Little Pee Dee State Park, Dillon, SC

Little Pee Dee State Park is a nice little park located just outside of  Dillon, South Carolina and only a short drive from where we are staying at Bass Lake RV Park. The drive was pleasant with the lack of traffic since everyone is at work :) so we took our time getting there. The weather was brisk at 58F but it was sunny and perfect for hiking.

As we entered the park it was refreshing to find that there was no fee for entering it… so we passed the entrance sign and proceeded to Howard Lake where the road ended. The earliest signs of spring are beginning to show their signs here as the red maple bud are starting to burst forth and array of small pointed palmate leaves. The birds are more active as well.

The hike is an easy one with very little elevation changes. As you are walking through the sandhills area there is a variety of pine and Spanish moss draped hardwood trees. The nature trail was called beaver pond trail and it culminated in a loop that ran along the edge of the water behind the beaver dam. I have yet to find my binoculars in all of our hasty packing but the birdlife was energetic.

A couple of nice sightings were had on the trail . The wood ducks were nestled in behind the beaver dam and let out their wondrous calls as they lit into flight. We also saw a pileated woodpecker, a crow sized red crested bird, that was pummeling a fallen piece of decayed wood some 35 yards from us on the forest floor.

If you are in the area this was a tranquil hike with few encounters with man kind… sure beats working… Finished it off with a southern dinner tradition.. sausage and mashed potatoes with gravy and a bit of something healthy like asparagus…