Stamp#4: Sesquicentennial State Park

Stamp #4!

For our next adventure on our way to becoming an #UtimateOutsider, we visited Sesquicentennial State Park. This park is a wonderful gem located 124 miles, or two hours, from my house. It is situated just outside the Columbia, SC city limits. We have passed the exit to this park so many times in our travels north to the mountains and beyond, but we have never veered off I20 to check it out. The Ultimate Outsider quest has brought us to "Sesqui" for our first time!

 At first, I didn't think this adventure was going to actually get started. In my research, I read that this park has a biking trail. We love biking, so I wanted to bring along our bikes. Unfortunately, our bikes were locked in my son's shed at his house next door. (Marty had stored them there last December when he cleared our garage for Christmas parties.) Just my luck, my son was not home when we were ready to leave. Within the hour though, my son returned home and were able to load our bikes and begin our journey. My friend Cindy always says that a delay like this is often the Lord's way of protecting us from danger or something else in our path. Today, that advice rang true when we encountered a highway patrol detouring traffic off the main road, through four miles of farm roads around cotton fields and even through a country club neighborhood before getting us back to the main road leading to the interstate. We have no idea what happened ahead to cause the detour, but surely our delay earlier loading the bikes kept us out of harms way!

Well-marked trails.

Sesquicentennial State park is a fabulous park that has a little bit of everything to keep the family entertained for a great day outside. One of the main features of the park is the 30 acre lake that is calm and inviting for kayaking, paddling, and fishing. Boat rentals are available by the hour. After getting "stamped" and browsing quickly through the park office/gift shop, we hiked the 2 mile trail around the lake. The trail is well-marked and features wooden bridges and several boardwalks through the adjacent swampland. The trail was mostly peaceful except for the occasional traffic noise from nearby Interstate 20 which runs through Columbia.

Next, we unloaded our bikes and headed for the mountain bike trail. This part of the adventure did not go as planned. You see, Marty rides a 3-speed bike, but I have one of those cute cruiser-type bikes. My bike is best ridden on flat, paved surfaces. However, the park trail began in the sandiest part of this park located in the sandhills of SC! Most of these sandy parts were washed out, bumpy, and dangerous especially as I flew down hill and came upon washed-out sand holes quickly! It was hard to maneuver my cruiser through the thick sand as well. Eventually, the trail turned into sandy, pine straw strewn winding paths that weave through the forest. We went 2 miles on the bike trail before we decided we truly needed mountain bikes for this trail. My cruiser just would not cut it. :(

Even Marty had to walk his bike on the thick sandy trails.

30 acre lake for kayaking.

Before calling it a day in Sesquicentennial Sate Park, we took a self-guided driving tour (in our truck) to see all the park had to offer. For dog lovers, the park features a 2-acre fenced-in dog park. Owners must purchase a $4 dog permit (vaccination records required) before visiting the dog park. For the kids, a "splash park" is open seasonally and features various water sprinklers. A lake house is located near the lake shore where wading is permitted. After checking out the camping area, we posed at the park sign for the required photo shoot and then headed for dinner!

Marty wants a kayak now!

The park is a great place for a picnic, but we decided to forego sandwiches and opted for barbecue at Maurice's Barbecue restaurant, located just across the busy street from the park. After our strenuous biking adventures, we decided this was the perfect place for an early dinner before heading home! The food was good, the service was great, and Marty let me have the last order of baked macaroni and cheese. (He knows I love baked mac & cheese!) Other than the biking fiasco, I call this a great day!

Rating: ****
Entrance fee: $5 each
Restrooms: clean
Parking: plentiful
Rangers: available
Trails: 2 mile nature trail around lake (easy), 4 mile mountain bike trail (strenuous)
Amenities: camping, picnic shelters, lake fishing, kayak and no-motor boat rentals, gift shop, playground, dog park, & splash park. 
Park Stamp: Located in box just outside park office/gift shop.

The view of the park from Maurice's.