Goodale State Park – Camden, South Carolina

N.R. Goodale State Park, located just outside Camden in Kershaw County, offers numerous opportunities for exploring the great outdoors. Opened in 1955, this 763-acre park is a beautiful place to hike, canoe, and kayak. Wood ducks make their home in the forest, and the skies are filled with herons, mallards, hawks, egrets, and gulls.

Adams Mill Pond and Big Pine Tree Creek overflow with lush vegetation. White water lilies bloom from the water, surrounded by fields of red and green lily pads.

Lily pads are typically green on the side which faces the sun. Wind and wildlife occasionally turn them over, revealing the deep red underside and lending additional color to the pond’s surface.

Big Pine Tree Creek Nature Trail takes a 1.7 mile loop through the forest at N.R. Goodale State Park. Markers denote native plants and trees, which include Loblolly Pine, Water Oak, Flowering Dogwood, Tulip Poplar, Eastern Red Cedar, and many more.

The wide trunks of the cypress trees in Big Pine Tree Creek serve as the perfect home for small plants and flowers. Big Pine Tree Creek was named for a fallen tree, once used by the Kershaw Indians to cross its waters. The creek winds through a cypress forest, opening occasionally to fields of swamp grass.

The Community Building at N.R. Goodale State Park offers a beautiful site at which to host weddings, parties, and other events. Picturesque views lend themselves to capturing the special day in photographs.

To learn more about Goodale State Park, read SC Wildlife Magazine’s excellent Goodale review. Be sure to check out other great Goodale pics – two pages’ worth!