Caesars Headwaters

The Middle Saluda River begins near the state line with the confluence of several seeps and springs that emerge from the toe of a mountain off Highway 276. The headwaters flow southward and form the cascades and plunge pools that defines Jones Gap State Park. There are only a handful of unprotected parcels that determine the future of the Middle Saluda River in its upper reaches and the 26-acre Caesar’s Headwaters is one of them. For tens of thousands of people coming into South Carolina from North Carolina, this area is their first handshake with the state. This project aims to protect important water resources, a striking property that shares a border with North Carolina, and the YMCA Camp Road protects the scenic nature of Geer Highway, and a unique amenity for the State Park.

Caesar’s Head State Park is most commonly associated with the popular overlook at the visitor center and Raven Cliff Falls. Naturaland Trust lead the effort to protect these iconic landscapes at the inception of its founding, fifty years ago. Over the years with help from our conservation partners, we have protected more vital properties that secure water resources, endangered species, crucial viewsheds and that augment access for visitors. Heading north from the Raven Cliffs parking area, we recently purchased six parcels that were slated to become a residential development on the top of the mountain. Today, those parcels are now the Silver Bell entrance for Caesars Head State Park and one of the most important breeding habitats for wood frogs in South Carolina’s blue ridge. The key to this positive transformational change is securing strategic properties.

Park officials are looking for more ways to enhance and increase public access to the Park’s striking beauty and Naturaland Trust has stepped in to spearhead the effort. In many ways, the properties at the top of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, even small parcels, are the most impactful because they have unique biodiversity not found in the Piedmont and everything below them is impacted by their use and future management.

When we toured Caesars Headwaters, we were struck by the number of seeps and springs that flowed from the mountain beneath a gorgeous oak and hickory canopy and through a carpet of moss and granite. Salamanders abounded in the headwaters and fresh signs of foraging turkeys showed all around the forest floor. The 26 acres is comprised of two parcels, a 21-acre and 5-acre property. The 5-acre property has a beautiful cabin built in the 1920s that has been updated and meticulously maintained, giving the feel and character of a State Park building. Originally, Naturaland Trust was only going to purchase the 21 acres around the home to secure the headwaters. After discussions with State Park officials who were interested in using the house as an amenity for visitors and seeing the number of springs and seeps that originate on both parcels, we agreed to secure both for ease of management and for the best conservation outcome.

Caesars Headwaters is not yet directly adjacent to the Park. It is one parcel removed from the State Park boundary, but it is connected by water and we hope to connect it physically in the near future.