Skip Navigation

Life's Better
 South Carolina Department
of Natural Resources

If you are seeing this, then your internet browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer and you are running in Compatibility mode. You will not be able to view the application with this browser and these settings.



Please remove "SC.GOV" from your compatibility view listings using your settings in the Internet Explorer options.

SCDNR News

Road to Sassafras Mountain Overlook reopened

Febuary 07, 2022

The top of the tower on Sassafras Mountain Outlook

Pickens County has reopened the road to the Sassafras Mountain Overlook, F. Van Clayton Highway.

The road to the Overlook had been closed during the recent winter storm and was covered in a layer of snow and ice. However, the rains over the weekend appear to have melted much of it, and when Pickens County inspected the road on Sunday, Feb. 6, the gate, which is about a mile from the Overlook, was reopened.

The Sassafras Mountain Overlook, which is owned and managed by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, is a popular tourist destination in northern Pickens County and is also a popular parking area for the Foothills Trail and Palmetto Trail. It is the highest point in South Carolina at 3,553 feet.

Visitors to Sassafras are reminded:

  • Pets must be on a leash.
  • Drones are not allowed.
  • Bicycles are not allowed on the Overlook platform. Cyclists may WALK their bicycles on the trail or road to the top, but bicycles are not allowed on top.
  • Hours are one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset.

Sassafras Mountain Overlook is part of the Jocassee Gorges in northern Pickens and Oconee counties along the North Carolina border and surrounding Lake Jocassee. The property features numerous forest ecosystems and many rivers and streams. Jocassee Gorges, acquired by SCDNR in 1998, is also home to rare and unusual plants and animals. Recreational uses include hiking, backpacking, hunting, fishing, mountain biking, paddling, birdwatching, and nature viewing.