For the 1st day of spring, I wanted go out and do something.

But my day didn’t go quite as planned. Instead of hiking in the Piedmont, I ended up on Lake Marion.

It was a blessing in disguise.

Last Friday, a couple of friends and I planned to hike near Newberry. Unfortunately, one of them dropped out the day before. I already had the day off and I didn’t plan on wasting it.

My friend Kendall Prevatte and I decided to go on a road trip instead. With no clue of where the day would take us, I picked her up around 8 am.

We ended up at Santee State Park on Lake Marion. By the time we got to the park it was nearly 9 am.

We drove out to a point right on the lake. We couldn’t have asked for a better morning.

It was 70 degrees and mostly sunny with a slight breeze to cool us. The breeze felt salty and the smell reminded me of the beach.

Small waves from the open water gently crashed into the sandy beach. In the distance we could see cars crossing the lake on I-95.

Limestone Loop Trail

Nearby was the 1 mile Limestone Loop Trail.

As we hiked a narrowing lake cove, we could hear a party of birds chirping. For the first time this year, there was color everywhere.

The leaves popped out seemingly overnight and flowers were blooming everywhere. It is finally spring.

The easy loop is my favorite at the park and perfect for a morning walk with the family. It’s easy to follow and loops around a cove in the lake before crossing back over in one long wooden bridge.

There’s so much to see at Santee State Park but that’s all we had time for.

We drove through the quaint lakeside resort town of Santee before crossing the lake ourselves.

Packs Landing

On our way to Packs Landing we spotted a road sign to Santee National Wildlife Refuge. We figured we would check it out quick and - spoiler alert -I fell in love with it.

The main entrance road took us along the lake on a peninsula and a parking lot led out to a beach.

We were greeted with another perfect view of the open lake.

Further down the road, we found a hiking trail.

A little investigation told us it was another mile long loop, Wright’s Bluff Nature Trail.

We started hiking along the clear path into the forest.

Everything seemed more alive than it did even last week.

Several boardwalks crossed cypress swamps with views of the lake.

The trail looped around through blooming hardwood forests.

An overlook with binoculars offers another great view of the lake.

Driving out of the refuge, we noticed a huge hill in the middle of the flat peninsula. We had to check it out.

Stairs led to the top and a panoramic view of the lake. At the top we learned it was an ceremonial Indian mound built around 750 years ago.

Carpenter bees floated around the top deck so we took some pictures and got out of there.

Wildlife Refuge

We stopped by the visitor center to see what more the park had to offer.

It was closed but we grabbed a map.

It turned out we barely scratched the surface of what Santee NWR has to offer.

Santee National Wildlife Refuge is made up of over 13,000 acres across 4 separate plots of land, or “units” as they are called.

The refuge is home to hardwood and pine forests, freshwater marshes, forested wetlands, croplands, grassland, and of course the open waters of Lake Marion.

There are over 20 miles of hiking trails.

Santee is known as one of the best birding locations in the state with 296 different species . The lake has some of the most diverse fishing in the state with over 100 species.

We were in the Bluff Unit, and we wanted to see the others.

Next, we headed to the Dingle Pond Unit just 10 minutes away.

Dingle Pond is home to a 350 acre depression known as a Carolina Bay. Hundreds of these bays dot the coastal region but their origins are unknown.

At Dingle Pond, a mile trail follows the perimeter of the wide open marshland bay and loops around another cypress swamp.

The trail was easy and fun.

A viewing tower gives you a panoramic view of the bay and a look at its numerous birds and other wildlife.

After the hike we were hungry and headed back to a Wendy’s in Santee.

After that we decided to keep exploring.

8-mile scenic drive

With full stomachs, we drove to the Cuddo Unit, by far the largest.

We took the 8 mile scenic driving tour. Along the way we crossed open fields, more rich and blooming hardwood and pine forests, swamps and lake vistas. Through a spot known as Alligator Alley, we even spotted an alligator lurking in the dark swamps, staring at us.

The Cuddo Unit has plenty of hiking and biking trails as well, mostly along old roadbeds, but we didn’t get the chance to explore them. A 7-mile canoe trail weaves through the Plantation Island Wilderness Area but we didn’t have a canoe so that’ll have to wait.

We had one Unit left, and after a 20-minute drive down scenic backroads, we made it to our final stop, the Pine Island Unit.

There are 4 miles of road to hike or or bike down, mostly through hardwood forests.

A primitive boat launch for small boats, canoes and kayaks made the perfect point to venture around the unit.

We hiked about a mile in and turned around. The hike was fairly straightforward along a pine straw covered roadbed with views of the lake.

With that we made our way back home.

Our day didn’t go as planned, but instead we discovered one of the most rich and diverse places in the entire state.

Santee National Wildlife Refuge is a must visit for all outdoor enthusiasts, hikers, fishermen, canoeists, birdwatchers, and hunters alike.

Did you enjoy reading this? Do you have a suggestion for Cole for other natural wonders to see? Write Cole Stilwell at cole.lexchron@gmail.com .