6. Devil's Fork State Park

I just stayed for several days (March 12-15, 2007) at Lake Jocassee in Devil's Fork State Park. It was an incredibly beautiful and relaxing vacation. The cabins (villas) are really nice, the layout is perfect for couples or families since the bedrooms are separated by the living room or by a bathroom. The fireplaces were wonderful and the views of the lake unbeatable. Also we got a good deal on the price. These cabins are booked up all summer but if you go from November through March the park offers a special for off season visitors of 40% off the regular price. We paid approx. $65.00 per night per cabin during our stay. I looked for reviews for a long time and only found two mentions. So I wanted to share my experience with others. It's hard to figure out which cabin to choose from the tiny web map on the Park Website in order to get lake views. (http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/common/maps/parksmap/MapDevilsFork.pdf) Here's what I found. 8, 9, 13, 14, 16 and 17 seem to all have good views, because they’re closest to the water, but I can’t imagine that any of the cabins would have a bad view since they all sit on a hill looking over the lake. I got a handicapped accessible cabin (#17). We sat out on the back screened in porch and had a direct view out over the water. The only down side to the handicapped cabin was that there was no wheelchair accessible (roll-in) shower for my brother who’s in a wheelchair. But the bathroom sink is accessible and the ramp, walkways and wide doors were great. My other brother stayed in Cabin 11 with his family and had the playground right behind them for all their children. That also worked out really well. Be careful about the locking double doors to the screen porches on these cabins. We walked outside our first night and locked ourselves out just by closing the door behind us. It’s hard to find a ranger late at night if you lock yourself out. Try knocking on the doors of the places marked residences on the park map. Those are actually ranger’s homes. Also, if you can’t find anyone home you can call the sheriff and they will call the off-site ranger for you. Our best day was a day on the lake in a speed boat. We had a great time exploring the lake (which goes all the way into NC) and found Laurel Fork Waterfall, which is incredible. Here’s where to find info on it… http://www.sctrails.net/TRAILS/ALLTRAILS/waterfalls/Laurelfork.html. There’s a pretty long range view of the falls from the cove, but if you want a breathtaking experience, try taking your boat to the very end of the cove and entering the grotto. It’s only big enough for one boat to squeeze in. Go in and be delighted by the waterfall falling almost literally into your lap. Then we parked the boat on the little sandy strip at the bottom of the falls out in the cove and all of us climbed the rock wall up to the main falls. It was so much fun. We also picnicked on a beautiful deserted island out in the middle of the lake. We took a grill and made hamburgers and chicken out on the sandy beach and all the kids explored the hilltops and rocky craigs. Lake Jocassee is incredible, clear, deep water ringed by views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. There are very few homes, so if you are looking for a truly restful place to really get away, this is the place. Be aware there is almost no cell phone service out at the lake although there is a pay phone at the park store. Also, bring coffee filters and paper towels and lots of food. Its hard to find anything close to the park open to get food. The nearest store is the bait and tackle shop which sells pizza but closes at 6pm sharp. After that is a BP station out at Hwy. 11 which has all the basics for breakfast and snacking or you can drive about 15 minutes to Salem SC for pizza during the evenings.