Walhalla Fish Hatchery

Walhalla Fish Hatchery
Oconee County, SC
Regional Director: Katherine Boyle

On Saturday September 24 we will meet at 10:30 AM at the parking lot of SCDNR’s Walhalla Fish Hatchery, in the remote northwestern corner of the state. A brief history: the hatchery was built in the mid-1930’s. The stone hatchery building, the wood frame garage/workshop and the hatchery quarters were all constructed by the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. The original rearing tanks were small circular pools. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, the present raceways and newer buildings were constructed. Visitors are welcome to tour the hatchery.

Adjacent to the hatchery is the territory we’ll spend the day exploring – the Ellicott Rock Wilderness. The East Fork Trail starts at the back of the parking lot and runs alongside the East Fork Chattooga River for 2.5 miles to join the main Chattooga River. Additional trails then go upstream to the North Carolina line as marked by Ellicott Rock (1.8 miles) or downstream to Burrell’s Ford campground (1.5 miles).

The trails are relatively (for the mountains!) level, though a bit soupy in places. There are a number of small protruding roots that can trip the unwary hiker; I found a walking stick helpful. Overall, with laurels arching above and the sound of rushing water below, walking here is a pleasure. Trailside we’ll encounter familiar midsummer flowers such as Lobelia, Monarda, and Green-headed Coneflower. We should also keep an eye out for the rare tree Mountain Camellia (Stewartia ovata), which has been reported here in the past. See excellent photos of this species at https://www.carolinanature.com/trees/stov.html.

And then there’s the river itself. With cool (low 70s oF) clear water and white sandy beaches, the Chattooga River beckons.

Now some painful news. When I visited over the weekend there was almost no cell phone service (on Verizon) – none at the hatchery and almost none along the trails. The single exception was a small area around N34.9809o W83.0868o (WGS84) on the East Fork Trail, where a weak signal showed up. Just be sure to download any maps or reference material beforehand; our phones’ GPS should do fine.

Facilities. There is a bathroom alongside the parking lot but I don’t recommend it. Instead, enter the hatchery and as you walk toward the raceways you’ll see bathrooms off to the right.

How to get there:
198 Fish Hatchery Road Hwy 107N
Mountain Rest, SC 29664

From the town of Walhalla:
Head west on Hwy 28 S W/E Main St toward N Catherine St
Continue to follow Hwy 28 S W
(Pass by Dollar General on the left in 8.0 miles)
Drive 8.2 miles
Slight right onto SC-107N
Drive 11.7 miles
Turn Left onto Fish Hatchery Road
Drive 1.8 miles
Hatchery is on the left
**NOTE – Be sure to come all the way up to the “GENERAL PARKING” lot.

Dinner:
3 Amigos Mexican Grill
108 South Catherine St
Walhalla, SC 29691
864-638-2016
**NOTE – Parking lot is across the street from restaurant