Santee State Park
Encyclopedia
Santee State Park is in the Sandhills
of South Carolina
on the western edge of the 110000 acres (445 km²) Lake Marion
. It is located off SC 6, three miles (5 km) northwest of the town of Santee
and I-95
.
The park offers boating
, hiking
, camping
, birding
, canoeing
and kayaking
. Well known for fishing, this park offers a chance to catch record size Largemouth Bass
. Other fish that abound are Striped bass
, Channel catfish
, Trout
, White Perch
, White bass
, Crappie
, Shellcrackers
and Bream and Chain (Jack). Lake Marion can be accessed by two boatramps that the park has.
The 2500 acres (10.1 km²) park was created in 1942 when Orangeburg County donated the land. It has 2 campgrounds. Cypress View Campground has 50 sites and Lakeshore Campground has 108 sites. Restroom facilities with hot showers are accessible by both campgrounds. Many sites can accommodate RVs up to 40 feet in length. There are also 30 rondette cabins, each with 2 bedroom and 1 bath, 10 of which are on piers over the lake.
The park has 3 hiking trails and 1 biking trail. The "Limestone Nature Trail" and the "Oak Pinolly Nature Trail" are 1 mile hiking trails. The "Sinkhole Pond Nature Trail" is a half mile hiking trail. The biking trail is 7 miles long.
Sandhills (Carolina)
The Sandhills is a region in the interior of the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina. It is a strip of ancient beach dunes which generally divides the Piedmont from the coastal plain, and is the evidence of a former coastline when the ocean level was higher, or the land lower. The...
of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
on the western edge of the 110000 acres (445 km²) Lake Marion
Lake Marion (South Carolina)
Lake Marion is the largest lake in South Carolina, centrally located and with territory within five counties. The lake is referred to as South Carolina's inland sea. It has a shoreline and covers nearly 110,000 acres of rolling farmlands, former marshes, and river valley landscape...
. It is located off SC 6, three miles (5 km) northwest of the town of Santee
Santee, South Carolina
Santee is a town in Orangeburg County along the Santee River Valley in central South Carolina of the United States. It has become a resort town of note located centrally north-south along the Atlantic Seaboard of South Carolina...
and I-95
Interstate 95 in South Carolina
Interstate 95 is a major Interstate Highway, running along the East Coast of the United States from Florida to Maine. In South Carolina, I-95 runs approximately parallel to the Atlantic Ocean shore although about inland, from Hardeeville in the south to Dillon in the northeast.-Route...
.
The park offers boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, birding
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
, canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
and kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
. Well known for fishing, this park offers a chance to catch record size Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
. Other fish that abound are Striped bass
Striped bass
The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire...
, Channel catfish
Channel catfish
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...
, Trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
, White Perch
White perch
The white perch, Morone americana, is not a true perch but is, rather, a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America.The name "white perch" is sometimes erroneously applied to the white crappie....
, White bass
White bass
The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass (MoroneIt is the state fish of Oklahoma.- Range :White bass are distributed widely across the United States, particularly in the midwest. They are very abundant in Pennsylvania and the area around Lake Erie...
, Crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, Shellcrackers
Redear sunfish
The redear sunfish , also known as the shellcracker, Georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch, is native to the southeastern United States, but since it is a popular sport fish it has been introduced to bodies of water all over North America...
and Bream and Chain (Jack). Lake Marion can be accessed by two boatramps that the park has.
The 2500 acres (10.1 km²) park was created in 1942 when Orangeburg County donated the land. It has 2 campgrounds. Cypress View Campground has 50 sites and Lakeshore Campground has 108 sites. Restroom facilities with hot showers are accessible by both campgrounds. Many sites can accommodate RVs up to 40 feet in length. There are also 30 rondette cabins, each with 2 bedroom and 1 bath, 10 of which are on piers over the lake.
The park has 3 hiking trails and 1 biking trail. The "Limestone Nature Trail" and the "Oak Pinolly Nature Trail" are 1 mile hiking trails. The "Sinkhole Pond Nature Trail" is a half mile hiking trail. The biking trail is 7 miles long.