Oconee County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 74,273. Its county seat is Walhalla.
Gorges State Park is a 7,709-acre (31.20 km2) North Carolina state park in Transylvania County, North Carolina in the United States. The land, along Jocassee Gorges, was purchased by the state from Duke Energy Corporation in 1999. It is North Carolina's westernmost state park and one of the state's newest. The park is adjacent to part of the Pisgah National Forest and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's Toxaway Game Land. Gorges State Park provides the principal access to the Horsepasture River on these adjoining public lands.
Jones Lake State Park is a North Carolina state park in Bladen County, North Carolina in the United States near Elizabethtown. It covers 2,208-acre (8.94 km2), including the Carolina bay lakes of Jones Lake and Salters Lake. Jones Lake State Park is north of Elizabethtown on North Carolina Highway 242 in North Carolina's Coastal Plain region. The park offers year-round recreation, including fishing, swimming, boating, hiking, picnicking and environmental and historical education programs.
Singletary Lake State Park is a North Carolina state park in Bladen County, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Elizabethtown, it covers 1,221-acre (4.94 km2), including Singletary Lake, one of the largest Carolina bays. Singletary Lake State Park is southeast of Elizabethtown on North Carolina Highway 53 in North Carolina's Coastal Plain region. It serves primarily as a group camp but is open on a limited basis for year-round recreation, including hiking, fishing and observing nature.
Lake Jocassee is a 7,500-acre (30 km2), 300-foot (91 m) deep reservoir located in northwest South Carolina created by the state in partnership with Duke Power in 1973. The lake is commonly known for the clean and cold Appalachian mountain rivers that feed the lake to keep its waters cool and clear year-round. The Jocassee Dam, which forms the lake, is 385 feet (117 m) high and 1,750 feet (530 m) long. The lake is within Devils Fork State Park.
The Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest in northern Georgia comprises two United States National Forests, the Oconee National Forest in eastern Georgia and the Chattahoochee National Forest located in the North Georgia Mountains. The Chattahoochee National Forest is composed of an eastern and western forest. The western forest contains Johns Mountain, Little Sand Mountain, and Taylor Ridge. The combined total area of the Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest is 866,468 acres (3,506 km2), of which the Chattahoochee National Forest comprises 750,145 acres (3,036 km2) and the Oconee National Forest comprises 116,232 acres (470 km2). The county with the largest portion of the eastern forest is Rabun County, Georgia, which has 148,684 acres (601.7 km2) within its boundaries.
Lake Hartwell is a man-made reservoir bordering Georgia and South Carolina on the Savannah, Tugaloo, and Seneca Rivers. Lake Hartwell is one of the southeast's largest and most popular recreation lakes. The lake is created by Hartwell Dam located on the Savannah River seven miles (11 km) below the point at which the Tugaloo and Seneca Rivers join to form the Savannah. Extending 49 miles (79 km) up the Tugaloo and 45 miles (72 km) up the Seneca at normal pool elevation, the lake comprises nearly 56,000 acres (230 km²) of water with a shoreline of 962 miles (1,548 km). The entire Hartwell "Project" contains 76,450 acres (309 km²) of land and water. I-85 bisects Hartwell Lake and makes the area easily accessible to visitors.
Oconee State Park is a state park located in the Blue Ridge Mountain region of South Carolina. This 1165-acre (472 ha) park has several recreational opportunities to choose from. They include cabins, camping, fishing and boating in the two small lakes located on the park grounds, hiking on eight nature/hiking trails, and several picnic and meeting facilities.
Lake Sinclair is a man-made lake in central Georgia near Milledgeville. It is operated by Georgia Power.
Lake Keowee is a man-made reservoir in the United States in the state of South Carolina. It was created to serve the needs of a power utility as well as public recreational purposes. It is approximately 26 miles (42 km) long, 3 miles (4.8 km) wide, with an average depth of 54 feet (16 m), and a shoreline measured at 300 miles (480 km) in total, and is approximately 800 feet (240 m) above sea level. It began in 1971 as a massive demolition and building project, including the construction of two large dams––Keowee Dam and Little River Dam––and covered 18,372 acres (74.35 km2) of the state. The lake collects or impounds waters from the Keowee River and the Little River and others, and the outflows below the respective dams join to form the Seneca River which flows into the larger Savannah River. Lake water helps to cool Duke Energy's three nuclear reactors located at the Oconee Nuclear Generating Station. In addition, the force of falling water through gravity helps generate hydroelectric power. The Keowee Hydro Station generates 158 megawatts from the lake's outflows. In addition, Lake Keowee has been touted as a recreational destination for fishing, boating, swimming, sailing, kayaking and other watersports, and the lake has been described as having pure and clean water. The name Keowee (ᎨᎣᏫ) is a Cherokee name roughly translated as "place of the mullberries." The former Keowee River, which was inundated by Lake Keowee, had been part of the Cherokee Lower Towns region, and Keowee Town had been located on the bank of the Keowee River.
The Sumter National Forest is one of two forests in South Carolina that are managed together by the United States Forest Service, the other being the Francis Marion National Forest. The Sumter National Forest consists of 370,442 acres (1,499.13 km2) which are divided into several non-contiguous sections in western South Carolina. Overall, in descending order of land area the forest is located in parts of Oconee, Union, Newberry, McCormick, Edgefield, Abbeville, Laurens, Chester, Fairfield, Greenwood, and Saluda counties. Forest headquarters of both South Carolina forests are located together in the state's capital city of Columbia.
The Palmetto Trail is a planned 425-mile-long (684 km) foot and mountain bike trail in South Carolina for recreational hiking and biking. Several of the sections are also equestrian trails. It will extend from the Oconee County mountains to the Intracoastal Waterway in Charleston County. It currently consists of 23 segments totaling 235 miles (378 km). Maps and trail guides are available.
Pinckney State Recreation Area is a Michigan state recreation area in Dexter, Sylvan and Lyndon Townships, Washtenaw County and Putnam and Unadilla Townships, Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The park is 11,000 acres (4,500 ha) and sits at an elevation of 922 feet (281 m). The park is connected to the nearby Waterloo State Recreation Area by the 35-mile (56 km) Waterloo–Pinckney Trail. Pinckney State Recreation Area is open for year-round recreation including hiking, fishing, swimming, hunting and a variety of winter sports.
Santee State Park is in the Sandhills of South Carolina on the western edge of the 110,000-acre (445 km2) Lake Marion. It is located off SC 6, three miles (5 km) northwest of the town of Santee and I-95.
Chester State Park is located near the town of Chester in Chester County, South Carolina. The 523-acre (2 km2) park was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps on land purchased in 1935.
Greenbrier State Park is a public recreation area located on South Mountain, three miles (4.8 km) northeast of Boonsboro in Washington County, Maryland, USA. The state park has camping, hiking trails, and a 42-acre (17 ha) man-made lake. It is managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The Chauga River is a 31.3-mile-long (50.4 km) tributary of the Tugaloo River in Oconee County, South Carolina.
Hamilton Branch State Park is located near the town of Plum Branch in McCormick County. It sits on a 731-acre peninsula in Lake Strom Thurmond. The park became part of the South Carolina State Park Service in 1972, with land leased from the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Barnwell State Park is a state park located near the town of Blackville in Barnwell County, South Carolina. The park was one of the 16 built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in South Carolina, sitting on land purchased from landowners in 1937. Many buildings constructed by the CCC are still in use.
Gardner Lake is a natural lake lying at the junction of the towns of Salem, Montville, and Bozrah, Connecticut. Named after the Gardner family who owned a large portion of the surrounding land, the 529-acre (214 ha) lake has been expanded in size with the construction of a 168-foot (51 m) earthen dam. The dam raises the water level up 4 feet (1.2 m) to an average depth of 14 feet (4.3 m). The area surrounding Gardner Lake has dozens of private homes, four campgrounds and a marina. Three state parks are located around the lake: Minnie Island State Park, Hopemead State Park, and Gardner Lake State Park. The lake is used for fishing and boating.
