The good- beautiful lake, lots of sites and amenities. The…read morebad- most items in tackle shop unpriced, busted up roadways, small sites, mostly unkept and broken. The ugly- mold in bathrooms, shower curtains ready to walk away on their own on the 80 loop. (Like, loose your campground host they're terrible) Not the best campground in SC, but you can have a good time here on the right site.

I stayed in camper cabin 3 the weekend of October 4th, 2025. The main reason we stayed in a camper…read morecabin was because it's a pet friendly cabin. The cabin itself is tiny. One full bed and one set of bunk beds. One small dorm-type refrigerator and a small microwave. One thing I learned quick was to not run the microwave while the refrigerator is also plugged in as the breaker will trip. So I unplugged the refrigerator whenever I needed to use the microwave. The refrigerator will hold several bottles of water, ham, cheese, mayo, etc. I also brought some soup and a soup mug to use in the microwave. Also to note, it's about a 30-45 second walk to the bath house, at least from cabin 3. The bed wasn't horribly uncomfortable. I had my pillows and sleeping bag from home and was quite comfortable. The little Gree mini-split unit kept the cabin at a great temperature. Now for the not-so-good things. First, a metal roof surrounded by trees, some of which were dropping acorns. Large acorns hitting a metal roof from high up make a very loud BANG when they hit the roof. Quite the scare in the middle of the night. That's my only complaint. There was a nice little front porch and a picnic table with fire pit close by. I must say it was a great weekend away from the hustle and bustle of life. I'm still giving this review 5 stars. The state park employees work very hard to make sure you have a great experience. And you have to want to be a state park employee. It's not just a job you get. You have to have a passion for it.

Pine Island State Park is beautiful, but we aren't sure if you could call it a state park. It's…read moremore like a city park or a recreational area. There are no actual hiking trails at Pine Island, but rather a sidewalk that goes along part of Lake Murray. They have multiple picnic tables (large enough areas to hold a birthday party or other event), benches, a miniature beach with kayaks, a playground, and a new and clean restroom. They do charge you a fee of about $6 or $3.50 depending on the age of the visitor(s). Pine Island has many amenities that most South Carolina state parks do not have, but once again does not feel like a state park. It would be nice if they construct an actual hiking trail.

Beautiful addition to SC state parks. Just know that it is a very small park and there aren't…read moretrails like other state parks. There is one paved walking path, but there are full grassy areas to walk around in the open sun, so it can get hot for a stroll. Plenty of covered picnic spots or swings to take in the beauty of Lake Murray.

The Blythewood area lacks decent parks, but Doko is a very nice place with a very nice nature…read moretrail, nice restrooms, an excellent playground, a cafe in the rebuilt train station, an amphitheater for concerts, lots of open grass fields, a picturesque pond and a venue for special events. The annual July 4th event is the biggest in the area and is great for families. The park also features a farmer's market one day a week, and other events featuring food trucks and vendors. There is ample parking, picnic tables and a historic town hall. One event that is fun for the kids is the painted rock hunt. People have painted rocks and have scattered them throughout the area kids can pick them up as they see them, take pictures of them, and hide them for others to find. This is a great park!

Great place to enjoy the outdoor and relax. Went there for their Fourth of July celebration and was…read morevery impressed with the firework show that was displayed. Returned a week later to ride my bike. Great trails with an even prettier pond. Awesome job to whoever designed this park.

The security team overseeing the park is very professional and keep the park and parking running…read morevery smoothly. I love to kayak there and feel bad when I have to ask folks fishing from paddle board/kayak launch. A courtesy sign for non-paddlers would help. Thank you Dominion and team that operates the park for boaters, paddlers, walkers, pavilion groups, and sunset watchers!

If you are going to Riverbanks zoo, turn right instead of left and the parking lot will be at end…read moreroad on left. This is one alternative for runners/walkers until the Canal Riverwalk is reopened off of Huger St. There are three main parking lots with overflow spots on side of the road. The paved walkway is scenically right beside a flowing river. Walking down to the path from the main stairs going left or right is about 3.1 miles down and back or the entire path is 6.2ish give or take. Taking the path downstream is more sunny at spots and includes this "island" you can walk on over a man-made bridge. It is a popular spot for walkers, runners, dog walkers, strollers, photographers, kayakers, picnics, fishers, swimmers. There is a park ranger on duty in either the building on-site on roaming grounds in ATV. There is public restrooms; signage says no alcohol and that gate to parking lot closes at 9pm. The downstream path goes underneath the Riverbanks zoo sky buckets which is sort of cool. You cannot see or hear any zoo animals from the path. There is wildlife along trail in form of rabbits, squirrels, sometimes hawks near river. Either path you take it is mostly shaded not a lot of straightaways for runners. Either side has lot of twists and turns so have to keep head on swivel for walkers ahead. Two water fountains for adults, small children and pets. I usually park in main lots but may be additional parking further down road going upstream.

A great hike walk or run when traversing the trail that ends at Boyd island. You can see a few…read morefishermen early in the morning along with the runners. Plenty of deer and other wildlife to gaze upon while you experience the river walk. This is one of my favorite trails in Columbia well put together in my opinion. Free parking and bathrooms at the start by the entrance.

This is a great park, it's very well filled with greenery and flowers. It's behind the police…read morestation, which I think is a huge plus on many levels. There is a nice playground as well as spash area to run around in. There are stairs as well as ramps everywhere to accommodate everyone. There is a ampatherater that they use very often within the community. It's dog-friendly, and there are even swing chairs for the adults that might still have some kid in us. There are nice bathromms and parking is easy. There are always cop cars there dont worry. They do sometimes close the park for events like forth of July, so be aware that it's a park that can be closed. Its down town, but it does not feel that way its feels like you're lost in the great nature.

Located beside/behind Municipal building in downtown Lexington SC…read more Upon walking up from parking lot you can go straight to the playground/water fountains or walk left toward outdoor amphitheater. Left was where we went for pictures amongst the tall trees on walking trails. There are winding trails that go down/up elevations through wilderness areas. There are public restrooms very clean all things considered, few small ponds, a book rental box, and of course the playground. The play area looks fairly new encompassing a large area with the rubber ground. Reading and seeing older pics here on Yelp there was gravel before in playground so this is massive upgrade. There is an outdoor covered bench spot right beside playground good for children parties. Finally there is the water shooting fountain pipes?? I don't know what these are called but they shoot water randomly that children jump through. It is great place to bring children and offers many picture locations.

Lake Murray Dam walkway, travel down Lake Murray Blvd will run into it…read more I come here to run occasionally as it is scenic, breezy, straight, and runners frequent. I just started parking on the Irmo side, parking to left of guard house is free. On a weekend I can see this lot filling up quickly it's not a lot of spaces free. I do think this side is more stretching friendly than the Lexington side. Speaking of Lexington side I always parked there with larger overflow lot but there was construction there last time that closed half the spaces. The walkway across dam is wide enough for about three people walking side by side but for runners it can get hard to pass the more populated. I've seen roller skaters out there, strollers, dog walkers although there is no grass only concrete so pick up the doo. The mileage is about 3.4 miles across and back; there isn't any man made shade except the short barrier wall between lake and walkway. If you come during the day will be in full sun so recommend morning or evening for shadier walks/runs. It's an easy run across, is windy certain spots so make sure hat is tight or you will lose it. Worth visiting.

Beautiful public park next to a dam - today's local adventure. My fur friend Cleo and I were out…read moreand about exploring neighboring cities and happened upon this smaller park area. The lake views are gorgeous! There's a small pier people fish from. Although windy, some people were picnicking in a couple spots. Geese and butterflies greeted us as we strolled by the water for a bit. Was a lovely, relaxing morning in local nature before the storm rolled in.

The park has a nice swimming area, with picnic shelters and grills. (You must bring your own…read morebriquettes etc). The water is clean and refreshing and lovely for swimming. Even though it was the weekend it was not too crowded. Parking is a bit tricky. Unless you have a reservation, you have to let them scan a QR code to your phone, and provide an email address so they can send a link to a payment portal. All of this pretty cumbersome, and the time it takes means that cars get backed up at the entrance. Add extra time for confusion if older people are trying to figure this out! Best to prepare by either having a digital native ready to take charge, or pay in advance. After all this is sorted, parking is easy and you can relax and have fun.

I spent a wonderful afternoon here. Parking does cost, however there is plenty of seating, grills,…read moreand swim areas. I especially loved the beautiful view of the lake! This is a great place for families, dates, or self care. The only downside was no dogs allowed.