STATE & NATION TRAVEL · news
Ramsey Grove begins limited weekday access along South Carolina’s Black River
By Staff Writer · Published October 27, 2026
South Carolina’s 51st state park is open on a limited weekday schedule, with seven miles of trails, no camping and several remaining hunt closures this fall.
Official announcement: South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism · October 1, 2026
Source: South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism soft-opening release
South Carolina has opened Ramsey Grove State Park to the public on a limited schedule, adding a 2,650-acre Black River property near Georgetown to the state park system. During the soft opening, the park is scheduled to operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday rather than on a full seven-day schedule.
Visitors can use about seven miles of hiking trails and look for birds and other wildlife, but the park does not offer camping or lodging. Admission is listed at $8 for adults, $5 for South Carolina seniors, $4 for children ages 6 through 15 and free for children 5 and younger. The current park page gives 852 Ramsey Grove Road in Georgetown as the entrance address.
The opening remains subject to scheduled hunt closures. The park lists closures October 29 through 31, November 5 through 7, November 12 through 14 and December 11, after several earlier October hunt periods. South Carolina State Parks says additional dates may be added, making the live park page more authoritative than a copied list in a travel itinerary.
This is a soft opening, not the completion of every planned visitor service. The official materials do not list a campground, overnight accommodation, equipment rental or reservation product. Travelers should plan a daytime trail visit and verify the weekday schedule, hunt calendar and any weather-related closure immediately before departure.
What Travelers Need to Know
Plan for the current 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-through-Friday schedule. Do not arrive during a listed hunt closure; remaining published dates are October 29–31, November 5–7, November 12–14 and December 11, and the park warns that more may be added.
Use the official address, 852 Ramsey Grove Road in Georgetown, and check the live park page before driving. The soft opening announcement does not establish weekend access, and a statewide park pass does not change a closure day.
Budget for the listed day-use fee: $8 per adult, $5 for South Carolina seniors, $4 for ages 6–15 and no charge for children 5 and younger. Confirm current payment instructions at the park because the official materials do not describe an advance ticket or reservation process.
Bring what is needed for a daytime trail outing. The park lists no camping or lodging, and the opening materials do not promise food service, rentals or other developed recreation services. Check weather and trail conditions, and keep clear of any area closed for a managed hunt.
About the Location
Ramsey Grove sits along the Black River in Georgetown County. South Carolina acquired the property through a 2021 settlement with Dominion Energy, and ownership was transferred to the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism in 2023 for development as a state park. The October opening made it the 51st park in the state system.
The property includes former plantation land, forest and river habitat. Its trails and Black River setting give visitors a way to experience the landscape while the state develops a longer-term park plan. That context matters during the soft opening: the attraction is a large natural and historic property near Georgetown, but its currently advertised experience is deliberately limited to daytime trails and wildlife viewing.