Caesars Head State Park

I grew up in Illinois and only visited SOUTH CAROLINA to see Dads side of our Family. This was throughout The 70’s and 80’s. My grandparents always told me about this place as a small child and promise we would visit. My grandfather died in 1983 and grandma passed in 1987. We never did get to CEASAR’S HEAD. Finally on my 47^th Birthday this past Year my Aunt NANCY took me up their. We spent 4 hours up their and I finally saw the actual Rock and The Devils Kitchen. Must say the view was spectacular and Well Worth the Long wait…
I HIGHLY Recommend a Visit, You won’t regret it!!!

I’ve been here so many times it’s redonculous! I’m totally shocked I’ve never written a review.
My oldest sister came to visit me in Georgia earlier this month. To my delight, her husband has lived most of his life not venturing very far outside the four corners of his state. Florida may have warm weather, Disney, surf, and beaches; but Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolina’s have spectacular mountains. Something he has never seen. In 2013, on the day of their wedding, he told me he wanted to come visit Georgia because he’s never been hiking. My immediate response was «Maaaan, you have definitely married into the right family!»
***SIDE NOTE: If you follow my reviews, this is the sister I talked about in my Shutterfly review.
Although I took them to Tallulah Gorge a year ago for their anniversary visit to Georgia, they had not been this deep into the woods, where overlooks and scenic views are around every corner. I swear it was like taking a child that has never been to a toy store shopping. The oooh’s and ahh’s from their enthusiasm were so delightful that it made this visit seem like the first time for me too!
Another bonus was the fact he has never seen snow in person and this particular weekend the mountains were covered in snow. The parking lot of Caesar’s head was loaded with mounds of it and he couldn’t help himself. He jumped right into the snow pile without concern that he was not wearing a coat or gloves! Why is it that warm weather people love snow so much? I grew up shoveling several feet of it every year and personally I could care less if I see another snowflake again for the rest of my life… LOL
THE EXPERIENCE
My brother-​in-​law was so excited to see the overlook that I could barely keep up with him! The parking lot was super crowded and after walking toward the overlook I could see why! Several families had set up camp at the picnic tables and were cooking out on the available grills! Some brought their own grills and chairs, making the parking lot kinda looked like a tailgate party. It was a wonderful sight to see so many enjoying the mountains. Being the little brother, I took the opportunity to toss a few snowballs at my sister, and she gave me the same stank eye look of an annoyed big sister that she did when we were kids! Hahaha.
The view from the overlook is amazing. Table Rock Mountain sits majestically in view, along with sweeping views all the way to Georgia, but on this day the views were slightly limited by a dusting of clouds. My brother-​in-​law, with kid-​like curiosity, didn’t want to miss anything and explored every nook and cranny. He discovered a place called Devil’s Kitchen, where stairs take you down through a tight fissure in the granite. The gap between the massive stones is approximately 4 feet wide (only 3 feet in some areas) by 20 feet tall and about 50 feet long. Don’t miss it off to the right of the overlook.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Driving through the mountains of South and North Carolina is one of my favorite things to do on weekends with my family, especially in the fall. Do yourself a favor and pay this place a visit. The ranger station has maps and helpful information to guide you to several places of interest including a dozen waterfalls and mountain peaks. You too might just fall in love with this place!
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Very beautiful. Views are amazing.
Tons of hiking trails of all difficulty.
Just getting there is half the fun.
If you go plan on doing some fun hiking.

Our family of 8 had a great time on this hike! We are totally out of shape so, for us, it was a bit strenuous. We hiked this trail with a 7 and 9 year old. They did a great job of keeping up. They were tired by the end but had a great time nevertheless. Their are a few steep areas but nothing the average person can’t handle. This trail has a few falls one of which has a small cave like drop, beautiful! It was our favorite! In between waterfalls the trail is mostly woody. We hiked on December 31^st and it had rained extensively in the area so the walk was muddy in many areas. It just made the hike all the more adventurous. We had ourselves a nice little workout with an awesome reward of beautiful views. There is a gift shop, restroom and soda vending machines in the parking area. The park ranger was very nice. Make sure not to miss the overlook before you leave. It’s located at the end of the parking lot. The view is breathtaking! Take your camera! You will definitely want to take photos. The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars is I really wanted a trail that we would walk along the stream or river the way through. But, this was beautiful and fun!

Completely amazed by this park. This was my first REAL hike I’ve ever done and I absolutely loved it. My boyfriend and I first drove to the top to where the lookout point is and the park office. The office itself has a small convenience type store with multiple snacks and beverages in case you may need them on or after your hike.
We were helped by one of the employees who was extremely friendly and very knowledgable. He gave us a plethora of information as well as guided us to the trail that was best for beginners. An interesting fact he told us was that the hunger games movies were filmed not too far from here, maybe an hour or less north. Pretty cool!
Although we only did one trail (out of many) we were thrilled by all of the beautiful things we saw. Multiple creeks and waterfalls and beautiful lush forest. By the time we were done we ended up hiking for about 6 miles in total. The hike back up to the parking lot was a little intense for us both. We are total rookies (and Florida flat land natives) but at least we made it! Lol. Just be aware of your own strength/​fitness level and don’t go too far in if you aren’t at your prime. All in all we had a blast and we can’t wait to return for another adventure and to see some of the larger waterfalls!
Side note– It is $ 2 per person for the trails so make sure you bring some ones. They also accept small donations of whatever you can give which would definitely help them considering their funding has been cut a great deal.

I feel like I have been a lot of places and still continue to find new beautiful locations! This world is huge! What did my gma always say. «The world is your oyster» true dat Grams!
There are so many places you have to pay to see an amazing view. Chimney Rock being one of them. Don’t get me wrong, it’s outstanding! I do recommend going. But if you are balling on a budget and are driving the Blue Ridge Park way you must come here!
One of the prettiest views I have ever seen! Pack your lunch and set up camp! It’s a beautiful park!
We cant wait to go back and take all our friends! It’s super clean and very well taken care of. There is a little visitor center. Enjoy!

We visited Caesars Head State Park last week while in the area for Thanksgiving vacation. At the end of November it was pretty chilly and rainy, so we didn’t really have the best weather conditions… but we didn’t let that stop us.
The drive to Caesars Head is long and winding. At the top of the mountain you’ll find a nice park gift shop with rangers to give you information about the park and directions. The observation area is at the end of the parking lot. The path is pretty short and fairly easy. The toughest part for some may be the steep and narrow staircase that leads through a gap in the rock. It’s pretty cool, but probably not for everyone.
From the observation area you will see some fantastic views. Be sure to bring some quarters for the binoculars.
We did the observation area first and then went to the shop. I wanted to ask the rangers for directions to some of the spots I had seen pictures of online. It turns out that the trail to the falls and the cool bridge I had seen pictures of (Raven Cliff Falls Loop) is 8 miles… I think in good conditions our family probably could have done it, but the rangers were kind of discouraging it. This just means we’ll have to return in nicer weather so we can give it a try.
The park rangers did give us directions to the Wildcat Falls Wayside Park, which was on our way back off of 276. It was a very nice park and we had a great time. They said the trail there was about a mile, but I think it was a bit longer.

Best views in the state! The Dismal Gorge stretches out hundreds and hundreds of feet below and Table Rock State Park and the whole city of Greenville are visible from the observation deck. We hike from the park on the Raven Cliff Falls Trail to the end where the observation deck has amazing views! The fall colors are amazing, spring is spectacular, and summer is gorgeous. Be sure to visit the slit in the face of Caesars Head where we can walk between the stone to the metal stairs with safety rails that lead to another great view of the Caesars Head Rock. Breathtaking views for miles and miles, bathrooms at the start of the park, plenty of parking. This place is not to be missed!

What a beautiful park this is. It is linked to Jones Gap Park, and the trails go all over. Some of the trails are more strenuous than others, so be prepared. Raven Cliff Falls is one of the more notable things to see out there. This is great in summer, but if you are there when the leaves change color in fall, it’s gorgeous. Check the park website for trail closing updates, which happen occasionally.

Wonderful place for a short trip from Greenville! We especially enjoyed our picnic at a table with a gorgeous view out into the valley, then walking out on the overlook and afterward squeezing throught the «secret» passageway (look for the black narrow stairs behind the overlook) in order to climb down for a look at Caesar’s head! Great visitors’ center, too.

I absolutely love this place! We went to Caesars Head two years ago to do the loop trail for Raven’s Cliff Falls, and decided to come back. This time we stopped at the visitor’s center to view the overlook and go to Devil’s Kitchen, both worth the stop for great views.
We also decided to check out Cliff Falls, which is on the trail across from the visitor’s center. The bummer was that we were able to get to the top of the falls, but the trail to the side of it which leads to the bottom to actually see the falls was closed. We will definitely have to go back to check it out.
We then went to do the Raven’s Cliff Falls hike. The overlook was much better this time because the trees had not filled in at this point compared to last time when we went later in the year. Of course it was also better since Kevin proposed! :)
The other big disappointment was that they took down the wire bridge crossing on the loop trail. That was a fun thing to do, I’m not sure why it was taken down, but because of it, we had to take our shoes and socks off to wade across in the very cold water. I’m assuming if the water levels are down you can rock hop.
After you cross the river, it becomes a difficult and strenuous hike to make it to the top. You will pass the cathedral and then make it to the suspension bridge for a beautiful view. You can also see the wooden overlook for the falls from this spot. It continues uphill for a little bit longer then you get a nice break on your way back to finish out the loop.
This park is part of the Mountain Bridge Area — all three State parks in this area are worth visiting, but this one is my favorite.

Hit Caesars Head for the 2^nd time this past weekend. I’ve only done the overlook near the visitors center but this park has so much more.
The road to get here is fun by itself if you are coming from SC. The road winds up the mountain and some of the turns can be sharp. But I had fun twisting and turning in my Toyota.
Anyway make sure you’re paying attention when you reach the top of the hill. The visitor’s center is off to the left and there’s one small entrance and a relatively small parking lot that gets busy.
Park near the top of the hill if you can. When you go out to the overlook you see nothing but flat land out for miles as this is the last mountain in the area. You can also view nearby Table Rock. Once you are done viewing the scenery from there, continue along the short trail through Devil’s Kitchen. This is a very narrow pathway between two walls of rock. The trail then continues down some steps to actually view Caesar’s Head against the mountain and then another amazing view.
The visitor’s center isn’t very large but you can buy merchandise and get information about the park. There are also picnic tables and restrooms in the area.
The park is actually quite large. There are trails galore and a few that lead to waterfalls. Just get there early because the parking areas are small for the trails and sometimes you might have to park down the road a bit.
Definitely Check this park out if you are in the area… even if it’s just for the view.

Hit this park last weekend when I went on a lark and flew to Atlanta, then drove to Greenville, SC. Wanted to find a close-​by park to hike so I checked out the South Carolina parks website (
) and was convinced to travel out of Greenville based on the photos and descriptions.
Was not disappointed. Showed up on a late Sunday morning after an hour’s drive. Being a flat-​lander, I failed to realize how steep mountain roads could be. Plenty of traffic going up the road did not make my white-​knuckled drive any better. But, I was not going to speed up and risk a fatal plunge off the winding road to let a minivan get to the park 5 minutes faster.
The outlook at the top was everything in the website and more. You could see for miles around at the neighboring hills, forests, and valleys. You could even see Table Rock with its own lake in the distance. From there, you could take a short walk through a crack in the granite called the «Devil’s Kitchen», which was barely wide enough for one person to fit through after descending about 50 feet.
The little kids in the family in front of me were frightened to go through but scraped up the courage after seeing me pass and not get «eaten» by the Devil. I told them that only the pure of heart could pass — evil children would be grabbed and dragged to the pit. Their parents were not too amused by my comment but, hey, they don’t know me! If anything, I was the one most in danger of being dragged to the pit.
Anyway, the park has other trails that lead to Ravens Falls but I couldn’t hike that since the trailhead parking lot was full. That’ll teach me to sleep in on a Sunday in Greenville. But, to quote the Terrminator, «I’ll be back.»