Goodale State Park — Attraction in Camden

My wife and I while on our way home from Myrtle Beach, SC decided to stop in Camden, South Carolina (the town where I grew up in as a kid) for lunch. My wife googled and found a state park In the area - just out of town.

We decided to go there to eat our lunch. As far as state parks go, this one is pretty pathetic - as far as the upkeep of the place. The main office area looks more like a rundown, condemned building.

In fact, I thought it wasn't until the Park Ranger (I guess he was, but he looked more like a kid 🤷‍♂️) arrived to assist some people waiting to rent kayaks.

The bathroom facilities at the main parking lot are 2 Porta-Johns. The playground facility located near the dilapidated Park Office looks like it has been there 50 plus years.

We found a picnic table, had our lunch and then decided to take the mile loop around the lake/pond area to stretch our legs. Although I didn't actually measure the walk, I'm pretty confident it wasn't a full mile. It felt more like a half mile or a little better.

There were several people who were renting kayaks and canoes and this seems to be the biggest draw to this park. The cypress trees and the water area are scenic but there's little more that the park has to offer for anyone - unless you do want to bring or rent a canoe or kayak and explore the water way.

Upon leaving we did find what appeared to be a newer section of the park with a newer playground facility for kids and even some sheltered picnic tables. And from the distance I thought I saw an actual bathroom.

But to be a state park I was very surprised by the lack of upkeep. It gave me more of the impression of being a local park maintained by a local government with little funding. I guess it's okay for people that live in the area just to have some place to go - but if you're traveling I wouldn't go out of the way to visit...

It's a very nice park. It looks like this park used to be more than what it is now. This park has so much potential, so much land to put proper playgrounds for the children in need and for wheelchair theme parks. Space to put swings for older children and for younger kids. Installing a seesaw. More family friendly add on's to make this park a park for the family and for the sightseers. Having more benches displayed throughout the whole park territory, having trash bens and recyclable bens places in more areas of the park besides one area like they have going on now.

The view of the water side of the park is stunning, having places to sit at aswell for restrooms would be a perfect touch to this area. When you go walking through that trail, the sights are beautiful like you are going through a jungle in Jurassic Park. The trees in the water gives it this different look of the park that makes this park, I say.. the main reason to go to this park but after you are done with the walk, you just want to go home and rest which is fine but a state park/ regular park is supposed to be something that is welcoming to go to than just twice a month. There's barely anyone at the park on both sides of it because it's boring. There's nothing to do besides walk and sight see on a path that is design to not explore in a safe way but to see what they want you to see at the park which is not much even though the beauty of nature is always spot on. Never boring to look at and I think this "state park" doesn't really compliment the beauty of nature that this park has. humans and alligators are in the same area, squirrels and birds you get to see. I have not yet saw a birdhouse displayed at the park for you to sit and exactly enjoy the beauty of the park and animals that live in the park. I have more to say but I...

Very disappointing park for us. We have visited over 40 of the SC parks/historic sites in the Ultimate Outsiders Program, and this may be the worst maintained of them all so far with the exception of a couple in the upstate still recovering from Helene. There were no maps available to take for the park. The office was closed, and we did not see any staff during our visit. The office is in what appears to be a dilapidated bathhouse building mostly boarded up. The grass near the bldg had recently been mowed between the office bldg and the lake after getting very long. You could have baled it for hay. Very poor signage. The only restrooms were two portalets at the end of the office area parking lot. The "Nature Trail" had no maps available at the trailhead or office area to coincide with the numbering system on the trail. There are missing numbers on the trail, and as their sign warned, it was in disrepair throughout its length. There was a community building in use by a large group that appeared to be perhaps the only adequate facility in the park, besides the ranger's house. The lake was very pretty, and probably the focal resource of the park, but we don't have a canoe. The saving grace for our trip to Camden was the Revolutionary War battle historic...