At Aiken State Park your troop can drop off their gear in the primitive area and paddle into the campsite from the interior of the park. Once there the scouts can use the practice area with directions set up to learn basic orienteering skills and take those skills back into the park for long course that will lead them through the entire park.
At Keowee-Toxaway you can hike the Raven Rock Hiking trail, 4.1 miles round trip. A scout camping area is located at the half-way point directly on Lake Keowee. This camping area may also be accessed by water from the launch area at the end of Cabin Road or Fall Creek Landing.
A great four-mile paddle is also accessible from the park. Paddle east down the lake for one mile, then turn right and go up the Eastatoee Creek for one mile. The creek is undeveloped, stocked with trout and makes a great shallow water paddle that is not accessible to larger boats.
Kings Mountain State Park and Kings Mountain National Military Park have developed a program where scouts can earn a patch for their uniform. Program requirements include:
Once these steps are completed and the questionnaire has been stamped, they can send in the application along with $2.50 and receive a patch that says Kings Mountain National Military Park Battlefield Trail, South Carolina.
Kings Mountain also has several camporees in the spring. Entire scout regions will have a camporee with us. Usually there are about 300 scouts in the primitive area during these camporees. The scout masters set up ropes and orientation courses for the scout groups during these weekends.
Lee State Park is located along the Lynches River. Scouts can kayak and canoe through the park's hardwood forest floodplain or fish along the bank. The park is home to a variety of educational programs as well as equestrian facilities. Primitive camping is available for organized groups up to 75 people. You can see a list of available scout projects listed, here.
Off-season trips to the beach can be a great scout trip. Try out the overflow camping area at Myrtle Beach and complete a self-guided scavenger hunt.
Paris Mountain is a great park at which to earn a merit badge. Since you can hike almost 16 miles here, merit badges can be earned for distance hiking. You can also use this park for rustic camping merit badges. The park also has an orienteering course that was developed by an Eagle Scout so that others may earn merit badges in orienteering. Trail maintenance hours can also be earned at this park.
Paris Mountain also has the Wayside Wanderer program that encourages kids to hike the trails and answer questions from the information on the park’s waysides.
Does your scout den need to work on some of its outdoor activities and advancement requirements? Check out the Jackson Creek scavenger hunt at Sesquicentennial. It is located on a nature trail with interpretive signage both completed as part of Eagle Scout projects.