SC State Park Chester State Park

This place was an unexpected delight. It is not in a part of South Carolina that many go to so it is probably mostly used by locals and is one of the orginal CCC built parks from the '30s. You are near a large national forest so the population nearby is pretty small. We didn't know what to expect and thought we would find a run down place, but we found one of the nicest campgrounds and park facilities we have seen anywhere. The campground is small with only around 25-30 sites. There is a large lake in the park and some of the sites are located on the lake and most would have a view of it. Tall pines provide a lot shade and each site has a picnic table, fire ring, and lantern post (a rarity at a SC state park). The area with the picnic table and fire ring at each site are on an area that resembles a tent pad so they are level and would drain water well when it rains.

There is a great day use area with large picnic shelters and individual tables. They have a boathouse where they rent kayaks, canoes, and peddle boats plus a disc golf course there as well. There is also a long fishing pier that crosses the lake at a narrow point. The campground is located away from the day use area.

Chester is not a big town but would have a grocery store or two to get supplies and is pretty close to the park. It is about a 20 minute drive off of I-77 if you are looking for a place to stay while traveling that route. You are probably an hour or so south of Charlotte, NC and about an hour north of Columbia, SC. From here a drive to/from the SC coast would be about 3 hours or so of driving time.

Chester | South Carolina Parks Official Site