Sesquicentennial State Park

2019 Hiking week 7
Sesquicentennial State Park
After a couple of nice weekends with adventurous hikes, this weekend was a bummer. Overcast, rainy, and dreary is the theme currently, with no end in sight. Saturday we got up the motivation to head out to Sesquicentennial State Park. Sesquicentennial is the closest state park to Columbia and is close to the interstate and Highway 1. The park was opened in 1937 for The Sesquicentennial of Columbia. It is centered around a lake with acres of woods. There are a few trails but not as many as some state parks. The longer one is about 3.5 miles, with a couple of side mountain bike trails. We hiked the lake loop trail that is about 2 miles and is a nice walk. We took a side trail to see the spillway from the lake. This area is
Spillway
part of the Gills Creek watershed, which connects to the Gills Creek that we crossed when walking the Palmetto Trail through Columbia. This watershed was one of the locations of more significant flooding during our 2015 flood. There is a good infographic near the boathouse at the park that shows where the watershed is and where it joins the Congaree River. The area is in the Sandhills area of Columbia, so many of the trails are sand or paved. 

The lake at the park has a few options for those who want to go out on the water. There were paddle boats, kayaks, canoes, and stand up paddle boards. Rentals are only $5.00/hour or $25.00 per day, which is a pretty good price. It was pretty cold and dreary this past weekend but I am thinking about returning when the weather warms up to do some paddling.
 
Sesquicentennial State Park has a fee of $5.00 to enter (per person), so it’s not as cheap as others but for those in the city, it’s a good place to go to get into nature. We saw plenty of birds and heard some frogs, one couple we talked to said they see snakes on the trail occasionally . Even though you can hear some of the nearby traffic, it is easy to forget you are in the middle of a busy suburb. We were thinking it is a good opportunity for those who don’t have much access to nature to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. 



Location: Sesquicentennial State Park, 9564 Two Notch Rd, Columbia, SC 29223, USA

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