Jim Lee Falls

GPS for waterfall:  34.84485, -83.09718

Water source:  Lee Branch

Height:  Approximately 25 feet

Jim Lee Falls is a little hidden jewel in Mountain Rest. Access to these falls is somewhat difficult, as it lies surrounded by private property. It is possible to get to Jim Lee Falls without trespassing, by following a maze of logging roads. While I’m certain that hunters and the owners of the surrounding property know these falls exist, there are only two references to Jim Lee Falls that I am aware of – Norm Arnold’s book, Waterfalls Near Our Home in Keowee Key, and Maxie Duke, Sid Ballenger, and John Danner’s book, Some Waterfalls, Shoals, and Cascades in Oconee County, South Carolina.  Only those experienced in map reading and off-trail hiking should attempt to visit these falls.

Parking:  Going north on Highway 28, turn right onto Tunnel Town Road.  In approximately .5 mile, turn right onto Ross Mountain Road.  In about 1.8 miles, there will be a large pull-out to the left, just across from the dove fields, GPS 34.83875, -83.10667.  This is the same parking for Razorback Falls.

Hike:  The hike is around two miles round trip.  This is only a rough estimate, and will depend on your route.  The hike begins following the road along the left side of the dove fields, and then it becomes a cross-country hike, occasionally hitting the remains of old logging roads along the way.  At GPS 34,84333, -83.09849, you will want to angle slightly to the right and head down, picking up the logging road that goes down to the creek and to the falls.  You want to approach the falls from river right.  River left is a vertical rock wall, which eventually leads into private property.