Jones Gap

PARK ADVISORY

Caution: Bridge construction will begin on May 27, 2025. All vehicles must park in the day use parking area. There is a new approach to the trail head. Please read signage and follow the designated walkway to access the trails.

Parking reservations are required for guaranteed entry on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays from 9am-1pm. Outside of this parking is first come first serve.

Trails close at 7 PM daily and hikers are required to fill out a registration card at the trailhead. All trails regardless of difficulty rating are considered advanced hiking trails. Please exercise caution and have an emergency preparedness plan. Phone service is unavailable at the park.

Please be advised that the park WILL BE different. PLEASE read carefully what to expect, before visiting.

A map of currently open trails can be found here.

The Ultimate Outsider stamp is now located at the Ranger Station.

Campers must check in at the Ranger Station before proceeding to the camper parking lot.

HOURS

9am-8pm, daily. Trails open 9am-7pm

OFFICE

9 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily

ADMISSION

$6 adults; $3.75 SC seniors (age 65 & older); $3.50 children ages 6-15; ages 5 and under, free.

PETS

Pets are allowed in most outdoor areas provided they are kept under physical restraint or on a leash not longer than six feet. Owners will be asked to remove noisy or dangerous pets or pets that threaten or harass wildlife.

No Wifi Available

GET SOME GEAR!

Jones Gap State Park

Mountains

Matthew Slawiak

Park Manager

**Our Ultimate Outsider stamp is located in the park office.

Visitors can find the unforgettable peace and repose of a deep mountain cove at Jones Gap State Park. Trails and 17,000 acres of pristine mountain woodlands join the park with Caesars Head in what is known as the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. The Jones Gap State Park trails allow hikers to traverse between the two parks, as well as connect to a portion of the Foothills Trail and Palmetto Trail South Carolina hikers know and love.

When it comes to angling-especially trout fishing-South Carolina really shines. The state’s first designated scenic river, the Middle Saluda River, runs through Jones Gap and offers some of the best trout fishing South Carolina has to offer–and the trout fishing in South Carolina is quite good. The park also features a living lab for the park’s hand-on ecology learning center.

BY THE NUMBERS

2 scenic waterfalls

18 wilderness/back country campsites

60+ miles of hiking trails of all difficulty levels

1 fish hatchery exhibit and trout pond that once was part of SC's first state-owned fish hatchery

1 designated scenic river, the Middle Saluda River, runs through the park and is available for fishing

17K acres of wilderness when combined with Caesars Head to form the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area

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