Lake Jocassee is one of the cleanest and most beautiful lakes in the eastern United States. The water is so clear you can see the bottom in 20 feet of water. The lake is surrounded by the Jocassee Gorges, a 32,000-acre wilderness that protects some of the most biodiverse temperate forest in North America.
The signature experience is paddling to the waterfalls that drop directly into the lake. Laurel Fork Falls, Toxaway Falls, and Whitewater Falls (accessible by trail from the lake) are among the highlights. The lake has no commercial development on its shores, which makes it feel genuinely wild.