Cheraw State Park

2019 Hiking Week 40
Cheraw State Park
We're getting close to the end! Just four state parks left on our list! We recently checked off three parks in the northeast region of South Carolina. We explored the area and had fun visiting some new places. The three parks we visited were Little Pee Dee State Park, Cheraw State Park, and the H. Cooper Black Jr. Memorial Field Trial and Recreation Area.  Little Pee Dee State Park has a lake but the level has been lowered to make repairs on their dam. The H. Cooper Black Park is mostly for people with horses or hunting dogs. We spent the most time at Cheraw State Park.

Cheraw State Park reminded us of Hickory Knob State Park. There is a golf course, a lake, lodging, and trails. When we arrived, it was cloudy, cool, and overcast, but as we walked around, the sun came out and it was really pretty. The park ranger was nice and helpful. We decided to walk the boardwalk around part of the lake to the spillway. We didn't realize that the boardwalk went out into the lake. It was really pretty and a nice walk.

Spillway
When visiting the state parks, we have seen many spillways for many different lakes. They are a common feature, especially in parks that were created by the CCC. But this lake and spillway were especially impressive. Probably because we had just had a lot of rain the day before. There was a lot of water falling and the bridge was a nice arch. We took a lot of pictures there as the sun came out and it shone on the rushing water.

Cheraw State Park is a park I would like to return to in the future. There were some other trails to explore and the area was nice. While in this area of the state, we had fun visiting some places we hadn't been to before. One was visiting South of the Border. I've driven by it many times but never stopped. It was fun and tacky and bigger than I expected.

Nearby we visited Blenheim to see the town where Blenheim Ginger Ale was created. Years ago it was bought by the man who started South of the Border and they make it now there. There was a spring there but it was a pretty small town.
Blenheim spring & history
We also went through Bennettsville, which had a large courthouse in the center of town and some neat murals about their history. Then we visited the town of Cheraw, which had lots of large old homes and some nice wide green streets. We also were surprised at how cute the town of Marion was when we drove through there. Lots of restored historic homes. I'm interested to learn more about these towns and their history.
H. Cooper Black Recreation Area

Location: Cheraw State Park, 100 State Park Rd, Cheraw, SC 29520, USA

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