On Island Time in South Carolina

For this week's installment of adventure, the Camera Couple heads to Dreher Island State Park in good ol' South Carolina.

Dreher Island State Park sits in the middle of Lake Murray in central South Carolina. Yes, in the middle. The entire park is made up of a chain of small islands. As far as campgrounds go, this was definitely one of the coolest we've been to.

There are two campgrounds. There's a northern circle that's mostly dedicated to fishermen, as it's near the boat ramp. There's also a southern loop that caters more to recreational campers. Although we don't do much fishing, we ended up in the angler's circle in a beautiful lakefront spot. 

When we got to the campsite, it was getting dark. We took one step out of the truck and got blasted with frigid wind coming off the lake. We quickly grabbed our winter gear and worked on setting up the camper. We started a little fire to stay warm - somehow - but we didn't last long. It was so cold we had to retreat inside the trailer to escape the wind. I guess that's what you get for camping in February...

We played some games in the trailer until bedtime. Surely, it wouldn't be as bad in the daytime, right?

It was... We woke up and went outside to be greeted by the familiar icy blast blowing furiously over the lake. I think I had a Carhartt sweatshirt, a flannel, a long sleeve t-shirt, and a regular t-shirt along with a face mask and a fuzzy hat and was still feeling the wind. Despite the cold, we set up the hammocks down by the water and enjoyed some lakefront time.

Since we got in late and didn't officially check in, we decided to walk over to the office and get our passes. We quickly realized that it wasn't actually that cold; it was just our location. Apparently the last people who stayed at our campsite angered the wind gods because it was only cold at our campsite. Layers were shed with every step heading to the office.

The park was incredible. There was tons of parking for boats and trucks, a cute little store, tons of hiking and biking trails, and of course, beautiful island scenery.

​Once we were checked in and Luna was sufficiently tired, Rose and I went for a bike ride to see the rest of the campground. It was much bigger than we thought (that's what she said). To get around the entire park and all of its islands probably took us over an hour and half. There were hundreds of campsites and massive cabins with their own boat docks. For anyone who likes cabin rentals, check this place out!

After our bike ride, we headed back to the campsite for some relaxation.

It was still cold... We lasted for a little while but could only take so much of the windiness. This spot would probably be perfect in the summer. Too bad it's still winter... We retreated to the trailer after a bit.

While it's nice having a trailer to protect you from the nasty wind, it kinda defeats the purpose of camping. You're supposed to be outside! So, after eating a box of Cheez-Its and drinking a few beers, we decided to head back out and try out one of the hiking trails we saw on our bike ride.

The hiking trail was at the south end of the park, so we rode our bikes to the trailhead. The entire loop was about two miles of hilly wooded trails around a lake peninsula. There were a few people hiking with us, but overall, it was pretty quiet. Again, since it was frigid when we left, my backpack got heavier and heavier as we walked from jackets and hats getting stuffed into it.

That night we bundled up around the fire and enjoyed our last night at Dreher Island. Although it was a little chilly, to say the least, it was a fun trip. We definitely want to go back when it's a bit warmer and we can bring the canoe.