aiken state park

My dad and I took advantage of the sunny, warm day yesterday, toured the Aiken State Park for the first time. It is a small, heavily wooded park that was virtually deserted. The office was closed, but they had maps and the fishing information we wanted outside. The spring fed water fountains, ponds, playgrounds, picnic areas, and modern restrooms were all clean and in good repair. The nature trail was too long for us to tackle (a 3 mile loop), but it was tranquil and pleasant strolling around reading the signs about how the park was built in the great depression era. Nice little park!

This is a beautiful park for hiking & spending time with the family. We loved the artesian wells & the waterfalls! I wish the gift shop was actually open longer, the hours were only like 11am until noon, so we missed out on souvenirs.

It is not expensive, and on the price it is included the lifesaver jackets, the canoes (or kayaks), and the oars. The first weekend on October, the water level and speed was low; nevertheless, the river presented a fun challenge to two neophytes in these matters, as my sister and I are. It is just less than two miles stretch, and it took us more than an hour to sail it, we had a great time and our Miniature Schnauzer joint us. The park also has trails, and it was fun to walk the dog. Be sure to call in advance, on Fridays the rangers are available to answer your questions. Although we did not use them, we saw that the park has a couple of ponds, playground area for children, camping area and outhouses.

The state park isn't big in size but it is beautiful with plenty of trees and natural wildlife. The swimming pond has been "remodeled" with a sandy shore/bottom and a lot of the plant life cleaned out. The water is almost see-through now. There are a few fishing ponds and I've seen others get lucky, but I've not had any luck catching anything but weeds. There are fish there though. The roads are clear and the camping spaces are clean as are the public restrooms. And for those who visit, don't overlook the bubbling fresh water fountain. It's water is cold and sweet.

Like most SC state campgrounds, we found Aiken to be clean, well kept, and deserted. This is a small park, with only 25 spaces. As I write this on a Sunday, there are exactly 4 of the 25 sites occupied. The ranger (Robert) is very friendly and helpful. There are a couple of walking trails, a sealed loop road, that would be great for a bike ride, and a couple of play and BBQ areas as well as fishing and swimming lakes. The bathrooms are clean and well maintained. They also rent canoes for a trip down river. Definitely worth a visit if you are looking for a camping spot near Aiken.

Nice hike. Slippery raised wooden walk ways. Old time swimming hole that families enjoyed. No rangers to inform first time visitors what to do.

With only 25 campsites, Aiken is one of the smaller state parks, but not to be overlooked. The campground area is shaded and usually not very crowed. There is a centrally located bathhouse which is older, but usually pretty clean. The best feature is the swimming area! It was a lifesaver when we were visiting during one of the hottest weekends of the year! The water is fairly clear and the bottom sandy. There are no lifeguards, but the water was only about 5' at the deepest part of the swimming area. Also in the park are kayak and canoe rentals. I didn't go, but my dad and brother both enjoyed the trip and said it took them about 45min-1 hr to navigate the marked river route. The main road through the park is paved and offers plenty of room to bike, which we loved to do. My 8-year-old struggled to make the full loop, but it's really a pretty easy ride.Nice park and we will be back!