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...

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...

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 tha...

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...

2019 Hiking Week 37 Table Rock Mountain Table Rock State Park is probably one of the most distinctive state parks in South Carolina. It is named after the iconic Table Rock mountain that is located in the park. The park is popular for hiking, camping, water activities, and gathering together with friends and family. The park is 30 miles from Greenville, 30 miles from Clemson, and the closest town, Pickens, is about 12 miles away. It costs $5.00 per adult for entrance. Easter 2018 I’ve visited Table Rock many times over the years. Our family has celebrated Easter and Thanksgiving at some of their shelters. It’s a pretty large park with lots of room. This past weekend, I attended the Women’s Outdoor Weekend, hosted by Palmetto Conservation Foundation. There were around 30 ladies attending, and we had class offerings on backpacking, kayaking, hiking, camping, and wilderness survival. I signed up for one day and attended the wilderness survival classes. We went through a fir...

2019 Hiking Week 35 The Savannah River runs along the southern border between South Carolina and Georgia for over 300 miles. Many lakes have been formed along this river through man-made dams. There are 6 South Carolina state parks along the Savannah River. From west to east, these parks are Lake Hartwell State Park, Sadlers Creek State Park, Calhoun Falls State Park, Hickory Knob State Resort, Baker Creek State Park, and Hamilton Branch State Park. We’ve finally visited all of them, so I thought I would share them in one (long) post. Since all of these parks are located along lakes and the river, they all are primarily parks for people to access the water and enjoy camping and fishing in these natural spaces.  Lake Hartwell State Park Lake Hartwell State Park is just off of I-85 on the South Carolina/Georgia border. The lake is a large, popular lake in the upstate of South Carolina and it covers 680 acres. The park primarily gives people access to the lake, as we...

2019 Hiking Week 30 Can you believe that in  the 14 years that I've lived in Columbia since college, I haven't been out to Dreher Island State Park? One of the villas on the lake. We recently made the trip to Dreher Island with a couple of kayaks on our car that we borrowed from some friends. After a couple of wrong turns and driving into Newberry County, we made it to the park. The park is a series of islands on the lake that are connected. There’s a large marina and boat ramp that seems to be the most popular attraction. There are also campgrounds, cabins, villas, and picnic shelters for people to reserve. They have quite a few options for cabin-like rentals in the park. There are villas, which are like larger lake houses, there are cabins, which are simple but sleep ?? People, and there are these huts that look like one room cabins with simple accommodations.  In my opinion, some of the best looking sites were the camper and tent sites at the end of the isla...

Hiking 2019 week 28 Devil’s Fork State Park is on Lake Jocassee, in the mountains of South Carolina. If you’re looking for a place to cool off, I recommend this lake. It’s one of the prettiest lakes in South Carolina. Lake Jocassee doesn’t have much development. Most of the shoreline is prohibited from development. Also, the park is one of the few access points to the lake. So the boat traffic is pretty low compared to nearby Lakes Keowee and Hartwell. Because of the cold water temperatures and the location of the lake, the water is very clear and blue. It’s refreshing on a hot day.  There are many ways to enjoy Devil’s Fork State Park and Lake Jocassee. The park has campgrounds, a boat ramp, a swimming area, and paddle rentals. There are also trails in the park for hiking. Recently, we rented a tandem kayak and set off from the park along the shoreline. There were quite a few others on paddle boards and kayaks too. We found a couple of places along the way that had beach ...

2019 Hiking Week 26 Chester State Park & Musgrove Mill State Historic Site Horseshoe Falls at Musgrove Mill As I mentioned before, I enjoy little day trips around the area to see new places. The best is when you get there by back roads. One Sunday afternoon, we decided to take a short trip up north of Columbia on Highway 321 to Chester State Park . The park is about an hour's drive from Columbia, outside of the town of Chester. We were pleasantly surprised by the park. It has a nice sized lake that has no motor boats on it. You can rent kayaks and other small boats to go out on the lake or you can fish from the long boardwalk they have crossing a section of the lake. Fishing Bridge There are gathering spaces, campgrounds, and playgrounds for people to use. They also have a disc golf course . It was a pretty quiet park, especially for a Sunday in the summer. Most of the people we saw were fishing. There are also a couple of trails around the lake. ...