This is my first blog reviewing South Carolina State Parks. Not because there is anything extra special about this park, don’t get me wrong there are a lot of great things here, but because it is where the idea for this blog came to me. This park is set out in the middle of nowhere in Lee county SC, just a few miles from I-20.
Lee State Park is largely an equestrian park but you do not need horses to enjoy it. As well as horse pens,trails, and a show ring, Lee offers hiking trails including: a boardwalk, several great tasting artesian wells, and canoeing.
Anyone who knows warm weather camping in South Carolina knows that the biggest killer of a great camping trip other than the heat itself is the bugs. Amazingly enough, at the campground there were not too many bugs. Of course, there are a few mosquitoes (SC’s unpublicized state bird) but they were pretty mild, especially this close to a swamp since they are terrible around my house.
The camp ground itself is well-kept and cozy. It is definitely not the largest in SC’s collection of campgrounds, but it has a certain peaceful feeling. When we made our reservations there were many campsites open so we were not sure what to think. But upon arriving we found that it was about half full and the others camping here seem to be regulars. This is a great sign because if people keep coming back it must be good. As I am writing this there is a whippoorwill singing off to my left.
This was one of the few problems with the park but one they are addressing quickly.
The ranger was extremely friendly. I have been to some parks with some friendly rangers and some where they were pains in the butt, but this guy was by far the nicest I have seen. His biggest concern was if we were enjoying our self. My 10 month old daughter is not very fond of strangers but she acted like she new him and was very comfortable around him.
On the second day we walked a couple of the hiking trails and the boardwalk. The trails went around the spring ponds and by several of the artesian wells. No need to bring water on these hikes although you may want to bring some empty bottles and fill them up on the hike. I would have pictures but the camera batteries died.
After the hike we met up with the ranger as he was checking up on the camp ground and told him we wanted to go canoeing. He got the canoe for us and met us at our campsite for us to follow him to the launch point. He helped me carry the canoe down to the water and gave us a nature lesson when we ran across a king snake at the launch point. The lake we canoed in was a small oxbow lake that had several submerged trees in it. We would have stayed out longer but Molly was getting restless and we decided that we needed to take her back.
There were a lot of kayakers at the camp ground. I am not sure where the were kayaking but apparently this is the place to camp for where they were going.
The park canoe launch is at another… You guessed it artesian well. I filled a water bottle for Keri and I from a water faucet they had from the well. Molly also enjoyed dipping her feat in the pool below the well.
The Cons: Not a whole lot more to do. Very spread out. Some yellow flies on the trails. Equestrian loop closed.
All in all if you are looking for a quiet place to camp, ride horses or kayak then Lee State park is a great place and I would recommend it. If you are looking for a lot of glitz and glamor or a lot of hiking trails then this may not be what you are looking for. And for less than $15 dollars a night it will not break the bank.
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