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Oconee Station

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PARK ADVISORY

Station Cove Falls Trail is open from the parking lot on Oconee Station Road to the falls. Oconee Station and all other trails will remain CLOSED until further notice.



Call (864) 683-0079 for information on ranger guided tours. A self-interpretation station is available at the park office. 


For any questions or customer service needs, please call (864) 683-0079.


Ultimate Outsider stamps will be made available at the following 2 locations if you are to visit on a day that the park is closed: Station Cove Falls Trailhead Kiosk and the Oconee State Park Office. 

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HOURS

Park Grounds: Open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., daily.

OFFICE

Call (864) 683-0079 for information on ranger guided tours. A self-interpretation station is available at the park office.

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ADMISSION

Free admission. Donations are appreciated.

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PETS

Pets are allowed in most outdoor areas provided they are kept under physical restraint or on a leash not longer than six feet. Owners will be asked to remove noisy or dangerous pets or pets that threaten or harass wildlife.

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No Wifi Available

Oconee Station State Historic Site

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Park Manager

Bryn Harmer

Park Manager

Welcome. My name is Bryn Harmer, and I am the park manager at Oconee Station State Historic Site. I first realized I wanted to be a park ranger when I was about 7 or 8 hiking in a state park with my dad. I said, I wish I could do this all the time, and he jokingly said, maybe you should grow up to be a park ranger. From then on, I had a single-minded goal of becoming a park ranger. My interests have continued to focus on the outdoors and conservation, so that track never wavered for me. It was a career I was born to do.

My favorite part of Oconee Station is the varied history of the property and how it changed over time -- a military outpost built by SC state militia, a peaceful trading post for frontier Europeans and indigenous people to share and trade their goods, a private residence and then, eventually, a South Carolina State Park for everyone to visit and learn about. We are learning more about the history of the property every day, so I enjoy hearing the new findings of the people that once called the land at Oconee Station home. 

A first-time visitor to the park should walk up the hill from the parking lot and see the historic structures.  The Richards House built in 1805 and the Blockhouse built in 1792, are incredible structures built on what was the western frontier at the time. There are several interpretive waysides that tell you all about the buildings, and if our park interpreter is around, you can even see inside and hear even more information about the property and life on the frontier. 


**Our Ultimate Outsider stamp is located on the porch of the park office and at the trail head at Station Cove Falls.

Originally a military compound and later a trading post, Oconee Station State Historic Site offers both recreational opportunities and a unique look at 18th and 19th century South Carolina. Oconee Station, a stone blockhouse used as an outpost by the S.C. State Militia from about 1792 to 1799, and the William Richards House, are the only two structures that remain today.

Beyond the park’s historic significance, there’s a fishing pond and 1.5-mile nature trail that connects hikers to a trail leading into Sumter National Forest and ending at Station Cove Falls.  The spring is an awesome time to view an abundance of wildflowers along this trail in and around Sumter National Forest and the majestic Station Cove Falls.

Stay at the nearby Oconee State Park campground and enjoy two great parks in the same day!


BY THE NUMBERS

1 stone blockhouse that was once used as an outpost for the SC State Militia

1 historic home, known as the William Richards House

1 fishing pond with bluegill and largemouth bass for catching

1.5 mile nature trail through wildflowers and upcountry wilderness

1 awesome waterfall, Station Cove Falls, at the end of the Nature Trail

4 mile long Oconee Connector Trail that joins Oconee Station with Oconee State Park

210 awesome acres located in Oconee County

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