Discover The 7 Amazing Parks in Camden SC (South Carolina)
If you are searching for the best parks in Camden SC (South Carolina), then you are on the right page! This little southern town has something for everyone, from the peaceful paths of Goodale State Park to the vibrant activity at the Kershaw County Parks & Recreation Department.
Camden’s parks will charm you, whether you’re a fitness enthusiast searching for new scenery for your exercises, a family organizing an exciting day out, or a wildlife enthusiast looking for your next adventure.
Every park has its own unique beauty and offers a range of sports, such as fishing and kayaking, in addition to strolling and running.
We’ll give you a virtual tour of these parks in this blog article, emphasizing their amenities, features, and special experiences. So prepare to enjoy Camden, South Carolina’s natural splendor, by putting on your hiking boots, packing a picnic basket, and heading out. Keep checking back!
Amongst the things you’ll love about Camden, SC, are its various parks located in multiple areas within and near the city. These parks provide a cool, fun environment for people to relax and explore the environment.
Here are some of the awesome parks in Camden, South Carolina
The Best Parks in Camden SC (South Carolina)
#1. Gooodale State Park
● 650 Park RD, Camden, SC, 29020
Boating, fishing, and hiking are all possible on the spring-fed lake at Goodale State Park. You can bring your boat so you can explore the flora, animals, and water birds in their natural habitat.
With picnic shelters, tables, playground equipment, and meeting spaces available, it is the ideal setting for gatherings of families, students, and other groups.
If you enjoy going on family camping vacations, participating in scouting activities, and watching a lot of Yogi Bear on Saturday mornings, you would adore aiding others in the woods.
In fact, it’ll be a lot of fun.
One of the favorite activities at Goodale is searching for the small details that most people overlook.
When you walk along the bank and spillway area of the park, you can find tiny little frogs, snails that devour other snails, gorgeous small wildflowers no bigger than a cent, and even carnivorous pitcher plants.
First-time visitors who are able should paddle across the lake on the canoe trail. Many different types of birds, including ducks, kingfishers, ospreys, and even bald eagles, can be seen in the large open lake area.
Then, rather than hiking, you paddle into the forest, dodging tall cypress trees where alligators and otters try to hide from onlookers!
The park’s Ultimate Outsider stamp may be found on the office building’s exterior wall that faces the street.
At Goodale State Park, you’ll find attractive tall cypress trees, a wildlife-rich mill pond from the Civil War, some of the greatest kayaking in South Carolina, and a 1.5-mile sandy nature trail just waiting to be discovered.
The park features a two-mile self-guided circle for interpretive hiking. A three-mile canoe track on Pine Tree Creek and the park lake is also available.
Given that paddling is one of the park’s primary draws, Goodale is guaranteed to please anyone who enjoys South Carolina’s wild canoe and kayak excursions.
A little-known paddling route that runs between cypress trees and aquatic plants for three miles is ideal for close-by city canoe adventures into the woods.
This longtime local favourite park also provides picnicking and beachfront fishing.
For freshwater fishing, you can catch bass, bream, and catfish in the park’s 140-acre lake, but you must possess a current South Carolina fishing licence.
For boating, private boats with electric trolling motors, canoes, and other non-motorized boats have access to a hand-launch area.
Also, you can rent non-motorized fishing boats for about $10 for a half day and $20 for a full day. Renting a canoe or kayak costs $10 for half a day and $20 for a full day.
The playground is equipped with a set of swings to help visitors play and relax. Do you love waterfowl? A variety can be spotted near the lake, particularly in the winter.
There is a 3 miles roundtrip kayak trail at Goodale. In order to complete this out-and-back water trail, you must paddle over Adams Mill Pond.
Follow the white trail markers as they wind through a forest of bald cypress trees once you get to Pine Tree Creek.
A number of birds, including the great blue heron, might be visible, as well as one or more alligators. Turn around and head back once there are two downed logs across the creek.
Some of the outstanding features here include waterfowl and alligators found on the lake shores, making up the wildlife.
Features
- Playground
- Hiking
- Boating
- Picnic Area
#2. Veteran’s Park
● Wateree River, north Camden, SC 29078
A little under half a mile long paved walking path at Veterans Park connects to a second natural surface track for a total of.75 miles of trail.
Numerous significant neighborhood gatherings, such as Halloween and Christmas festivities, take place along this trail.
This is one of our newest parks, having been built in 2020! Immediately north of Highway 1 and on the west bank of the Wateree River
Additionally, it features a wheelchair-accessible boat launch where you can put your canoe or kayak.
This park has the potential to be a significant focal point of upcoming trail developments. Come and delight! Add this to your list of fun parks in Camden, South Carolina.
Features
- Playgrounds
- Boating launch
- Hiking
- Trails
- Picnic Tables
While you are exploring the best parks in Camden, you may also like to check out the best parks in San Leandro, California, USA, Franklin TN (Tennessee), and Roseburg (Oregon).
#3. Camden Riverfront Environmental Park
● 175 Bramblewood Plantation Rd., Camden, SC 29020
A former wastewater lagoon that the City of Camden converted into a park will play a significant role in the creation of new paths and greenways. In August 2020, the park opens.
It currently has a half-mile meandering dirt trail, a boat launch, and an ADA-compliant boat launch in addition to the almost mile-long dirt trail. But this park has a lot of promise given its size of 26 acres.
Future plans call for additional trails, boardwalks, and educational facilities to gear up the place.
The ultimate goal of the park’s management is for the path to join up with additional trails that can be built across the city and county, creating a magnificent greenway that we can all enjoy.
Features
- Picnic Area
- Trails
- Hiking
- Boating
- Playground
#4. Chotty Trail
● 212 Broad Street, Camden, SC
This 3.5-mile offshoot called the Chotty Trail Connector leaves from the east side of the Wateree and travels through the older Camden in South Carolina.
The Chotty Trail spur, which connects Camden with the main spine of the 500-mile Palmetto Trail, is named for the late Charles “Chotty” Mullikin.
He is a celebrated World War II veteran and the father of Dr. Tom Mullikin, a well-known international expedition leader. He currently passes within 21 miles of the west bank of the Wateree River.
Furman Miller, Midlands Regional Trail Coordinator for the Palmetto Trail, stated that planning for the Chotty Trail began about a year ago as a way to encourage people to get out and explore historic Camden.
Miller estimates that just one mile of the route is open grassland or woodland, with the majority of the other two and a half miles being urban (along city sidewalks or parallel highways).
Features
- Trails
- Playground
- Hiking
- Shades
#5. Woodward Park
● Camden, SC 29020, USA
This sports-focused entertainment facility is situated just west of Camden, South Carolina’s main drag. It has a lot of ball fields, tennis courts, and a tree-lined disc golf course.
This park is open most hours of the day, and admission is completely free. Both adults and children can come out here and have lots of fun while releasing the stress of their daily activities.
Visitors can arrive with their cars and enjoy free parking at the designated areas in the park environment. This is also one of Camden, SC, parks you should visit this weekend!
Features
- Baseball fields
- Playground
- Tennis courts
- A dog park
Looking for more parks around? Why not check out fun parks in Baton Rouge (Louisiana), Lake Oswego (Oregon), and Watertown (Wisconsin).
Other Parks near Camden, SC
#6. Sesquicentennial State Park
● 9564 Two Notch Road, Columbia, SC 29223
It’s great to visit Sequicentennial State Park, an ideal campground for RV travelers staying in Congaree National Park.
You can get around the lake on beach cruisers despite their wonderful, entertaining cycling trail being ideal for mountain bikes.
Four individuals can fit in a pedal boat that you can rent for around $10 per hour. They also have small fishing boats, SUPs, kayaks, and canoes.
The camp storekeeper is really accommodating and welcoming. He talks to people and ensures that everyone feels comfortable. Everyone who works there is incredibly kind and helpful.
Even the young ranger who is present there is unbelievably sweet and considerate of the dogs’ behavior, as she takes time to pet them outside the store.
Everyone that comes into the park loves to stay longer and would even visit again once they come to the area again.
This park is gorgeous. You have options while using the trails for biking or strolling. If you cover several miles, you’ll appreciate a wide variety of birds and other wildlife.
There are also picnic and barbecue spaces in this park; however, you’ll need to pay a fee to gain entrance.
The entertainment in Sesquicentennial Park is for all ages. Both locals and tourists will appreciate the park because it is so lovely.
In addition to grills, the park offers a splash pad, two playgrounds, picnic tables, and covered sitting areas. Also, there are numerous walking trails and stunning water views.
Even on a busy day when the park is packed with people attending gatherings, it always manages to maintain a pleasant and tranquil atmosphere.
Features
- Hiking
- Trails
- Splash Pads
- Grills
- Picnic Tables
- Playgrounds
- Kayaking
#7. Lake Wateree State Park
- 881 State Park Rd., Winnsboro, SC 29180
If you love camping and hiking to spice up your life, you’ll love it here at Lake Wateree State Park.
Parents enjoy going camping with their kids because the place is quiet, has shaded sites with level lots, hot showers, clean facilities, and a camp store with loads of supplies.
Such places give the kids freedom to run around and empty themselves of the joy of youth that, if bottled, could transform the world.
The facilities meet expectations in every way, and both check-in and hookups are simple. You can purchase bait, 14-day SC fishing licenses, and plenty of firewood at the camp store.
The staff in this park are outstanding, from the man at the front gate to the women working in the store. They are kind and helpful to ensure you have a comfortable stay.
On weekdays, Lake Wateree is serene and lovely; on weekends, Bernie’s is the place to be.
There is a marina across the lake where you can rent boats, which is what lots of guests do. The experience is simply wonderful.
The 2.8-mile level track has a surface made of matted pine and sand and is well-maintained. You can even decide not to wear shoes the entire time to get a feel of the environment.
All of the “Give them a Whirl” logs at Wateree State Park are lit. You can camp here in your sleeping bag. It is a pristine and well-kept area. Also, it is simple to enter and exit as it’s situated on the shores of Lake Wateree.
Our favourite good personnel Wendy is incredible, incredibly helpful, and goes above and beyond to assist. The sites and restrooms are kept clean and tidy.
Spend some time here if resting, boating, and fishing are your things. Boat ramps, picnic spaces, and a camp store are all present.
The abundance of shade in this park is one of my favorite features. Large trees cover the campgrounds, keeping them in the shade for virtually the whole day.
The entire park’s sites are shaded so that visitors can have a great time despite the heat of the sun. You can eat, relax, and have lots of fun in the shade.
Make sure to check the maximum length requirements when making your reservation because some sites are quite small and have restrictions on RV size.
Features
- Fishing
- Boating
- Picnic Area
- Playground
Before You Go
So, that’s it! These are some of the best parks in Camden, SC. It’ll be great to check them out and see all their richness while you’re here.
If you’re thinking of taking a day trip with your significant other, family members, or a group of friends, these parks in Camden are the best places. Indeed, they have a lot to offer.
