South Mountains State Park Offers Gorgeous Hiking, Swimming, & Big Bear Falls

Did you know South Mountains State Park is the largest North Carolina State Park? It’s true, and, it’s gorgeous! Truly, South Mountains State Park offers some very pretty hikes and scenic views, lots of picturesque spots to stop and enjoy the river, and picnic areas. In addition to hiking trails, the park also offers mountain biking trails (closed indefinitely) and equestrian trails.

We visited South Mountains State Park to hike to High Shoals Falls and totally fell in love with this park. Then we visited again to swim at Big Bear Falls. Read on for the details.

⚠️ 2026 UPDATE: South Mountains State Park sustained heavy damage from Hurricane Helene. As of June 2026, the majority of trails are open; however, biking trails are still impacted, and construction continues in portions of the park. See the South Mountain State Park website for the most up-to-date information.

South Mountains State Park, High Shoals Falls: Quick Details

• South Mountains State Park is only about an hour and 20 minutes from Charlotte, NC.
• Beautiful Trails, and there are quite a few options when it comes to varying difficulty needs
• Clean restrooms at the Visitors’ Center as you enter the park and at several parking points.
• (CLOSED) Access High Shoals Falls Loop trail from the Jacob Fork Parking lot.
• (CLOSED) It is 1 mile from the parking lot to High Shoals Falls. The full High Shoals Falls Loop trail is currently closed. We will update when the trail is open again. Hike the 1 mile to the falls, and then hike back the way you came.
• Best trail for young kids: Hemlock Nature Trail. It’s a short 0.3-mile trail with lots of spots to enjoy the river.
• Day-use admission is FREE to South Mountains State Park (fees for camping)
• There are some great swimming holes at South Mountains State Park. Check out Big Bear Falls.

Watch! Our Hike to High Shoals Falls

Arriving at South Mountains State Park

When you arrive, the first building you come to will be the Visitors Center. There are restrooms here and a small gift shop area. You’ll find a large park map outside the doors but you can also purchase a paper map inside for $5. We took a photo of the map outside in case we needed to reference it on our hikes.

Note that there is no cell phone reception in the park so you won’t be able to pull up a map on the trail via cell phone data. You can save this South Mountains State Park map to your phone before you go, too.

Once you have your plan, you’ll get back in your car and head to the trail. If you are hiking to High Shoals Falls, it’s really easy! Just drive until the road ends at the large Jacob Fork Parking Area. At the edge of the parking lot, furthest from the road, you’ll find the trailhead for the High Shoals Falls Loop.

I was a smidgen bit unsure here because the sign simply reads “Waterfall” with an arrow and knowing the loop was closed I wasn’t sure if I was on the right end of the loop. But that is indeed the correct trail. From that point, it is 1 mile to the falls. Just follow the signs for “waterfall” or “High Shoals Falls Loop” trail. The trail markers are blue circles and at several points you’ll see signs indicating the remaining distance to the falls.

Swimming Hole: Big Bear Falls (OPEN)

While you cannot ever swim at High Shoals Falls, you can swim at Big Bear Falls and it’s fun! There are a couple deep pools and you can even sit under one of the waterfalls. But first, always take caution around waterfalls though. Rocks are always slippery and you don’t want to have an accident.

The trail to Big Bear Falls starts at the same parking lot as High Shoals Falls and you’ll follow the sign that says “waterfall.” The trail splits about 0.3 miles from the Jacob Creek parking area and you need to go right. There’s a sign if you’re confused. From that point, it’s only about a five minute walk to the swimming hole. While the trail overall is easy, there is a hill right before you get to the waterfall.

If you don’t want to walk to Big Bear Falls, you can also swim in the creek next to the picnic area or along the River Trail – it feels great to jump in the water after a long hike on a warm day. It’s cold but refreshing.

Hike to High Shoals Falls [CLOSED]

The trail to High Shoals Falls is one of the most picturesque trails I’ve been on in quite some time. The beginning of the trail is very flat and covered in gravel, about halfway to the falls it becomes more challenging with lots of small boulders and rocks to cross and steps to climb. It’s marked strenuous by the park, but we saw people of all ages on this trail.

My preteen and teen-age kids really perked up and enjoyed the trail when we got to the rocky portion. This area is particularly beautiful as the trail climbs up along the Jacob Fork River. It crosses with several mini-falls cascading and bubbling along on either side of the bridge.

High Shoals Falls is a beautiful waterfall and there’s a nice observation platform where you can stop and take it all in for awhile. We ate our lunch here, although there are quite a few picturesque places along the trail you could stop and eat, too.

The waterfall splashes down into a very pretty pool that looks quite inviting. But remember, this is not a safe place to swim. People die every year at waterfalls climbing on rocks and going for a swim. There are lots and lots of boulders here and the river continues to cascade down rocks at the other side of the pool. Stay safe. Stay on the trail. Do not enter the river here.

For now, this is the end of the High Shoals Falls trail, as the crossing that brings you to the rest of the loop trail is currently closed. You’ll have to turn back down the trail towards the parking area for the 1-mile hike back. But that’s ok, going down the steps is way easier than going up! And, the trail is just as pretty when you’re headed back down it.

Mom Review: High Shoals Falls Trail (Closed)

We loved this trail and plan to come back and try some others at South Mountains State Park. It’s not easy to impress teenagers, especially those who started out already not thrilled about leaving the house and going with mom and their siblings for a day outdoors. But they really enjoyed it. We all did.

When your 14-year-old uses the term “other-worldly” to describe the outdoors, you know it’s good.

We visited on a Monday in June. Parking was easy and while we saw others hiking the trail it never felt crowded. I would imagine on a weekend the trail to High Shoals Falls would be much more crowded and I would recommend visiting on a weekday if possible!

More to Do At South Mountains State Park

• (closed indefinitely)17 miles of mountain biking trails
• 47 of 50 miles of hiking trails
• Equestrian trails open at Jacob Fork access
• Fishing
• Camping

Where to Stay Near South Mountains State Park

You can easily make heading up to South Mountains State Park a weekend adventure. We recommend staying at Starlight Hills Campground, North Carolina’s #1 Hipcamp site. It’s super cool as they have an actual spa at the campground, a planetarium geodome, canvas bell tents, and spacious tent sites.

It’s a truly beautiful location and right next to South Mountains State Park.

South Mountains State Park
3001 South Mountain Park Avenue, Connelly Springs NC 28612
Visitor Center is open 8 am to 5 pm daily.
The park opens at 7 am daily. Closing time varies by month. The park closes at 10 pm in the summer months.

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