Jocassee Gorges Chosen as One of CNN's 50 Natural Wonders (2014, parks)

[Eric_96SC]

Jocassee Gorges was chosen by CNN as one of 50 natural wonders in 50 different states. Nice rep for the Upstate area.

50 states, 50 spots: Natural wonders

[gvillesc]

Originally Posted by Oneal8

i doubt a lot of pepole in upstate even been to Jocasee Gorges. lol some too mesmerized by Main Street, can't see the forest beyond.

That's a ridiculous statement, but if people have not taken advantage of their incredible natural surroundings, then it's their loss.

[Eric_96SC]

The photographer got a pretty good shot, I think, and there's a lot more to see beyond the photograph. Foothills trail is one of my favorite hikes, and IMO, Jocassee is the prettiest of all the SC lakes. Quite a number of posters here have talked about hiking in the area, so I would be surprised if not a lot of people have been there.

[WhitewaterVol]

The lack of crowds is one of the reasons I like to go hiking in Jocassee. Seems like once you have to turn onto a gravel road, most people turn around. There is a ton of great hiking on both sides of the lake in there.

[Eric_96SC]

According to the 2010 census, the metro had a population of roughly 850,000 people. Lake Jocassee alone receives 250,000 visits annually. Assuming that most of those visitors are from somewhere within the metro, you have almost 30% of the region's population visiting the lake alone in a given year. I haven't taken the time to research how many visitors the parks and other areas receive per year.