Nomad exploring life wherever I am
This year was my third try at getting to the Smokies, and I finally made it (two previous tries were canceled due to a hurricane and a pandemic). And, WOW, was it totally worth the wait! I could only get three nights and it wasn’t enough to do more than scratch the surface of this beautiful national park. It’s definitely on my “gotta get back here” list despite the crowds, the traffic, and the winding roads.
You know that old saying “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all?” That will explain why this review of Poinsett State Park is shorter than most reviews. The good things? It has some really lovely hiking trails. The camping sites are large and well-maintained. And it’s the closest state park to Congaree National Park, which was why we were here.
This year’s stay at Edisto Beach State Park on the coast in South Carolina was a do-over from last year’s canceled plans. It was, as per usual for the beach, worth the wait.
I’ve been to this state park twice, and each time I wonder why I didn’t stay longer, always on my way to somewhere else. It’s a nice park, quiet, smallish, and right on a lake. A lake with gators. Big gators. In 2019, this lake made the national news when someone pulled a 700 pound gator out of the water. In case you’re wondering that works out to 13 feet and 4 inches of gator that came out of Lake Blackshear here.
There are 60 sites at Modoc Campground in South Carolina, and 59 of them have electricity. Site 11 does not. In the middle of a Southeastern summer, that would be a definite drawback. In Spring, though, it might be cold but with a good battery and a propane heater, you’d be all right. Every time I camped at Modoc, my heart wanted Site 11 but it was either too hot or someone else had reserved it before I could. Last week, I finally got it. Breeze and I went all in on Site 11 for five amazing days.