Guide to Getting Away from the Sunnyside Traveler

Since the South Carolina State Parks have reopened on May 1, the parks have a limited number of visitors they can have there at one time. So far, each weekend, about 10 or more parks reach their capacity by noon. I've been keeping an eye on the parks to see which ones are the most popular and fill up the fastest. I thought I would share with you some of the fun but lesser known parks. Just be sure to check the state park facebook page to see the latest announcements. First, though, I should tell you the parks that are busiest and have the most restrictions. Edisto Beach State Park is only open to campers and those staying overnight (until May 11). No day visitors. Jones Gap State Park has a lot of restrictions on visitors. On the weekends, you have to purchase a parking pass before arriving. Other popular parks that are filling up on the weekends before noon: Paris Mountain, Caesars Head, Keowee-Toxaway, Table Rock, Kings Mountain, Landsford Canal, and Musgrove Mill. Basicall...

Well this post doesn't really fall under my usual categories. We're into our second full week of working from home and the first week of the Columbia shut-down orders. It's amazing how quickly life can change so drastically. I just found out this weekend that they are cancelling our Master Naturalist class this year. We will have the option to take it next spring but I am pretty sad about this. I was really looking forward to learning and sharing my knowledge with you. Watching people posting online about exploring their neighborhoods and backyards and seeing signs of spring all around, I thought I would share with you some of the sights we saw recently walking on the Timmerman Trail . I took a bunch of pictures and am using them to help myself identify and learn plants and animals. Thankfully, we received our books for the Master Naturalist class so we have been using them to learn the names of the plants we find. Crab-apple tree Wisteria (non-native, invasive spec...

MN Week 1 Camp Discovery - Blythewood Not during our class but peach trees are starting to bloom! This past week, I began the Midlands Master Naturalist Program with the South Carolina Wildlife Federation and Clemson University.  “The Midlands Master Naturalist course is part of a statewide Master Naturalist Program coordinated by Clemson University.  The mission of the program is to create a corps of citizen volunteers well-trained in the fundamentals of natural history, nature interpretation, and the interface of humans and nature in order to empower them to contribute their time and talents to responsible, science-based environmental stewardship.  The Midlands course is hosted by the SCWF and taught by experts in the fields of natural history, botany, biology, forestry, and geology.” (from their website) I have heard about this program for a few years. Both of my parents participated in the Upstate class and have stayed involved with the program. Clas...

2020 Hiking Post 2 I mentioned previously that even though we've been to all of the South Carolina State Parks, there were a few that we wanted to return to. One of these was Woods Bay State Park . This small park is near the town of Olanta, east of Sumter and just east of I-95. The park is surrounding what is called a Carolina Bay. Carolina bays are elliptical depressions in the coastal area of the Mid-Atlantic. Local author Tom Poland has a new book out about the Carolina Bays that I'm excited to check out. From the description of his book: " The best definition of these features are "temporary, isolated freshwater wetlands," variously described as "high or flatwater ponds, wet weather lakes, or vernal pools," often identified more accurately as "pocosins," and they are ecological wonders, full of all manner of amphibians and reptiles, insects and birds, wildlife and plants--many of them exotic and rare. What also defines them is th...

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 sit...

2020 Hiking #1 Happy New Year! We started off the new year with a new hike. It was a nice day here in South Carolina, clear and cool, so we decided to try a new section of the Palmetto Trail. I have wanted to hike the Wateree Passage since it's close to Columbia and crosses the Wateree River. The Wateree Passage is a little over 11 miles. It connects Highway 601 to Poinsett State Park where the High Hills of Santee Passage begins. We decided to start at the western end of the trail. It starts near Eastover on Highway 601, travels south along the highway for about 2.5 miles, then turns east and joins up with an old railroad bed to cross the Wateree River and the surrounding lowlands. Trailhead at Hwy. 601 The trail is pretty flat the whole way that we hiked. We crossed the Wateree River and hiked to the suspension bridge, which was about 4.25 miles. Our total hike was about 8.5 miles round trip. The section along 601 followed the highway but was in the trees. Some pa...

2019 Hiking Week 39 Happy December! It's been almost a year since I started posting about local South Carolina hikes and outdoor adventures. We have seen so much of the state. With just seven state parks left to visit this year, we have driven through almost every county in the state and I've learned more about the history and character of different regions of South Carolina. It's been a lot of fun and a lot of miles! The river coming from the dam. Recently, we visited Goodale State Park , outside of Camden. I had been saving this park because I wanted to paddle their blue trail for kayaks and canoes. But, the warm weather got away from us so we decided to go anyway on a Friday afternoon. It is a beautiful little park just outside of downtown Camden. The main feature is the civil war era mill lake with a paddling trail for visitors. There is also a nature hiking trail and some picnic and gathering spaces. We were able to walk around part of the lake on the d...