Coon Branch Natural Area

(Oconee County)

TrailMap

Description: Starting from the parking area, you will walk approximately 0.5 mile on the Bad Creek Spur Trail. At the top of a ridge you can look out onto the flat and see Lake Jocassee. Just before the bridge over the Whitewater River, turn left onto the moderately strenuous, out and back Coon Branch Trail. As you pass through a dense forest of aging hardwoods and rhododendron, you will pass over five bridges. You may see evidence of raccoons and beaver in the wet areas, but other animals such as bobcats, feral hogs, white-tailed deer, and black bear also inhabit this area. A variety of birds live here and you can hear the songs of warblers, tanagers, vireos, and the thumping of woodpeckers. Your destination is a twenty acre virgin forest where the largest Fraser Magnolia in the state grows; six feet around and 86 feet tall.

No facilities are available on the trail, but restrooms and a pay phone (no drinking water) are available at the Bad Creek Station parking area. Insect repellent is recommended during warm months.

Length: 0.9 mile plus 0.5 mile on the Bad Creek Spur.

Fees: No fee.

Directions: From Walhalla, drive north on SC 11 and turn left on to SC 130. Drive 10 miles to the entrance of the Duke Power Bad Creek Hydroelectric Station on the right just before the North Carolina State line. Proceed through the gate, and then follow the signs for two miles to the parking area for the Whitewater Falls and Foothills Trails. The trailhead for Coon Branch is on the left, just before a bridge, about 0.5 mile from the parking area on the Bad Creek Spur Trail.

Hours: Dawn to dusk

Camping: No camping.

Information: Duke Energy, P.O. Box 1006, Charlotte, NC, 28201, Telephone: 800-443-5193.