you are going it might be good to pack a lunch. You are pretty far from other restaurants and you need a little bit of time to enjoy this park. We ate lunch at the picnic shelter at the Jacob’s Fork parking area because we were there on a rainy day. It had a couple of grills and even a fireplace. It sits right on the river and made our lunch even that much more enjoyable.

Visit the Welcome Center

The welcome center was really great and had plenty of interactive learning areas for kids. There is a pretty good gift shop as well. The staff was friendly and willing to help and answer any questions we had. Don’t forget to pick up a Junior Ranger Book and get your stamp for your passport!

Camping, Biking, Horseback & Rainbow Trout!

There are plenty of camping sites and they can handle anyone whether you have an RV or are camping out of a backpack. If you are into mountain biking or horseback riding, South Mountains has miles and miles of trails for you to explore. In total there are 47 miles of trails to conquer at this park! This is also a great place to fish, they actually have trout in the river there.

What Else Is Around South Mountains State Park

There isn’t a ton in the immediate vicinity of South Mountains but it does serve as a great gateway to the North Carolina mountains. You are roughly in between Winston-Salem and Asheville. We used this as a lunch and hiking stop on our way to start a five day vacation in the mountains. Unless you are camping overnight, this definitely is a drive in and drive out to your next destination type of park.

Takeaways From Our Trip To South Mountains State Park

It is crazy how quick we are to try and get things done. We do that in everything, even trying to get to a particular destination. Our family has driven by the South Mountain State Park sign on 40 over 50 times not once thinking to stop there. We miss out on so much because we don’t want to slow down and live in the moment. Far too often we are busy moving on to the next thing.

We are so happy that we stopped and went the adventure way. Because we did that, we were able to experience something that not too many people have. We were utterly blown away by this park.

On the practical side, you have no cell service. Know how to get there before you go. Go on a day when it is a little rainy – the crowds were low and the waterfall was huge! This park has everything for every fitness level, but if you are going to the falls you need to be prepared to sweat. Just check this place out!

Where are some places that are out of the way but well worth it? What places have exceeded your expectations when you travel?

Do you love visiting North Carolina state parks as much as we do? Check out our other guide to Mayo River State Park!