The South Carolina boating scene is huge! Skim across the placid waters of Lake Hartwell, Lake Murray or Lake Moultrie, Lake Thurmond among others. South Carolina State Parks provide access to some of the most coveted waters in the state, and has a state park on every major reservoir lake in the state. You’ll have a blast whether you’re on a speed boat or a pedal boat.
This park provides year-round opportunities for excellent South Carolina bass fishing, boating, and offers shoreline campsites and nature trails. The park was one of 16 built by the CCC and many of the original structures built by the work teams remain standing as fine examples of classic CCC architecture.
The Intracoastal Waterway begs to be explored from Buck Hall boat launch on the Francis Marion, or perhaps you’d prefer to paddle, hunt or fish the three rivers on the Enoree Ranger District. Nine rifle ranges will help maintain your aim for hunting season. There are hiking trails, campgrounds and picnic areas, a human-made shell ring built 4000 years ago, fishing rodeos and waterfowl hunts, and an environmental education center.
The High Hills of Santee are dotted with the hiking and biking trails that wind through the park – some of which connect to the Palmetto Trail that leads hikers through the Manchester State Forest. Poinsett’s 10-acre lake makes for a serene setting, and can be used for fishing and johnboat rentals. The park also offers campsites, a fishing pond, a coquina bathhouse built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, pre-revolutionary grist mill ruins and rustic cabins.
Savannah Lakes Village has two 18-hole award-winning championship golf courses, carved from the rolling landscape wrapping Lake Thurmond, that offer unique challenges and breathtaking vistas. The community also offers activities such as boating and fishing, biking, hiking, swimming and tennis.
Santee State Park sits along Lake Marion. Locals know the lake for its abundant population of large catfish. Santee State Park camping is offered on the lake, but for guests who prefer to spend the night indoors, rondette cabins, 10 of which sit on piers over the lake, are available. Other amenities and activities found in the park include biking and hiking trails and pontoon boat tours of the flooded cypress forest on Lake Marion.
Five miles of pristine South Carolina beaches, thousands of acres of marsh and maritime forest, a saltwater lagoon and ocean inlet are all part of this park’s natural allure. Of all the lighthouses in South Carolina, the Hunting Island Lighthouse is the only one in the state that is publicly accessible.