This was a nice place to wind down after a day of business in the Augusta area. The paths were…read morepleasant and soon enough the scenery had my stress fall of me and that inner peace thing was radiating through me. We need places like this to have a connection to nature, before we covered so much with concrete and asphalt. We need to connect with the natural habitat of this planet. This is a nice place to do exactly that.

The hip part of North Augusta is built around several parks. The pond here has various soft and…read morehard trails and boardwalks. Ample signage warns of alligators. I did not see any, but I expect there must be some. This particular bit of park is not on the waterfront and is not that aesthetically distinctive, but it is connected with the greenway trail that goes to several useful places, as well as being next to a sporting venue. Plenty of people were roaming through.

Amazing route to go on a walk or bike ride. The trail runs parallel with the Savannah River, so the…read moreview is stunning and very peaceful. Been here few times and it can get pretty crowded during the late afternoon with people taking their evening stroll, runners, bikers. There is also a kayak renting area. I've seen groups rent out kayaks and leisurely make their way down the river. The park serves many recreational purposes, highly recommend checking it out. They have few rest rooms that are well kept and managed with even a medical emergency supply room incase of any incidents. The grounds are kept very clean too and lots of public parking available. Disclaimer, lots of nats flying around once weather warms up.

Good place to go walking and listen to music through your headphones. You will pass by all kinds of…read morepeople. You will also pass by some beautiful scenery. The only issue there seems to be even though the park has signs and provides bags to clean up after the pets. You have to watch carefully where you step along the way.

Clark Hill Recreational Area. Clark Hill, SC…read more What a relaxing park, not much of a beach however picnic areas and water access and only 20 minutes from Augusta.

The area overlooking the lake has a visitor center with some information about the rationale behind…read morecreating a dam like this, including reducing flooding (important for those of us living downstream). A wildflower meadow was constrained in size but offered photo opportunities. Some trails with views were available as well.

The clearing is the best kept secret picnic location in the CSRA. It requires a walk or bike along…read morethe beautiful Augusta Canal Trail (the towpath trail, specifically), which opens up to this gorgeous clearing in the middle of the woods. A gently sloping lawn flattens out by the river where you can have a picnic, wading in the river, or just enjoy the beautiful scene around you. The views of the river are unbeatable since the clearing forms a small promontory. While it is currently overgrown, the river nature trail head starts at the north side of the clearing. Although it is relatively remote, they still have bathrooms here which are sort of glorified outhouses.

$50/Year for North Augusta residents. Need. I say more? Well I don't need to but I will. They…read moreeven have a secret ping pong table in the basement :) Their equipment is pretty basic but they have everything you need. Several ellipticals; lots of bikes, one stairmaster, and some rowers in basement. They got some new weight machines and a small selection of dumbbells that go up to 50 lb. So no lunks here. The indoor track is big plus too, but the Greeneway is right there so why not just run outside? Also several basketball courts, racquetball, and activity rooms. Even craft room. But just $50/year. Can't beat that :)

Great location central to downtown north augusta with a playground and splash pad for kids. The…read moresplash pad is sometimes not working so it's best to check their Facebook before heading that way if you're banking on that as an activity. Fun disc golf course. Tennis courts and baseball field.

This is apparently federal land, but no one would mistake it for being anything other than…read morequintessential Carolinian forest. The paths are open to mountain bikes and hikers, and sharing was reasonably easy. Taking a single trail (and getting out of it early) still took two hours or so; there was a lot more to be done here than I'd expected. Ferns dotted the forest floor amongst occasional rays of sunshine. Notably, there are some hunting times here, so check that in advance.

FATS aka Forks Area Trail System is a nice park located in the state of South Carolina, just abit…read morenorth of Augusta, GA. It curtails to avid Hikers or Mountain Bikers alike. And that is what lead us to FATS. Florida has some great MTB parks and trails, but one can admit that Florida is flat state, not much elevation to give. So in search of the next big thing, especially with a little elevation, FATS became our go-to first option, and it did not disappoint. Me and a group of guys traveled 4.5 hours from Jacksonville to have our first MTB date with FATS. VERDICT: What a fantastic set of trails. Trails were well marked, well maintained, and nicely laid out. Fast and flowy trails. The Fall colors were an added bonus. Nothing overly challenging for the most part. The Brown Wave trail became our favorite trail of all. All in all, we LOVED this place. We're already making plans on coming back for another MTB date, FATS Part 2.

#HNY2018 Yahhh, I hiked Barnwell State Prk SC today with…read moresome like minded explorers!! We met promptly at 1pm and hiked the prk for 2 miles, the park ranger was very knowledgeable and led us on a wonderful trek. There are 3 ponds for boating or fishing, I wouldnt swim in lakes due to alligators and snakes... I would most def go back and use the facility for hiking, fishing, cabins, or camping. The park was clean and well kept, free entry but it is always kind to leave a donation! Oh almost forgort there is a natural spring fountain that you can drink from! Great way to start the N Year '18, this will be a Yrly trek for us!!

We stayed at the campground for two days, during the week (Wednesday and Thursday)…read more 25 sites only 4 or 5 were used. I took my dog for a walk and another camper had 4 dogs and none on a leash. Luckily, there was no interaction but I was concerned and do not go by that site again. We were camped next to the campground host. I could hear every phone conversation he had and all the expletives used. His camp was cluttered and unkempt. On Thursday another camper parked next to dog camper and they played loud music until late that night. We felt it was a club where we did not belong. Won't be going back ever.

The road is dirt as you approach here; albeit relatively well-maintained. I came for the trails;…read morethe nature center is open intermittently and was not what I was looking for. The trails are open as long as it's light outside. I was a bit disappointed with the level of maintenance on the trail I used. The signage was enough to keep one on the path, but it was quite overgrown and I was amazed that I didn't come out of it with more insect and arachnid problems than I did. It is some nice-looking forest, and was punctuated by a small boardwalk leading out into a little blackwater swamp. I didn't actually see the bluff itself; that was a bit too long of a trail for the amount of daylight I had. Perhaps there is more to be seen. It is free, but it wasn't quite the experience I was hoping for.

This is that time of year when you justify just walking through the woods cause the weather is so…read moregreat. This 2 mile trek was over way too soon. Well maintained path and marked so well there is very little chance of straying from the "cheese reward" end. Sadly I report only one bird sighted but happily no bears, beavers, breasts or blood! (referencing "Billy Bob's" review stat scale) Luckily for my companion Brandon was working on his day off and showed up just in time to open the center for another "call to nature" that was hard to ignore. He gave us the rundown on the sanctuary and the Audubon Society and met his three (stuffed) owls. Worth the trip if you have a mind for nature and the simpler forms of entertainment and fulfillment. Would have been five stars if there was a restroom accommodation of any sort not requiring a resource manager on duty.