Jocassee roads re-opened at the gorges

Most year-round roads within the Jim Timmerman Natural Resources Area at Jocassee Gorges in northern Pickens County have been re-opened by the South Carolina DNR.  They were closed to prevent road damage and to avoid safety issues during the snowstorm that hit the Upstate two weekends ago.  Year-round roads now re-opened include Horsepasture Road from the Laurel Valley entrance on U-S 178 to Jumping Off Rock.  Shooting -Tree Ridge Road, from its Eastatoe Valley entrance on Cleo Chapman Highway, is open to an intermediate gate about five miles in, to give small game hunters better access.  However, the road to Sassafras Mountain Overlook is still closed.  Access to that road is controlled by Pickens County.  That road remained covered by ice and snow.