Canoe: N.R. Goodale State Park

At the other end of a 40-minute drive from Lancaster awaits one of the area's best-kept secrets: N.R. Goodale State Park. The 763-acre park, located in Camden, is home to tall cypress trees, pitcher plants, blue herons, white egrets, and over 100 alligators. Yes– ALLIGATORS... one of which is 12 feet long and named "Elvis."

[click here to view photos]

We didn't see Elvis on this trip and I won't pretend to be disappointed. When all that's between you and nature is, well– nothing, you tend to want to steer clear of things that could possibly eat you... although I do secretly crave any excuse to scream "Crikey!!"

The park really ups the ante on your odds of being eaten by offering canoe rentals. When we asked the ranger if it was mating season, he told us we had missed it, but were right on time for 'hungry season.' I don't think he was joking, either. There were lots of white feathers floating on the surface of the pond... were these from an egret? a flock of seagulls? or Elvis's jumpsuit?

We followed the maze-like trail through the swamp, our eyes peeled for the next trail marker. Navigating past the bumpy cypress knees, it was easy to convince ourselves that every floating log was an alligator lying in wait. Luckily, we had no close encounters on this outing and tried our best to not slam our canoes into any of the wasp, bee and hornet nests that bordered the trail at every turn (note to self: pack Benadryl next time, just in case).

After arriving back at shore in one piece, we explored several of the trails that border the pond. A waterfall spilled pond water into a small creek... the man-made pond was originally created for a grist mill in the Civil War-era (one of the grinding stones is next to the boat rental office). Many people fished on the bank, encouraged by bass who surfaced to perform lazy belly-flops in the blazing sun. Further down the path was a rock dam surrounded by cat tails. We sat on the rocks, basking in the sun much like gators do– until a small panic ensued– a member of our party thought he'd found a leach on his foot, which turned out to be just a soggy, dead dragonfly.

Don't miss out on this park! Take a posse and pack a big lunch. Seriously consider leaving the fried chicken at home– it may be one culinary appreciation you and the gators have in common.

N.R. Goodale State Park
Palmetto Paddlers
Weather Outlook
Wildernet.com / SCwildlife.com
Goodale one of America's Top 25 Canoeing Spots!
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Directions from Lancaster:
Click for trail map. Take Hwy 521 through Kershaw and continue toward Camden. Upon entering downtown Camden, turn left onto DeKalb St/Hwy 1 and drive 3 mi. Turn right onto Stagecoach Rd. and drive 2.4 miles. Turn left onto Park Rd. and look for park signs. Park entrance is .2 miles on the right.

Follow-Up: Read about 29seven20's first life saved at Goodale!