Croft State Park updates: Land cleared, new bridges, new equestrian campsites added

Bob Montgomery, Herald-Journal
·6 min read

Visitors to Croft State Park near Spartanburg this year will see a lot has changed since their visit last year.

"With almost 50 miles of trails just minutes from downtown Spartanburg, there's always something new to discover at Croft State Park," said Sam Queen, director of communications for the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

The first noticeable change is the clearing of hundreds of acres of woodlands as contractors with high-sensor metal detectors search for any unexploded munitions remaining from the World War II Camp Croft training site that encompassed today's state park.

Tim Ritter, park manger at Croft State Park, gives a tour of the area and work going on at the park on Feb. 22, 2023. Ritter talks about Lake Craig and the activities on the lake for visitors at the state park.
Tim Ritter, park manger at Croft State Park, gives a tour of the area and work going on at the park on Feb. 22, 2023. Ritter talks about Lake Craig and the activities on the lake for visitors at the state park.

Cleanup of park continuesCleanup of former WWII training site continues at Spartanburg County's Croft State Park

Since April 2021, a total of 16 munitions have been removed, including eight mortars, six grenades, one flare and one fuse, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is overseeing the cleanup project.

"The remediation work has really improved the park landscape," Queen said. "Anyone who hasn't visited Croft in a while will be surprised at how beautiful the park looks and will enjoy taking in all the new views that have opened up."

New bridges connect the trails

Once inside the 7,054-acre park, visitors will notice multiple bridges in the trail system have been rebuilt, including an important bridge over Fairforest Creek reconnecting 20 miles of hiking and biking trails in the Palmetto Trail running through the park.

A new bridge over Fairforest Creek is open at Croft State Park, reconnecting 20 miles of hiking and biking trails in the Southside Trail system and completing the portion of the Palmetto Trail that runs through the park.
A new bridge over Fairforest Creek is open at Croft State Park, reconnecting 20 miles of hiking and biking trails in the Southside Trail system and completing the portion of the Palmetto Trail that runs through the park.

The previous footbridge was destroyed by flooding in 2020. The new bridge stands 4 feet higher and is wide enough to support all-terrain vehicles.

Signs added to help trail users

Queen said more signs have been posted along the trails.

"Our goal is for visitors to lose themselves in the beauty of the park without actually getting lost," Queen said. "So to help make it even easier to get around, we're installing YOU ARE HERE maps at trail intersections."

Croft State Park has many trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding.
Croft State Park has many trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding.

3 new equestrian campsites added

Tim Ritter, park manger at Croft State Park, gives a tour of the area and work going on at the park on Feb. 22, 2023. This is the new equestrian campsite and the horse stalls.
Tim Ritter, park manger at Croft State Park, gives a tour of the area and work going on at the park on Feb. 22, 2023. This is the new equestrian campsite and the horse stalls.

The park is also popular with horse enthusiasts. Three new equestrian campsites have been added, complete with a tie rail and two horse stalls. Users are asked to make reservations through the park at 864-585-1283.

Park Manager Tim Ritter said the demand for the campsites near the equestrian arena has been so great that more will be added when funding becomes available.

Dam repairs completed

Boating, paddling and fishing are also popular at Croft State Park. Queen said the 165-acre Lake Craig spillway repairs are finished, and the lake is back to full level "so visitors can once again use the boat ramp and enjoy time on the lake."

Lake Edwin Johnson, also popular with fishing and nature enthusiasts, was closed last summer after the S.C. Department of Natural Resources discovered the drainage caused by damage to the dam, resulting in an estimated fish kill of 30,000 largemouth bass, bluegill, shellcracker and catfish.

SCDNR's Greg Lucas said the Lake Johnson dam and water control structure were undergoing extensive renovations to improve dam safety when the unintended draining occurred. Lucas added the lake was already closed when the drainage happened, so the fish kill was not the cause of the lake's closure.

Lake Johnson drainage sparks concernsSpartanburg residents concerned over Lake Johnson drainage. SCDNR not ruling out vandalism

Located at the end of State Road 359 off SC Highway 295, the repairs to the dam are now finished, the boat ramp has been extended, and restocking of fish has started, according to Ross Self, SCDNR's Freshwater Fisheries Section chief.

The 40-acre lake will remain closed for fishing until July 1, 2024, to give the lake time to fully refill, Self said.

"We are still waiting for necessary permits to do the habitat enhancement work," he said. "It's pretty much a matter now of waiting for the fish population to get re-established."

Park combed for munitions

Croft State Park was carved out of the 19,144-acre Camp Croft, which became inactive after World War II. In 1949, the U.S. Army deeded today’s park acreage to the S.C. Forestry Commission. It is now under the purview of the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

Tim Ritter, park manger at Croft State Park, shows an area marked closed to visitors due to cleanup as work crews use equipment to detect items that need to be removed from the park. (Photo: ALEX HICKS JR./SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL)
Tim Ritter, park manger at Croft State Park, shows an area marked closed to visitors due to cleanup as work crews use equipment to detect items that need to be removed from the park. (Photo: ALEX HICKS JR./SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL)

During the war years, many of the estimated 250,000 soldiers who trained there used live artillery fire. Some of the unexploded ordnances such as mortar shells and grenades, have since been discovered in and near Croft State Park by residents and visitors and ended up being disposed of by the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s bomb squad.

Map shows the western part of Croft State Park where contractors are searching for any explosives left over from Camp Croft, a World War II training site.
Map shows the western part of Croft State Park where contractors are searching for any explosives left over from Camp Croft, a World War II training site.

In the mid-to-late 1990s, the Army Corps of Engineers cleaned up the areas most frequently used by the public, including campsites, picnic areas, horse trails and the arena.

Contractors for the Army Corps of Engineers use electromagnetic equipment to search for potentially unexploded devices at portions of Croft State Park where a former World War II camp trained soldiers.
Contractors for the Army Corps of Engineers use electromagnetic equipment to search for potentially unexploded devices at portions of Croft State Park where a former World War II camp trained soldiers.

Funding for the cleanup dried up in the 2000s, but the park remained open and has been considered safe for visitors, with a caveat: Don’t wander into areas that are marked unsecured because they were never swept by high-powered metal detectors for explosives. Signs are posted in those areas.

Signs are posted at parts of Croft State Park warning visitors of restricted areas.
Signs are posted at parts of Croft State Park warning visitors of restricted areas.

"If you see an object which you suspect to be an explosive device, do not touch it, report it to a park ranger or call 911,” the signs state.

The Army Corps also posts safety guidelines.

Funding obtained to finish cleanup

Thanks to efforts by U.S. Rep. William Timmons, R-4th District, funding was obtained nearly three years ago to finish the cleanup and the Army Corps. awarded a $36.5 million contract to finally finish the cleanup of Camp Croft and remove any potential hazards.

An entrance to Croft State Park, where park rangers are expecting lots of visitors this summer. The photo was taken on Feb. 22, 2023. (Photo: ALEX HICKS JR./SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL)
An entrance to Croft State Park, where park rangers are expecting lots of visitors this summer. The photo was taken on Feb. 22, 2023. (Photo: ALEX HICKS JR./SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL)

A five-year contract was awarded to Weston Solutions Inc. of Peachtree Corners, Georgia., and Zapata Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina to search for and remove any "munitions and explosives of concern" found on 1,277 acres entirely inside Croft State Park. The project also includes the removal of 436 acres of trees and brush.

The work is being coordinated with the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

Last month, five more munitions were discovered – four mortars and one grenade, according to Army Corps project manager Ray Livermore.

Contractors are combing areas never combed before, but because new technology enables them to detect objects 4 feet below the surface, they are going over some previously combed areas such as near the equestrian arena and campsites.

If a potential object is detected, a small white flag is inserted at that spot. Contractors will then dig in each of those spots to see what the object is.

A World War II hand grenade found in April by contractors combing the western end of Croft State Park under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A World War II hand grenade found in April by contractors combing the western end of Croft State Park under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"The Army Corps remediation work continues to go smoothly," Queen said. "Signage is always posted when a project is going on to make it easy for visitors to understand what's happening and what areas are impacted."

Millions still needed for park cleanupMillions still needed to rid Croft State Park of leftover munitions

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Land cleared, new trails and campsites added to Croft State Park