Lee State Park, located in the Midlands of South Carolina, offers hiking trails, equestrian trails, camping, picnic shelters, fishing, and five artesian wells. It opened in 1941 and is free to visit.
Hiking Trails
There are four hiking trails in the park. Below are the ones I’ve explored.
Wetland Boardwalk
The 800-foot boardwalk leads into the Lynches River floodplain. The easy walk is low to the ground and benches at the end allow you to rest and soak in your surroundings. Gum trees and overcup oaks are two species found in the bottomland hardwood forest.
Dozens of dragonflies fluttered around including eastern pondhawks, slaty skimmers, and blue skimmers.
A couple spotted turtles lay partially hidden below the boardwalk, only their yellow polka dots giving them away. A chimney swift flew overhead.
Floodplain Trail
This 1.0-mile hike starts at the park office. I would call it a moderate hike as it had a ton of thick roots on the trail. The path is marked by white diamonds.
Near the park office, I saw a handful of six-lined racerunners.
At the boardwalk, the trail will split left and right. To the left, you will circle around fish ponds and artesian wells. To the right, you’ll walk through the woods and pass streams. Near the ponds were the tiniest little toads, the size of a finger nail.
A common musk turtle bathed in dappled light by a tree trunk.
White-eyed vireos, northern parulas, Acadian flycatchers, and cardinals sang from the trees.
The second half of the trail (to the right of the boardwalk) is where the fairy houses live! Some had quirky themes like a hot pink ‘flamazing’ flamingo and a mechanic repair shop. Others were more natural cottage designs.
Orange Spur Trail
A 0.2-mile half-circle trail off the Floodplain Trail, this route was created as an Eagle Scout project. It appropriately has orange diamond blazes.
Moss and lichen carpeted the path. A great blue skimmer perched on a low limb.
Eastern bluebirds are often found here as the Scouts built birdhouses. Nearby an eastern fence lizard glared up at us from under the bushes.
Loop Road
The Loop Road is a 5.0-mile Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built dirt road through the sandhills and wetlands along the Lynches River. Be aware that the road was rough with very few pull-offs or shoulders wide enough to stop. Sections may be closed if the river floods.
Two more artesian wells are found along the loop. Artesian wells tap into confined aquifers, underground reservoirs of rainwater. The rainwater seeps in from the soil but cannot escape. As more water seeps in, the aquifer becomes pressurized. Once drilled, the pressure pumps water up and out of the well without any electricity.
We stopped at one right next to the road and enjoyed the fresh spring water. This well is about 100 feet deep. It was drilled by the CCC in 1938!
The other artesian well is at the primitive youth group camping area.
Lee State Park offers some unique options not found in other state parks like artesian wells and fairy houses. I do recommend bringing buy spray if you visit, we were harassed by flies.