At Chau Ram Park, Ramsey Creek and the Chauga River meet; a 160-foot suspension bridge spans the Chauga River. The confluence and bridge offer a concrete introduction to Oconee County, where water, trails, history and outdoor art open up different ways to explore. If you enjoy considering nature and culture side by side on a trip, you’ll find different focal points in the area’s towns.
Rivers and a lake: different sides of the water
The Wild and Scenic Chattooga River in the Andrew Pickens Ranger District offers opportunities for paddling and fishing. The district is in Oconee County and is part of Sumter National Forest. South Cove Park offers a different scale: It covers 48 acres and sits on 18,500-acre Lake Keowee in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
South Cove Park offers more than three access areas to the water, where you can fish, boat, sail and water-ski. The park is also home to more than 200 bird species, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons. Paddling and fishing are the focus on the Chattooga River; South Cove Park adds various water sports and a diverse bird population. If you’re interested in the region’s waterways, you can distinguish between specific activities and nature observation.
Hiking trails and viewpoints
The Oconee Connector Trail links Oconee Station and Oconee State Park along a route of about four miles. The Station Cove Falls Trail in Sumter National Forest is half a mile long. The comparison is concrete: About four miles connect two named places, while the Station Cove Falls Trail is half a mile long.
Stumphouse Park provides access to Issaqueena Falls and features a covered bridge, a Civil War-era tunnel, shared hiking and mountain biking trails, and picnic areas. At Issaqueena Falls, an easy five-minute walk from the right side of the parking lot leads to an observation platform overlooking the waterfall. This is different from trails measured in miles: here, a short walk leads to a specific viewpoint. The park thus brings together different themes, from shared trails to a Civil War-era tunnel.
History and art in the county
Oconee Station was founded in 1792 by the South Carolina State Militia. The Richards House near Oconee Station is among the earliest brick houses in the Upstate. The interpretive trail at Oconee Station loops around the four-acre pond over 1.5 miles. The founding year anchors the station in a specific period; the description of the Richards House compares it with other early brick houses in the Upstate. The trail adds a route around the pond to these historical perspectives. If you’re interested in the history of a place, you can distinguish between its founding, architecture and scenic trail.
The Oconee Mural Trail is a self-guided way to see dozens of outdoor murals by local artists throughout Oconee County. In Seneca, the Ram Cat Alley CATS murals are a series of twelve murals in Norton Thompson Park. This offers perspectives ranging from works by local artists spread throughout the county to a specifically named series in a park.
Discover more destinations: Walhalla, Seneca, Marlboro County, Lee County, Clay County, Colleton County, Anderson and Hampton County.
For the main travel overview: South Carolina.
