About Jocassee Wet and Wild
Why This Place Matters
Jocassee
Biodiversity
Jocassee
When the four rivers ran free all the way to the ocean, their names were already known as Whitewater, Jocassa (now named Jocassee), Horsepasture, and Toxaway. To explore Jocassee is to understand its history, as once Whitewater and Jocassa merge, they flow east around Double Springs Mountain to meet the Toxaway. Where the river Jocassee joins the Toxaway River, the Keowee River begins. Today, both Jocassee and the Keowee headwaters run deep underneath the reservoir waters of Lake Jocassee, a place rich in Jocassee biodiversity.
Gorges
Biodiversity
Jocassee
Part of the interface between South Carolina's Piedmont and the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment is enclosed within a little-known tract of land called the Jocassee Gorges. To truly explore Jocassee, you’ll find that only a couple of highways penetrate this land, with the best access being from Lake Jocassee, which nestles into the folds of the mountains at 1110’ above sea level. The steep elevation change and southern orientation of four deep river gorges that cut through mountain bedrock have provided a refuge for species of plants and animals throughout time, showcasing the remarkable Jocassee biodiversity. These southern mountains are not only rich in life but are also some of the most ancient on earth, adding to the fascinating Jocassee history.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity
Imagine finding a desert habitat at the base of a temperate rainforest.
This is Jocassee.
Imagine deep, cool coves full of ferns and wildflowers, ascending to rocky, acidic ridgetops supporting little more than pine trees.
This is Jocassee.
Imagine a place not scraped by glaciers, not flooded by oceans, where a Dutchman’s pipe vine clambers around a butternut tree.
This is Jocassee.
Imagine hearing a common loon wail across the water while a bald eagle soars overhead, because this, too, is Jocassee.
Imagine a place where trees will one day live to be old trees, and black bears will always find refuge. This is what we have to gain from protecting Jocassee.
Jocassee Gorges - Truly one of the world's last great places
History
Jocassee Valley's interesting history includes a rare endemic wildflower, the Cherokee people, moonshiners, loggers, and campers.
A Place To Call Home
The deep water reservoir that is Lake Jocassee
provides good winter habitat for resident loons, grebes, gulls, and bald eagles,
all possible to see during a winter's day on the lake.
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