Our next stop after Winfield was Sesquicentennial State Park in South Carolina, or as the locals lovingly call it, “Sesqui”. We chose this park because it’s close to a friend I wanted to hang out with. With Cleo in tow, it was crucial to have walking trails near the campsite, and Sesqui totally delivered. We had a blast wandering through the beautiful mixed pine and hardwood forest. The over 3-mile paved trail around the lake made biking super fun.

Congaree National Park

During our visit to the area, Li introduced Cleo and me to Congaree National Park, a spot I’ve been wanting to check out for ages. It’s an hour’s drive from Columbia, so with our other plans for the day, we didn’t have much time to explore. We ended up going for the easy 2.6 mile boardwalk loop. Even though the boardwalk was nicely shaded, it was still pretty warm, and we didn’t have enough water and snacks with us. Next time we visit, we’ll make sure to come prepared!

The majority of Congaree National Park is in a floodplain, so sometimes the trails are underwater. The land is mostly super flat with just a few little hills. Most of the trails start from the Harry Hampton Visitor Center. The campsites at Congaree are all basic – not really my style. But I’m looking into RV camping near Congaree so we can have a longer time to check out this awesome park.

History of Sesquicentennial State Park

Near Columbia in the Sandhills region,”Sesqui” visitors have 1,400 acres of mixed pines and hardwood forest, camping spots, cabins, and 12 miles of nature trails to enjoy.

Sesquicentennial State Park was actually developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a program created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression. The whole idea was to provide employment while taking care of conservation and recreation. The CCC played a big part in building a bunch of South Carolina’s state parks, and you can still see some of the buildings they put up in the 1930s being used at this park.

About

Three years ago, when my boy flew the nest and I hit 60, I started looking for the perfect RV for my solo summer camping expeditions. After trying a few options, I finally found the ideal rig – the Aliner Scout Lite. It’s small enough to fit in my garage, and super easy to set up, tow, and maintain. I couldn’t be happier with it. You can get all the details in this post: Crone Life, Solo Summer Camping Adventures.

On our Summer of 2024 Solo Camping Trip, we kicked things off at the awesome Winfield Campground in Appling, Georgia, a beautiful US Corps of Engineers campground. This spot was just perfect for some quality alone time. Definitely adding it to my “must visit again” list. Next, we hit up Sesquicentennial State Park and Congaree National Park in South Carolina, where we got to hang out with a good friend. Then, we made our way to Warriors Creek Campground, another top-notch US Corps campground in Boomer, North Carolina, which was conveniently close to Elk Knob State Park in Todd, NC, and Price Lake in Blowing Rock, NC. Our final stop was a campsite at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, where I was taking a metal art class – an experience I’ll not soon forget.