You get two for the price of one here at the Wildcat Wayside State Park. Wildcat Falls are a very popular falls, largely because they are roadside on SC 11 (the Cherokee Scenic Highway). The first falls are in two sections with a 10-foot freefall upstream and the 20-foot cascade down a slab of exposed granite into a shallow pool. About 100 feet to the left of these falls are a number of steps that ascend to a quarter-mile trail to another falls. The trail crosses just above the 10-foot freefall on a wooden bridge and snakes its way through the woods to a 130-foot waterslide. The photo below isolates the lower portion of the slide. Be prepared to do a little boulder-climbing to reach the base of the waterslide, but please don't attempt to climb the falls themselves.

Directions: The falls are in the six-mile section where US 276 and SC 11 join together. From Greenville, take US 276 north to where it joins with SC 11. The falls are on the right five miles past that intersection at a nondescript pull off. From Brevard, follow US 276 toward Greenville until it joins with SC 11. The pull off and falls are .5 mile past this intersection on the left. While you're there, get some boiled peanuts at the nearby stand.

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All photos © Allen Easler.