If fishing, boating, and camping are on your “Must Do This Summer” list, take a short road trip to the midlands and visit Chester State Park. The Civilian Conservation Corps built this 523-acre park in the 1930s.

Boat ramps provide access to the one hundred sixty acre lake for rentals and personal boats.

Cedar shavings make for soft landings. Just ask Andrew. He took a nose dive ten seconds after I snapped this picture and lived to laugh about it.

A well-manicured playground sits on the banks of the lake. Two sets of equipment and multiple slides of different sizes offer children of any age a safe place to play. Clearly, Preston was a fan of the playground. Or wait…maybe he was laughing at Andrew?

Tall (really tall) pine trees make for shady picnic spots. On this day, I’m pretty sure it was one hundred five degrees, so these trees were our best friends.

A two-mile nature trail follows the shoreline through a pine forest.

Less adventurous visitors can enjoy a twenty-seven hole disc golf course. Eighteen holes have alternative tees for beginner/amateur level players. I’m not a big fan of disc golf. You’ll find me on the trail – seriously, it’s not advanced.

The campground features well-kept and level sites that can accommodate anything from single tents to 40-foot RVs. Boy Scouts, church groups, etc. use the primitive group camping area year round.

Lakeview Hall, a fully enclosed meeting facility, overlooks the lake. The hall is perfect for weddings, reunions and corporate meetings.

Chester State Park is located midway between Charlotte and Columbia, just off Interstate 77. We enjoyed this stop in Chester on our journey to visit all 47 South Carolina State Parks.

HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU!