Lower Whitewater Falls is a waterfall on Whitewater River in Oconee County, South Carolina, in the Blue Ridge region, with a total height of about 275 feet. It lies about 17.8 miles north of Walhalla and roughly 35.7 miles west of Greenville as the crow flies.
At 275 feet it is among the ten tallest of the 4 South Carolina waterfalls with a recorded height, ranking 2nd. The tallest single drop is 175 feet. The water comes down as a tiered waterfall, falling in several distinct steps one after another, combined with a plunge character. It falls in 3 drops.
The Blue Ridge is the highest part of the southern Appalachians, a range of forested peaks and coves with oak, hickory, tulip poplar and hemlock and spruce-fir on the summits, in one of the wettest climates in the East. Steep mountain streams drop over granite, gneiss and quartzite ledges, giving the region hundreds of waterfalls.
There are 7 recorded waterfalls in Oconee County. Laurel Falls, a 400-foot tiered waterfall, is about 1.8 miles away across the state line in North Carolina. Whitewater Falls, a 411-foot tiered waterfall, is about 2 miles away across the state line in North Carolina. Big Falls, a 640-foot tiered waterfall, is about 2.1 miles away across the state line in North Carolina.
Lower Whitewater Falls is located at 35.0162° N, 82.9925° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. The position was verified on aerial imagery. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.