I’m always up for a walk in the woods, but there’s not that many places nearby to really get out in the woods. I found one that’s not too far away, Croft State Park in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. There are literally miles and miles of trails, plus a nice lake (there’s really two, but I only had a chance to see one on this trip):

I wandered around some and found myself following the Beech Tree Trail,


The trail was well marked, and there was even a native guide to make sure I saw the blaze:

Butterflies were all over the place too:

I even learned something about horses. Most all the trails are multi-use, and towards the end of my walk I encountered a couple groups of horses. I stepped aside for one pair, and was politely asked by the lead rider to step out from the bushes I had gotten behind. Seems horses don’t like that, as it looks like I’m trying to set up an ambush.

I’m impressed with the extensive network of trails, if I only had time to sample a small section. Even at that, it was the worth the $2 admission, and the staff I encountered (a fellow named Jay) was quite helpful and friendly. As you can see from the web site there’s a lot of other things there too.

If you’re going to be in the area for the solar eclipse later this year, you might want to add on a day or two and pay a visit.

Update: Here’s an overview of the park:

My little walk took me across the dam at the bottom of the larger lake (the lower right corner in this picture), and across the next valley, and along part way up the other side before looping back up to the lake.