On this trip I spent 3 days backpacking in North Carolina's South Mountains State Park. South Mountains is the largest state park in North Carolina and has plentiful campsites for hangers.

My first day took me past High Shoals Falls, a breathtaking 60' waterfall that is the most popular attraction in the park. After a steep climb up to the top of the falls I continued on to the Jacob Branch campsite area where I had the entire place to myself. I stayed warm at night with my 20 degree UGQ top quilt and DD underblanket.

Day 2 took me around the rim of the park which gave beautiful ridgeline views throughout the day with the leaves down. There is a great vista along the Sawtooth trail, I enjoyed the view before continuing on to the Sawtooth campsite areas. I had the place to myself again and the low temperatures flirted with the freezing mark.

I finished up my final day with views from the Chestnut Knob and Jacob Fork River Gorge overlooks before arriving back at the parking lot. This was my first trip to South Mountains State Park and I really enjoyed it!

Shorter highlight video for anyone who wants to see the scenery without the trip details:
https://youtu.be/xoS0_UJhG5I


Thanks for watching!
Layne