King Creek Falls is a 70-foot waterfall located off of Forest Road 646/Burrell’s Ford Road in Sumter National Forest. The road is paved for about a quarter mile, then turns to uneven gravel.
Learn about other Ellicott Rock Wilderness Area waterfalls.
To hike the 1.5 miles to King Creek Falls, start at the Burrell’s Ford parking lot. Go to the end of the parking lot. There is a red metal gate which blocks cars from using the gravel road. Next to the gate is the post for the Burrell’s Ford Trail. Follow the gravel lane as it slowly slopes down into the campground and footpaths.
There is an information board at the bottom of the hill (as well as in the parking lot) with tips and a map of the area. This map is confusing and seemed backwards to me. It took a while to orient which way we should go to find all the different paths.
Chattooga River Trail
If you take a right past the information board, you reach the beginning of the campgrounds. The route leads down to the Chattooga River. When it dead-ends at the river you can turn left or right to continue on the Chattooga River Trail, which follows the river’s edge.
King Creek Falls Trail
To locate the King Creek Falls Trail, continue on the gravel lane past the information board. Just ahead, on your left you will see the metal trailhead post. The path is relatively easy and wide to start. You are surrounded by trees which would be beautiful in bloom. Follow the orange blazes on the trees.
Partway down the trail, there is a small bridge to go over King Creek. Here there are blazes as well as a metal post to direct your way. Cross the bridge and follow the path until you reach a fork.
At the fork you will see a set of wooden steps and a sign. The sign will direct you to go left, up the stairs, to continue on your way to the falls. Turning right takes you on the Foothills Trail.
This is where the trail starts to narrow and becomes full of roots and rocks. Watch your step! There are areas of moderate incline on the path but nothing too strenuous. The ground was somewhat slick the day I went because the leaves and dirt were wet from a recent rain.
When you can see the falls in the distance, you will run into a large fallen tree across the path. This is by far the biggest obstacle. They have cut some notches out of the trunk to make it easier to climb over but it was still a little tricky with the height of the tree and the narrowness of the path. Once you pass the tree, you will go downhill a bit over more rocks and branches until you are at the base of the waterfall.
King Creek Falls
King Creek Falls is gorgeous up close! There is a small pool at the bottom but not enough to swim in. The pool has several boulders and fallen trees along the banks for you to rest and enjoy the view. It was so calming to sit in the shade and listen to the falls.
We were at the waterfall for 30 minutes or more and didn’t see another person. We retraced our steps back to the parking lot, although we could have attempted the Foothills Trail at the fork.
Slippery rocks and fast-moving water can be dangerous! Please don’t climb, stand on, swim near, or jump from any waterfall.