Jones Lake State Park offers hiking, picnicking, fishing, swimming, paddling, and camping. Jones Lake and Salters Lake are Carolina bays, elliptical depressions like shallow lakes along the Atlantic coast. Their tea-colored waters hide their shallow 8-foot depth.
From the visitor center, there are several picnic areas next to the shoreline. An elevated wooden pier leads to the boathouse. I walked it to get beautiful views of the lake.
There are three hiking trails. All are easier hikes because they have little to no elevation change; however, the terrain is uneven. There are tree roots, cypress knees, rocks, and muddy areas after rain.
Cedar Loop Trail
The Cedar Loop is a 1-mile loop marked with red circle blazes. It is a dirt trail with several low boardwalks. Half of the loop also acts as part of the Bay Trail. If you only plan to walk this trail, I recommend starting counterclockwise (to the right).
Of the three trails, I liked this loop best. It is fully within the forest and offers a decent number of breaks in the tree line for views of Jones Lake.
During my visit, I saw dark-eyed juncos, cardinals, robins, ruby-crowned kinglets, and sparrows.
Bay Trail
Bay Trail is a 4-mile loop around Jones Lake. This path is made of dirt, gravel, sand, and low boardwalks. White diamonds blaze the route.
Caution: Don’t be fooled by the trail map diagram. While you are circling the lake, the trail is mostly in the woods with a few overlooks. A long portion of the route is on a straight logging road with little shade. I think it would be hard in the summer with the sun beating down.
I started with the portion along the Cedar Loop Trail. At the first true overlook, the Bay Trail continues on while Cedar Loop circles back to the picnic area. Then when the trail hits the logging road, turn left.
A couple of dog watering stations, provided by the Boy Scouts, are available along this route.
During my early February visit, the portion along the logging road had a recent prescribed (controlled) fire. It was still smoking in some areas.
The fishing pier is along this trail – for the shortest route, from the parking lot, take the Bay Trail to the left.
On the Bay Trail I spotted a red-headed woodpecker, white-throated sparrows, and fish crows.
Salters Lake Trail
Salters Lake Trail starts on the far side of Jones Lake, as a spur trail off the Bay Trail. It too follows a gravel-and-dirt logging road. Yellow blazes mark this trail.
At the end of this 1-mile out-and-back path (2 miles total), there is an opening to view Salters Lake.
Due to the prescribed fire, there was not a beautiful forest landscape surrounding me. It was not worth the hike in my opinion, but it might be different at a different time of year.
If you are interested in woodpeckers, look for trees circled with white paint. As in other state parks, these marked trees indicate pines with woodpecker cavities.
Even with all the burnt areas, pine warblers, brown-header nuthatches, and eastern bluebirds fluttered around me.
Jones Lake State Park gives visitors the chance to explore Carolina bays. Nearby Singletary Lake State Park is another option. I really like the bay in Woods Bay State Park in South Carolina.
Another interesting trail to try. This week I had visitors who are birders. I told them to try Jones Lake State Park. I find your information not only pertainent but interesting too. Thanks,