Swimming at Devils Fork State Park
I've been wanting to take a trip to Devil's Fork State park since moving to Greenville & finally purchased an 'All Park Passport' (which gives you unlimited access to all state parks for $99 annually). Since it was nearing fall, I figured I should get a trip in before it got too cold to swim.
Plus, I watched AHS Stories “Lake” episode and was like, “huh.”
Ok, so you can either watch episode 8 of AHS Stories or Google “haunted Devils Fork”; or check out this article by medium.com for more of the history.
But they’re pretty much the same thing; some unscrupulous businessmen bought up a bunch of land being shady and then flooded people out that wouldn’t sell, so they could build a dam for electricity. (Spoiler alert; it wasn’t Nikola Tesla).
But anyway - I read that swimming at Devils Fork was like “Swimming on top of a cemetery,” so thought to myself, “Hm. Interesting - why not?”.
First, I packed my beach bag (towel, sunscreen, lip gloss, water, book, and beach blanket - check).
Next, I placed my online to-go order at ‘Farm Fresh Fast’ for a Vegan Buffalo “Chicken” Wrap.
I always eat vegan but also thought bringing vegan food would appease the water monsters that have been appearing as of late in bodies of water throughout the world. My thought process was that bringing a pre-made meatless lunch would let them know I come in peace.
When I pulled up to Farm Fresh Fast en route to the lake, I Saw ‘D’s Nuts’ donut truck. I was *so excited*. I had heard about D’s Nuts from a lady I met at a networking event, when I first moved to Greenville, & had been wanting to try them ever since.
So - I (obviously) added a (lemon) Ain’t No Sunshine When it Rains Donut to my to-go order.
D’s Nuts and lunch in hand - I headed up to Devils Fork State Park.
It’s about a one-hour drive from Greenville - head toward the town of ‘Salem’.
Eventually, you’ll come to the intersection of Crowe Creek and Shady Grove... Spooky!
Once I got to Devils Fork, I headed down to the water and found a shady spot on the rocky beachside by some nice families. They had a really sweet (well groomed) and happy dog & were playing some fun Mariachi music - the vibe totally added to the already amazing swim.
I’m sure the water monsters (also) enjoyed the music.
Tip; if you post on the rocky side of the beach - be *super* careful if you’re entering the water over the rocks (they’re not very stable and kinda slippery).
The lake water was fresh, cool, and clear!
Post swimming, I was famished - so wrapped myself up in my oversized beach towel and sat on my blanket in the grassy knoll where I ate lunch and stared out at the water. The wrap was insanely fresh, with bountiful greens, and the side of (house-made) Vegan Ranch was exquisite. The donut, was also to-die-for.
After eating, I slept on the beach for a bit, which was *so* relaxing.
You should definitely check out Devils Fork State Park and enjoy the peaceful lake riddled with dark history, amazing swimming & kayak rentals!
