We got 2023 started by visiting a park not too far north of Columbia. Lake Wateree State Park is one of many state parks located on one of our recreational lakes here in the state. (I should say more precisely that lakes in SC are mostly for power generation, but the citizens know them more for their recreational opportunities.)
First, on the order of names, Wateree is the name of an indigenous tribe that probably was related to the present-day Catawbas. Lake Wateree is fed by water which upstream is the Catawba River (which we saw on our visit to Landsford Canal State Park) and then flows through a couple of lakes. The Wateree River flows out of the lake and combines with the Congaree to form the Santee River below Columbia. Congaree and Santee are also names of indigenous groups that have lived here, and the Santee tribe, which still exists, has state recognition. The Catawba is the one tribe with federal recognition in South Carolina.
As we drove north, I was surprised at how hilly the topography became. The area we drove through is north of the fall line, which marks the line between what I think would be called the Lower Piedmont and the Upper Coastal Plain. Piedmont is French for ‘foothills’ (literally ‘foot of the mountain’), and you can definitely see that in the terrain.
The drive itself, while beautiful, was at the time a little chaotic with two girls in the back seat. I don’t want anyone reading this blog to think that all our park visits are sunshine and roses. Particularly today, I was frustrated with the girls for their overabundance of energy (ok, confession, and my desire for not-chaos). But such is life with little ones, and I need to remind myself that my wishing for peace doesn’t always get to win!
Like at many of the state parks on lakes, we can’t take advantage of the boating opportunities that are here, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. We spent our time hiking around two miles on the nature trail. Along the way, we heard or saw a lot of different types of birds. We also saw what looked to be insect houses that someone had nailed onto trees, which I had never seen before. Also, we saw a lot of shells from freshwater mussels and snails.
One way the landscape here differed from other lakes we’ve been to is the amount of tall grass in the shallow areas. We saw several duck houses on the shore. We also found a tricky little micro-geocache, which the girls loved seeing.
We stopped by the playground as we left to let the girls finish getting out all of their wiggles. They were in rare form today! Not surprisingly, they fell asleep in the car as we drove back to Columbia. A beautiful day for a park, and a dad who had to keep reminding himself to keep breathing. 🙂
Click below for more pics of us and the park!
Beavers in the Park 