Lee State Park is a great place to take a walk and unwind a bit. It’s a good mid-sized state park of 2839 acres along the Lynches River near Bishopville in the eastern midlands of the state. The park has several short (under a mile) easy hiking trails near the camp grounds at the visitor center, including a nice elevated boardwalk through the wetlands. There are also several miles of horse-only trails. The Loop Road trail however is a good five miles and takes you past several of the parks artesian wells as it circles the park. This park is one of South Carolina’s first sixteen State Parks originally created during the 1930’s great depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Many of the original buildings remain. During my visit the weather was cool (no bugs!) and the fall foliage was turning which made for a really nice walk with Radar.  We walked the Loop Road and Boardwalk trails. This making his second hiking trail, Radar seems to enjoy hikes and really does a good job staying close even when horses and other dogs show up on the trail. We enjoyed a light trail lunch and drank from the artesian wells as we casually walked the trails and enjoyed the peaceful day. We followed up the hike with a short hammock nap. With no tempting wi-fi, Lee is a great place to disconnect and unwind.

Favorite Time of year: I must go with the fall season. Watch the weather for Lynches River levels.

Things to Know: They keep it pretty simple at Lee, no wi-fi, nice facilities but limited extra resources makes Lee a quite place to relax.

Camping: Site and RV camping is available at Lee, you can use the toll-free for reservations, or information (Reservations Required). Group primitive camping is also available but you will need to call.

Pet friendly: Pets are allowed in most outdoor areas provided they are under physical restraint or kept on a leash not longer than six feet

Getting There: Lee is in the Eastern midlands of South Carolina, West of Florence and East of Camden, just off highway 20. It’s about a 2-3 hour drive from the Charleston area.

#