Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area

The Learning Center for the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area
Jones Gap State Park
303 Jones Gap Road
Marietta, SC 29661
864.836.3647

We invite you and your students to visit our park and participate in an educational program. The Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area contains over 10,000 acres in northwestern South Carolina. This area of the Blue Ridge Escarpment ends in an abrupt drop of 2,000 feet to the foothills below, where the state's Piedmont region begins. This provides a protected environment for rare and endangered plants and animal species and is valued water shed for the area and the state.

We encourage you to experience the park by participating in a Discover Carolina program. Pre-site, on-site and post-site lesson plans have been developed to ensure a quality educational experience for you and your students.

These programs have been tested and reviewed by teachers from the talented and gifted program of the Richland 2 school district.

Note: both programs may be done in one day by a class.

Park Interpreter Led Programs: Forest Ecology- 3rd Grade

Program Activities

Students hike and learn about different plant and animal species of the forest. Through hands-on activities, students learn how interactions among these organisms define a mountain forest community.

Grade Level: 3
Length of Time: 1.5 hours
Standards: 3-2.2, 3-2.3 and 3-2.4
Setting: Wilderness Park

The Middle Saluda River provides a habitat for a diversity of cold-water organisms including native brook trout, salamanders, crayfish, and other cold-water animals. Students discover how these organisms interact as they explore the river, turning over rocks in their study of a cold-water habitat.

Grade Level: 3
Length of Time: 1.5 hours
Standards: 3-1.5, 3-2.2 and 3-2.3
Setting: Wilderness Park

Forest Ecology - 4th Grade

Forest Ecology is an investigation of a River Cove Forest along the banks of the Middle Saluda River. During the forest hike, different layers of the forest will be studied and concepts of habitats and the interrelationships among organisms will be studied.

Grade Level: 4
Length Time: 1.5 hours
Standards: Call Interpretive Ranger for more information
Setting: Wilderness Park


River Ecology - 4th Grade

River ecology is a hands-on learning experience that places the students in the Middle Saluda River to collect coldwater organism including macroinvertebrates, salamanders, crayfish and other organism. Students learn what traits make up a cold water habitat and about interrelationships among the varied organisms.

Grade Level: 4
Length Time: 1.5 hours
Standards: Call Interpretive Ranger for more information
Setting: Wilderness Park

Setting: Wilderness Park

Students will conduct a survey of the Middle Saluda River to determine the animals that live in a coldwater habitat and the relationships among these animals and their aquatic environment. Organisms will be collected and identified using dichotomous keys to classify the organisms that live there. Water temperature and pH will also be used along with bioassessment to determine water quality in the river.

Grade Level: 6
Length of Time: 1.5 hours
Standards: 6-1.3, 6-3.1 and 6-3.2
Setting: Wilderness Park

Forest Ecology - 6th Grade

Students will hike along one of the trails in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, identify and record plants, fungus, animals and observations about the five layers of the forest. Natural processes such as decomposition and erosion will be observed and discussed..

Grade Level: 6
Length Time: 1.5 hours
Standards: 6-1.3, 6-2.4 and 6-2.8
Setting: Wilderness Park