Lee State Natural Area
Directions
Take exit 123 off Interstate 20. Drive north 1 mile. Park entrance is on the left. There is no entrance fee.
Birds to look for
Green Heron, Wood Duck, Red-shouldered Hawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Barred Owl, Chuck-will's-widow, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Wood Thrush, Orange-crowned Warbler, Swainson's Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow-throated Warbler, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Summer Tanager and American Goldfinch
Description
Lee State Natural Area, a South Carolina State Park, was built in the late 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It had a campground that is open all year which makes it a great basecamp for exploring Lee County. The park contains a few habitats: the State Scenic Lynches River, bottomland hardwood forest associated with the river, sandhills and upland areas containing a mix of pine and deciduous trees.
The park offers access to the bottomland hardwood forest via a short boardwalk located near the Park's Education Building and the 5-mile Loop Road. The Park also has 2 nature trails located near the Park's Education Building. One follows the edge of the floodplain (white trail) and the other loops through a sandhill area (orange trail). The trailhead is located next to the boardwalk entrance. There are also a number of artesian wells.