We’ve gathered some of the most popular places for off-the-beaten-path splashing from three counties, including honorable mentions! Join us as we tour these great lakes and swimming holes.
Oconee County:
- Oconee State Park (Oconee State Park Lake)- Location: 624 State Park Rd, Mountain Rest, SC, 29664. Hours: Su-Th 7 am-7 pm; Fri-Sat 7 am-9 pm (extended to 7 am-9 pm daily during Daylight Saving Time). Cost: $5/adult; $3.25/SC seniors; $3/children ages 6-15; and ages 5 & under free. Home to hiking trails, camping, and more! The lake is near the ranger station, with a bathhouse for changing, restrooms, a playground, and mini golf. Swimming is permitted beginning Memorial Day Weekend. Swim at your own risk.
- Devil’s Fork State Park (Lake Jocassee) – Location: 161 Holcombe Cir, Salem, SC, 29676. Hours: Daily (late spring – mid-fall) 7 am-9 pm and Daily (late fall – mid-spring), 7 am-6 pm. Cost: $8 adults; $5/SC seniors (age 65 & older); $4 children ages 6-15; ages 5 and under, free. Admission to the park is free on Tuesdays. There is no roped-off swimming area, and lifeguards are not provided. The main swimming spot is near the ranger station; there are picnic tables and a playground by Eclectic Sun Paddlesports.
However, if you keep driving further into the park (follow Devil’s Fork Road, drive past Turkey Ridge Road, and take your next right), there will be a parking lot to your right. Ignore that and continue to where the road ends. This is called “Kayak Boat Ramp” on maps, where people go for diving practice and classes. The next spot, if you go back the way you came, means taking a right onto Devil’s Fork Road, keep driving for 0.7 miles, then take the right fork for another 0.4 miles until you reach “Devil’s Fork Rd Boat Ramp”. This spot has amazing views and great hidden swimming spots down the hill from the parking lot. Plan to arrive at Devils Fork State Park early on a weekend (7 am-8 am) and reserve a parking spot online at southcarolinaparks.com.
- Honorable mention: Chau Ram County Park – Location: 1220 Chau Ram Park Rd, Westminster, SC, 29693. Hours: March-Oct (7 am-dusk), Nov-Feb (9 am-4 pm). Cost: Daily ($3/per car), ($5/boat or trailer); Weekends – use the iron rangers to leave parking fees when staff unavailable; Holidays – use on-site staff for collection. This made our “honorable mention” list, as it’s a much-loved swim spot, however, it’s located on Ramsey Creek, which feeds into the Chauga River, then a pond. We’ll let it slide on a technicality. Visitors can enjoy 26 campsites, a handicap-accessible 40-foot waterfall, tubing, hiking, fishing, picnicking, and sightseeing!
Pickens County:
- Twelve Mile Recreation Area (Lake Hartwell) – Location: 113 12 Mile Park Rd, Clemson, SC, 29631. Hours: Daily (6 am – 11 pm), and the beach is closed October – April 1. Cost: $5/car for a day pass. In addition to a sandy beach, this 26-acre wooded recreational area offers a boat landing, picnic sites, playgrounds, and restrooms.
- Table Rock State Park (Pinnacle Lake) – Location: 631 Table Rock State Park Rd, Pickens, SC, 29671. Hours: Daily (7 am to 6 pm). Cost: $6/adult; $3.75/SC seniors (age 65 & older); $3.50/children ages 6-15; ages 5 and under, free. Table Rock State Park has a designated swimming area at Pinnacle Lake that can be accessed from the West Gate Entrance. Turn right (or left, depending on which way you arrive from) onto West Gate Road for 0.5 miles, then turn right onto Table Rock State Park Rd for 0.8 miles. Your destination (Sand Beach), will be 0.1 miles on your right near the parking lot. Carrick Creek Falls is nearby for wading, accessible by walking past the parking lot to the right (for 400 feet, heading north), taking a right, and walking for another 82 feet. You should pass the Table Rock Nature Center on your way there! The swimming area is “swim at your own risk”, and isn’t permitted from boats. Pets are not allowed in the lake or on the swim beach per DHEC regulations.
- Honorable mention: Long Shoals Wayside Park – Location: Scenic Hwy 11, Pickens, SC, 29671. Hours: 6 am – 9 pm. Cost: Free! This roadside park off of Scenic Highway 11 is a few minutes from Keowee-Toxaway State Park (also a great place to swim in the summer). This makes our Hidden Spots list for locals and visitors who enjoy sliding down the flat, gently sloping shoals into Little Eastatoee Creek (which spans 10 acres). It’s part of the Poe Creek State Forest and is stocked with 9- to 12-inch brook, brown, and rainbow trout (so anglers love it too). There are several picnic tables in a shaded area above the parking lot. Trail signs mark the path down to Little Eastatoee Creek.
Greenville County:
Paris Mountain State Park (Lake Placid) – Location: 2401 State Park Rd, Greenville, SC, 29609. Hours: Daily (8 am – 8 pm). Cost: $6/adults; $3.75/SC seniors (age 65 & older); $3.50/children age 6-15; Free for children 5 and younger. The swimming area is open daily 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. Swim at your own risk. Swimming is only allowed in the roped-off swimming area, weather permitting. No dogs are allowed in this swimming area.
Check out this other article on a Weekend in Easley, for more great parks and other places to eat, explore, and play in the Upcountry.