Hike to Raven Cliff and Falls (Caesars Head State Park)

Parking is available at the Raven Cliff Falls Trailhead on 276 south of Cedar Mountain, NC. The trail is part of Caesars Head State Park in South Carolina. The Raven Cliff Falls Trail begins on the opposite side of the road from the parking but this section of trail is part of a much longer trail spanning SC called the Palmetto Trail. If you follow along with the map (picture 1), this hike uses trails #11, 13, 14, 12, then 11 again. The first stretch of the trail descends slowly alongside fern covered gullies until you pass a small building beside a creek with an earthen bridge crossing. At this point the slope switches to falling to the left of the trail and you begin to weave along the side of a ridge. At around 1.5 miles in there is a fork separating the marked blue and red trails. The red leads to the left and to the overlook for Raven Cliff Falls. The blue leads to the right and is the way to the top of the waterfall. Follow the blue trail to the right which slowly circles around counterclockwise for a little more than 1.5 miles before switching to a different trail. When I made this hike in July it was along this stretch that I came across a bear within 20 feet of me. Be careful and take precautions always when hiking. When you come to the fork between blue and pink trails, take the pink to the left in order to reach the falls. There is a tight descent through a small ravine until you see the swinging bridge across the brink of the falls (picture 4). There are a couple of nice spots alongside the creek to stop and relax upstream from the falls (picture 3). If you don't want or can't handle a strenuous hike please turn back at this point and follow the trail back the same way. If you are really adventurous or just kinda dumb like me keep going past the bridge and descend alongside the steep rocky slope using the various ladders and steps while keeping a keen eye on the pink markings to assure you're still on the trail (picture 5). Before long you'll come across Raven Cliff itself which is definitely a sight to see. The trail follows along the base of the cliff then gradually descends for at least a mile before finally meeting Matthews Creek again (picture 6). You should definitely take a break at this point because the next section is the brutal one. Just a little past the creek crossing there will be a purple marked trail that leads to the left and uphill, this is the Dismal Trail. This trail is narrow and winds back and forth uphill 2000 feet in elevation in a 1.5 mile stretch. This would be brutal on any day, but I had the luck of torrential rain starting during the earlier part of this section. It was definitively dismal in my experience, but at the same time it was thrilling and challenging. Try to time the weather accordingly. It wasn't until I had reached the end of the Dismal Trail that I saw the sign in picture 7 and I wished I had known about it earlier. The rest of the sign says "For your safety do not attempt this loop unless you have water, food, hiking boots and a trail map." At this intersection you can head left if you want to actually see Raven Cliff Falls from the overlook, it's a fairly short addition and there is a covering if you're getting rained on. If you continued to the right instead you'll be back on the red trail from earlier and before too long you'll back to the fork where the blue and red trails split. Just take that right at the fork and follow the trail back to the parking lot.