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Once an army training base, Croft State Park covers more than 7,000 acres of rolling, wooded terrain just a few miles from downtown Spartanburg. The park offers over 20 miles of biking and hiking trails, a playground, picnicking and camping, as well as fishing and boating in one of two lakes.
Horseback riding in South Carolina state parks is widely popular, and Croft is known around the region for its equestrian facilities. The park regularly hosts shows in its arena and boasts more than 20 miles of equestrian trails.
From I-85: Take exit 78. Get on Hwy 221 and take Hwy 176 to Country Club Rd. Turn right on Country Club Rd. Turn left at the light (Hwy 56). Stay on Hwy 56, turn left onto Dairy Ridge Rd and follow signs. From I-26 Eastbound: Take exit 22, go east on Hwy 296. For approximately one mile, turn onto Hwy 295 until it intersects with Hwy 56. Turn right onto Hwy 56, then take a left at Dairy Ridge Rd and follow signs. From I-26 Westbound: Take exit #52 onto Hwy 56. Go N for 30 mi. Turn right onto Dairy Ridge Rd. Follow signs.
Huge, spread out state park (former military base) with 50 miles of trails for hikers, horses, and mountain bikes. Camping, fishing, picnic shelters, lake for non-motorized boats, horse stables and horse ring.
The park has a lot of history and plenty of space to roam. Trails for bikes, hikes, and horses abound. Kayak and paddle board rentals are available. The views around the lake are gorgeous, adventurous around the creek. I stayed for 4 nights; both camping loops have water and power hookups, 20/30’s really serve me best and this park has them. The showers and bathrooms are clean and nicely functional; a warm shower is always a treat!
Spacious campsites! Water/Electric only. They have options for pull+through or back-in. Also have printing camping, did not visit that area.
Stayed in the smaller numerical sequence side. The other half is about a mile away and has a view of the lake. Sites 20-21 is a double site, great if camping with another family. We were in 21 individually, but did not feel as if we were in each other's space. Only negative about our site or positive, is that the bath house and bathroom was behind us, so people on occasion would walk through our site, but the site was large enough that it didn't matter to us.
Dump offered a hand sanitizer dispenser, that's a first and it was operational 😁
Lots of horse people, they must have done good horse trails.
It's about an 8-10 minute drive from main gate to actual camping areas.
Would go again!
I always enjoy my time at Croft. There are so many trails and I still haven't explored them all. You do need to bear in mind that while you can hike them all, some also allow cyclists and horses. So if you're on a horse trail you may have to dodge their business. Just be mindful and it's not a big deal.
The trails are gorgeous year round.
This park is amazing and huge. There is so much to do, a lot of trail options, you have the lake that is beautiful, and a little river. It is so peaceful. You can also see the horse trail and it is so wonderful, peaceful and magical
