Pot Branch Falls

Scooped Rocks

This waterfall is probably not on your radar, but I assure you that you need to know about this one.  The name is kind of odd, but once you see Pot Branch Falls, the oddness doesn't stop at the name.  This is one of those great locations where erosion has really left a fingerprint on the landscape.  The three tiered waterfall is located in the South Mountains Game Land near South Mountains State Park.  Getting there will take you far off of the beaten path which will likely indicate that you won't be sharing this waterfall with a bunch of other hikers.  By Googling the location, your GPS should take you right there.

For those traveling on I-40, you will take the 103 exit which is for Hwy 64.  You will go East for 15 miles before turning on Hwy 226 headed East until you get to Jonestown Rd.  You will only be on Jonestown Rd for about a mile before turning left on Melton Rd which goes for about a half mile or so before you will turn onto Old CC Rd which is gravel and not overly well maintained.  This will go for about 3.5 miles or so.  You will have a small stream crossing, but you should have any problem with that if you have been able to handle the road conditions.  Shortly after passing a church (yes, there is a small church down this service road), you will come to a gate.  There is ample parking at the gate, and sometimes that first gate is left open.  You will need to get to the trailhead at a second gate to the right.

From here, you will walk down a very easy trail that used to be a road.  There are no markings but you won't have any problems at all finding your way.  There are a couple of places where you will need to cross small streams, but they shouldn't be more than ankle deep.  There are also rocks there that you can use to stay a little dryer if you choose.  The main thing to remember about this trail is that you want to stay to the right when given the option as there are some other spurs that continue on.  The entire hike is only about a half mile and is not problem at all.

Eroded Steps

This has been my first and only time to this waterfall, and I regret that I don't have any full shots of the main drop which is about 25 feet.  There was a tree that had recently fallen and blocked the view.  This tree still had green leaves attached, so I'm not sure how long it will remain there.  There is a bit of a scramble to get to the bottom of the falls, and it is very much worth it for the view.  The main shoot is carved between rocks and snakes down to a small pool below with another set of small cascades below that.  I can see both vertical and horizontal compositions working here.

Since I was unable to access the view of the main part of the waterfall, I stuck with the top sections which were actually quite interesting.  The photo directly above showcases the upper set of cascades which are less than two feet tall, but the way the rocks have been cut over time makes this really interesting.  From here, there is a small pool that then leads to another set of cascades that can be seen in the opening image.  This is probably the best part of the upper sections, and until the tree is removed, this view is worth the drive out there.  Just past the collection pool at the base of the cascades is the opening for the top of the main drop.  A Google search of Pot Branch Falls will show you what this main drop looks like.

With the Curve

From a purely photographic standpoint, there are a lot of options with how to represent this waterfall.  My favorite cascade at the top of the waterfall yielded this fantastic vertical image.  You can see how the rocks have been eroded away, and there are even pot holes in the surface of the rock.  This waterfall is like the English Muffin of waterfalls.  You will see all sorts of nooks and crannies.

Even though I was unable to get to the lower section on this trip, I was still there for about an hour working on different compositions.  I could see easily spending two hours here.  The nice thing is that at least in the Summer months when the trees are full, there is plenty of shade to work with early in the morning.  This is one that direct light will pose some major problems for.  I would recommend a fully cloudy day just to make sure that the lighting is consistent.  I have a feeling if the trees were not as full, I would have had a hard time with my photographs.

I am not sure if the tree will be removed any time soon.  I'm not really sure how this waterfall is maintained.  It might just be another natural act that pushes the tree on down stream, but that would take a very long time.  I do intend on keeping my ears open to find out when this view will be open again so I can take full advantage of the waterfall which I do believe is quite impressive and visually interesting.