Croft State Park covers more than 7,000 acres in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and offers over 12 miles of biking and hiking trails including the Croft Passage portion of the Palmetto Trail. Equestrians can also use the park and there are horse stables, a show ring, and horse-friendly trails throughout the grounds. The Beech Tree Trail, Fairforest Creek Trail, and Lake Johnson Loop trails are all available for horseback riding. There are two lakes, Lake Johnson and Lake Craig, that are prime spots for trout and bass fishing, and you can rent kayaks, canoes, and fishing boats from the ranger station. You can also put your own boat on the water at the ramp next to the boat house on Lake Craig, but all personal craft are restricted to only electric trolling motors. Swimming is not allowed in the lake, but you can wade in the nearby Fairforest Creek. Croft offers outstanding opportunities for wildlife viewing, especially around Lake Craig, where you might see different varieties of hawks, bald eagles, owls, and other birds of prey.
The park was once the site of cotton and tobacco fields. In the 1940s, when more training facilities were needed for World War II, it was converted into Camp Croft Army Base, and remnants of the training base still remain. The base was named after Major General Edward Croft, a South Carolina Native and U.S. Army Chief of Infantry. The facility was shut down but reopened as a state park in 1949.
The huge space of the park allows for many picnic areas, campgrounds, a playground, and a skeet shooting range. It is an eclectic and interesting state park and definitely one to add to your adventure list!
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