Little Brasstown Falls

A very short hike that is much easier to reach than the other Brasstown Falls but you do have to cross Brasstown Creek.

Just upriver from the beautiful but strenuous to reach Brasstown Falls is the smaller sibling Little Brasstown Falls. This little gem is much easier to reach and is less than a quarter mile from the parking area. It does, however, have its own challenge, which is that to reach the base of Little Brasstown Falls you will need to cross Brasstown Creek. You may luck out and find a log that bridges the creek, but if not, you may need to get your feet wet. However you are able get across Brasstown creek, no visit to this section of the Sumter National Forest would be complete without a quick stop at Little Brasstown Falls.

The Sumter National Forest is one of only two national forests in the State of South Carolina. It consists of over 370,000 acres via several non-contiguous sections in Western South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. It is home to a number of rivers and waterfalls supporting activities like hiking, backpacking, canoeing, horseback riding, camping and fishing.

The trailhead to Brasstown Falls is located at the end of the unpaved forest road – FS 751. It is not far off Highway 76 and is only about 12 miles west of Westminster, South Carolina. Turn left onto Brasstown Road, when it becomes unpaved FS 751 will be the first road on the right. There is a sign on Highway 76 so you should have no problem finding the turn onto Brasstown Road. The small parking area serves both Brasstown Falls and Little Brasstown Falls as well as a small campground. It is usually very crowded, but there is plenty of overflow parking on the forest road if needed. Little Brasstown Falls is about 90 minutes from Greenville South Carolina or 2 hours 30 minutes from Atlanta Georgia. There are no restroom facilities on site or nearby.

The trailhead starts at the end of the parking area just past the large boulders. The trail is wide, flat, easy to follow and is marked with yellow blazes. Just after the informative signboard, follow the turnoff on the left towards the camping area which sits on the shore of the creek. To reach Brasstown Falls you would have continued straight and we recommend viewing the HD Carolina episode on those Falls, if you are interested.

For Little Brasstown Falls, continue left, through the campground and you will likely see and hear the falls in the distance. It is very close at this point. Look for a way to safely get across the creek and then continue another 100ft up the trail to the base of the falls. On our trip we were lucky and there was a nice sized tree that had fallen across the creek, which created a natural bridge.

Little Brasstown Falls is about 20 feet high and is a pretty waterfall. It feeds into a nice pool at the base that would make a great swimming hole for cooling off in the warm summer months. The area around the falls is also quite spacious, although this is a popular spot and can be crowded at times. However, it is so beautiful and easy to reach, it is definitely worth a stop if you are in the area checking out any of the other nearby beautiful waterfalls.

This is an out and back hike so when you have finished enjoying the falls, hike safely back to the parking area.

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