Lake Greenwood State Park's Shoreline Trail Is Open Again, and the Ribbons Are the Map for Now

Every hiking trail at Lake Greenwood State Park is open again. The park's own notice adds a caveat that matters more than the headline. Work will continue on the West Shoreline Loop "in the coming months," and hikers are told to watch the trail markers and flagging ribbon because some routes have changed and "not yet updated on trail maps."

So this season the shoreline trail is open, but it is still being rebuilt. If you have walked it for years, parts of the route won't match what you remember or what the map shows. On the West Loop, the ribbons tied to the trees are the latest record of where the path actually goes. Less work is happening on the East Shoreline Loop, so it's the easier walk to count on. The park itself has picked the East Loop for its New Year's Day hike.

Spring Left Half the Shoreline Behind Tape

To see why the maps are behind, look at how long the West Loop was closed. Hurricane Helene hit South Carolina on September 27, 2024. Afterward, state parks staff, strike teams pulled from other parks, outside agencies and volunteer groups cleared downed trees from trails across the state park system, according to a recovery account published by America's State Parks. That account covers the whole system and doesn't name Lake Greenwood.

Hikers posting on AllTrails reported the closure at Lake Greenwood through spring and into summer of 2026:

1. April 5, 2026. A hiker reported that only the first 2.2-mile section was open and blamed the rest of the closure on Helene damage.
2. April 12, 2026. A review on the same page described about half the trail as closed for repairs.
3. May 14, 2026. A hiker reported the West Shoreline Loop still closed because of substantial storm damage.
4. June 12, 2026. Another review said the West Loop was still closed.

These are hikers' reports, not park announcements. Still, they add up to a long stretch when the western half of the lakeside walk wasn't available. The park's current notice replaces all of them. The trail reopened while crews were still working on it, and that explains why the maps haven't caught up.

What "Open" Looks Like on the West Loop This Fall

The best recent picture comes from a review posted October 13, 2026, on the AllTrails Scenic Shoreline Trail page. The hiker described one area where the trail diverts away from the shore around downed trees. They called it a great morning hike, said some spots were still wet after recent rain, and warned others to keep an eye out for spider webs.

That diversion matches the park's warning that some routes have changed. It's one hiker's account, not an official route description, and the park says work on the West Loop will go on for months. The detour you take in late October may not be there in December, and a new one may show up somewhere else.

In practice, a screenshot of the trail map from last year, or even last spring, won't be reliable for the West Loop. Where flagging ribbon and the printed map disagree, the park tells hikers to go by the markers and flagging.

How the Loops Fit Together

The official trails page still lists the network like this. These are the distances to plan around, even though parts of the western route are being rerouted.

The white/black bypass trails are what let you split the shoreline into an eastern and a western loop. That's what makes this fall workable. If you want a walk with no surprises, take the East Loop and you'll stay clear of the work on the western side. If you want the longer lake views, the West Loop is open, but expect detours.

Picking a Walk for the Cooler Months

The East Shoreline Loop is the steady choice right now. At 1.6 miles it fits before work or after dinner while daylight lasts, and the park hasn't flagged any rerouting there.

The yellow Forest Trail runs 1.7 miles under a canopy of hardwoods and pines. The park's description mentions deer, squirrels, songbirds and hawks. It's also off the shoreline, so the West Loop work doesn't affect it.

The Scenic Shoreline Trail is still the main event. You can start from the trailhead at Campground 1 or from the Lee Chappel Road entrance. The park describes herons, turtles, songbirds and eagles along the water, and plenty of spots for fishing from the shoreline. The park also says birdwatching is good year-round, so cooler months are a fine time to go.

Before You Head Out

The basics haven't changed, but they're worth checking before a weekend visit:

• Address: 302 State Park Road, Ninety Six.
• Hours: Dawn to dusk, daily.
• Admission: $3 for adults, $1.50 for South Carolina seniors, $1 for children 6 to 15, and free for ages 5 and younger.
• Dogs: Allowed in most outdoor areas on a leash no longer than six feet.
• Park office: 864-543-3535, a good call to make if you want to know where the West Loop stands before you go.

Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, November 1, and then the park office goes back to standard hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Dawn-to-dusk park hours mean late-afternoon walks get shorter from here on.

New Year's Day Starts on the East Loop

The park's First Day Hike is set for January 1, 2027. A ranger will lead the group from the Recreation Building in Campground #1 along what the event page calls the 1.5-mile East Shoreline Lake Trail. The trails page lists the East Loop at 1.6 miles. The listing gives the time as 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in one spot and 2 to 3 p.m. in another, so plan for the longer window. Bring water, comfortable walking shoes and clothes for the weather, plus a GPS unit if you want to go geocaching afterward.

The ranger will cover the park's history and the Civilian Conservation Corps, and you can see that history at the park itself. The Drummond Center has an interactive CCC exhibit, and CCC-era buildings are still in use. The park's manager points out sunrise views from the CCC-built terraces behind the Drummond Center, and to the unfinished rock wall at the park entrance. The CCC dissolved when the U.S. entered World War II, and the wall was left as it stood, with the materials still where the crews left them. On January 1, the ranger-led group will be on the East Loop, the part of the shoreline trail with no work noted.

Joan has lived and worked around this lake for more than 22 years. If you'd like to talk about how the shoreline, the state park and the roads around Ninety Six fit with your plans on Lake Greenwood, Joan Timmerman and the Premier Properties team would be glad to sit down with you. Schedule a Local Market Consultation whenever you're ready.