Fall Family Hiking at Stumphouse Park
If you are looking for a fun way to spend the day in upstate South Carolina, be sure to check out Stumphouse Park in Oconee County, SC. Located just outside of Sumter National Forest, a little over an hour drive from Greenville, SC. We visited Stumphouse Park to explore the Stumphouse Tunnel, hike down to Issaqueena Falls, and enjoy the beautiful Fall colors.
We visited the area in mid-November- peak leaf peeping season! The air was crisp, the leaves were gorgeous, and the waterfall was magical. Find out below all the things to do while visiting the park.
Stumphouse Park
Enjoy a picnic or a pretty walk around the pond at Stumphouse Park. There are picnic tables as well as restrooms located near the parking area.
You can access both Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls from the main parking lot at Stumphouse Park.
Stumphouse Tunnel
A short walk up the hill will take you to the Stumphouse Tunnel. There were volunteers stationed at the entrance- providing information, fun facts, and history on the tunnel.
Originally this was a railroad tunnel, but the project was never completed. Visitors can walk the first part of the tunnel before reaching the gate that closes off the remaining portion of the tunnel (about .25 of a mile).
Be sure to bring a flashlight (we used the flashlights on our phones, and they worked well enough). The walk back out is even better as you can see the light of the tunnel entrance with the trees and fall foliage in the background.
Issaqueena Falls
There is a smaller parking area at the Issaqueena Falls trailhead, if you don’t want to make the walk from the main parking lot at Stumphouse.
It is a short .25 mile hike down to the viewing platform for Issaqueena Falls. We had to backpack carry our 2 year old, but the rest of us were able to make the hike with no issues.
There is an additional ‘path’ that takes you down to the bottom of the falls. It was pretty rugged and steep, and we just weren’t going to chance it with the kiddos.
Although, I have seen some epic pictures that were taken from the bottom of the falls…
Fall is one of our favorite seasons to take hikes. The cooler weather and changing colors just add to the experience.
Another one of our favorite Fall hikes was in Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona. Check out our post to see some of the amazing canyons and rock formations on the trails in Chiricahua.
Happy Fall Ya’ll!
