Croft State Park

2019 Hiking Week 38

Croft State Park is over 7,000 acres outside of Spartanburg. It is a huge state park with trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. There are also two lakes and many campsites, including a stable for horses. Entry is $2.00 per person.

Bridge across the creek.

We recently visited Croft State Park to hike a section of the Palmetto Trail. The trail covers over 12 miles, mostly in the park with a small section just north of the park entrance. We hiked the small section at the south of the park which crosses the Fairforest Creek and joins up with some of the mountain bike trails for about a mile. We added an extra loop around and enjoyed the fall leaves.





While visiting, we found out that this area was originally settled by some farming families, then was converted into a training ground for the army in the early 1900's. It was opened as a state park in 1949. While we were hiking along the creek, we noticed some stacked stones and other indicators that people used to live in this area. There are also multiple cemeteries in the park. One was along the trail that we hiked. Most of the tombstones were dated in the 1800's but we saw some who were buried there as recently as the 1980's. It was neat to think about what the area was like when it was farmland and homesteads.


The park is only five miles from downtown Spartanburg. There are some shops, restaurants, and breweries there. Also, another section of the Palmetto Trail follows the Hub City Connector. One of the rails-to-trails projects. You can rent bikes downtown Spartanburg. I'm hoping to bike this section soon. Also, Spartanburg is not far from the Landrum section of the Palmetto Trail, which I wrote about in the spring.

Only 8 more state parks for us! And so much more left to explore.

Location: Croft State Park, 450 Croft State Park Rd, Spartanburg, SC 29302, USA

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