Poinsett State Park

2019 SC Hiking Week 4

Poinsett State Park

CCC Spillway and historic mill ruins.

To celebrate a weekend where we had no rain, we traveled to Poinsett State Park, outside of Sumter. Only about an hour’s drive from Columbia. I was looking forward to visiting this park since I had seen some of the pictures on the website and it looked pretty. They also call this area “the mountains of the midlands” which I wanted to see if it lived up to that. I have to say that it was a really nice park. Bonus was that there was also a section of the Palmetto Trail that joined other trails in this park. And they have no entrance fees! 

Driving out to the park, it was neat to see all the older large homes on Hwy 261. I find it fascinating that 150+ years ago, this area was a place where influential South Carolina families built large plantations and homes. Last year we were able to visit Kensington Mansion with Historic Columbia where we learned a lot about the history of the area. 

Also, along Hwy 261 was an artillery range with lots of signs warning people to stay out because of the use of air to ground bombing. So fascinating! 

The park is surrounded by the Manchester State Forest, which is pretty large. It has quite a few trails as well, which look like a good place for mountain bikers. 

View above waterfall.

Poinsett State Park has cabins, campgrounds, a small lake with kayak and paddle board rentals, and some historic sites. The lake was built to help run a mill. The area is very hilly with some low wetlands areas and some areas that are more open and field-like. We hiked the Coquina Trail which led to the Hilltop Trail then Laurel Trail, which were the trails the Palmetto Trail followed. There are lots of helpful signs along the way but we did get a little confused a couple of places. We ended up taking some spur trails and the hike from the visitors center to the place where the Palmetto Trail crosses the road took us about an hour. My GPS watch said it was about 2 miles. We did stop some along the way. One low lying, wetlands area had a lot of different birds and there was a woodpecker that we watched on a tree right on the trail. I think it was a female downy woodpecker. I couldn’t see any red on it.

Wetlands area on the trail.

Once we crossed the road, we joined up with the Splice Trail, which was about a mile and followed the road back to the parking area. It was interesting because even though we were just across the road from the other trail, the terrain felt pretty different. Some parts of the park reminded me of Harbison State Forest with its pine trees and sandhills. Once we reached the parking lot, it had only been an hour and a half so I suggested we hike the rest of the Palmetto Trail section. This part follows the Scout Trail and then spurs off into Manchester Forest. This last section took us about another hour and a half and added another couple of miles. It was a pretty wide, flat trail until the spur. 

Trail signs
with Palmetto Trail Marker.

By the time we finished, the visitors to the park had picked up. We saw more mountain bikers, trail runners, and hikers with dogs. I would recommend getting to the park early to avoid some of the crowds. We didn’t encounter very many people on the trails. 

St. Marks Episcopal Church

A little further down Hwy 261, we went to check out Millford Plantation. It was built by the Manning family. There was a neat church nearby and some interesting historical markers. I just keep thinking how important this small area of South Carolina was in its history yet now there isn’t much out there. 

I am hoping to return to Poinsett State Park again possibly in the spring. There are a few other trails I’d like to explore and we’d like to visit Millford Plantation when they are doing tours. 

If you are driving out Hwy 378 to get to the park, I recommend checking out a couple places. One place is Mr. Bunky's. This place is like an old-timey market that carries almost anything you might need (including appliances!). There's also a restaurant in there. It's a fun place to stop. Also, I've wanted to try Country Smokehouse, a bbq restaurant outside of Columbia on Hwy 378. Let me know if you've tried it! You could also go into Sumter if you are looking for a place to eat. I haven't been to many places there so share any recommendations you might have! 

Next weekend I’ll be in the Upstate with my parents who seem to have explored every trail in Upstate South Carolina. We’ll see where they take me! Last weekend they visited the Blue Wall section of the Palmetto Trail. 

Hope to see you out on the trail!