SC State Parks Overview
South Carolina State Parks
Looking back over this past year and the many different state parks, it’s hard to say which park would be my favorite. There are a total of 47 state parks in South Carolina. The parks are so varied, I thought it would be best to do a list of superlatives instead.
First, its probably helpful to talk about the different types of state parks we have. There are the beach parks that have beach access, camping, and they preserve the area as close as they can to its natural state. Then there are the mountain parks, which provide hiking, camping, and access to the mountains of the state. There are also many state parks that seem like their primary purpose is to provide a natural park for residents in the area to hike, camp, picnic, and have access to a lake or other body of water. Many of these parks have gathering spaces for the community to use. Finally, there are parks that preserve some part of the history of South Carolina. Many are plantation homes or sites of battles or forts. Almost all of the parks that are not historical sites have some sort of lake or water access. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a big part of the building of # parks in the state, and they built many of the lakes by creating dams. You can find a great display about the CCC at the Lake Greenwood State Park.
Here’s some of my favorite parks we visited. Further below, I’ll list the parks and my thoughts on each one. Soon, I believe the state park site should be releasing their own list of top parks voted on by other Ultimate Outsiders and other visitors.
A couple things I learned about the state parks this year: many parks seem to exist just to give the area a place for outdoor recreation. They all are maintained and kept clean, even their bathrooms. And all of the park rangers we met were friendly, welcoming, and helpful. Many of these parks I want to return to. Some we weren’t able to explore as much as I wanted and some we want to visit in different seasons. I also heard recently about a new island that the state purchased in 2018 and they are opening it to the public to visit. It sounds like a neat place to visit sometime.
I'll post my full rundown here soon.
Looking back over this past year and the many different state parks, it’s hard to say which park would be my favorite. There are a total of 47 state parks in South Carolina. The parks are so varied, I thought it would be best to do a list of superlatives instead.
First, its probably helpful to talk about the different types of state parks we have. There are the beach parks that have beach access, camping, and they preserve the area as close as they can to its natural state. Then there are the mountain parks, which provide hiking, camping, and access to the mountains of the state. There are also many state parks that seem like their primary purpose is to provide a natural park for residents in the area to hike, camp, picnic, and have access to a lake or other body of water. Many of these parks have gathering spaces for the community to use. Finally, there are parks that preserve some part of the history of South Carolina. Many are plantation homes or sites of battles or forts. Almost all of the parks that are not historical sites have some sort of lake or water access. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a big part of the building of # parks in the state, and they built many of the lakes by creating dams. You can find a great display about the CCC at the Lake Greenwood State Park.
Here’s some of my favorite parks we visited. Further below, I’ll list the parks and my thoughts on each one. Soon, I believe the state park site should be releasing their own list of top parks voted on by other Ultimate Outsiders and other visitors.
- Best park in the midlands - Poinsett State Park
- Best mountain park - Jones Gap State Park
- Best lake park - Mountains - Devils Fork State Park, Midlands - Lake Greenwood State Park
- Best beach park - Huntington Beach State Park
- Best historical park - Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site (Runner up - Oconee Station State Historic Site)
- Best small town park - Chester State Park
- Best park for a group getaway - Hickory Knob State Park
- Most surprising - Goodale State Park
- Most unique - Landsford Canal State Park
- Best natural area - Hunting Island State Park (runner up - Woods Bay State Park)
- Best recreation area - Croft State Park
- Best park for a wedding - Table Rock State Park (runner up - Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site)
- Best park for golf - Cheraw State Park (disclaimer - I am not a golfer)
- Most remote feeling park - Lake Warren State Park (runner up - Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site)
A couple things I learned about the state parks this year: many parks seem to exist just to give the area a place for outdoor recreation. They all are maintained and kept clean, even their bathrooms. And all of the park rangers we met were friendly, welcoming, and helpful. Many of these parks I want to return to. Some we weren’t able to explore as much as I wanted and some we want to visit in different seasons. I also heard recently about a new island that the state purchased in 2018 and they are opening it to the public to visit. It sounds like a neat place to visit sometime.
I'll post my full rundown here soon.
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