Kayak Camping Lake Jocasse South Carolina. A hidden treasure; easy to reach but still feels WILD!

Lake Jocasse is such a clear mountain lake that it attracts SCUBA folks from all round the east coast. There are underwater attractions to visit like a sunken ship and an original graveyard complete with headstones from a time before the valley was dammed up. There are only a few homes built on the lake, fortunately all of which are clustered together near the boat launch & state park. They were grandfathered in prior to the government's preservation of the surrounding 50 square mile region officially named "Jim Timmerman Natural Resources Area at Jocasse Gorges" so the vast majority of the shoreline is totally undeveloped and wild.

There are several waterfalls flowing into Jocasse that can only be reached via boat. Motorized watercraft are allowed on the waters here so if you're in a human powered craft, visiting on weekdays is advisable. Generally speaking however there is less boat traffic than nearby lakes due to the fact that all crafts must launch in one place: Devil's Fork State Park.

The eroding white limestone cliffs and stone archway on this beach can transport you to the Italian Riviera, yet the undeveloped wilderness surrounding you will remind you this surely is somewhere special. This beach is among the most popular because if the super soft, powdery white sands, across-lake western sunset views and sheer cliff for folks to rock climb and jump off.

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A short paddle across this warm mountain lake from this popular beach is the only state park sanctioned camping area so this spot is mostly for day visits unless you want to risk it...

I wasn't in a rush during my sunset paddle, there was plenty of warm mountain air while I made camp in the twilight.



From the beach pictured above, there is a trail to a beautifully maintained gravel road that climbs the eastern shore of the lake to what is dubbed as the most beautiful view in all of South Carolina: Jump-off Rock. From this vantage point we look over the islands, boats and glistening waters below to the west for another terrific sunset viewing local. To the north you can see the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, in fact both the Carolin's share the shoreline of Jocasse, mostly South Carolina though.



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