The Welcome Center at Richard B. Russell State Park.
Richard B. Russell State Park is adjacent to the 26,650-acre Richard B. Russell Lake, and has a cornucopia of outdoor opportunities to explore. It has a beautiful campground and fully equipped cottages that are located on or near the water’s edge to enjoy the picturesque setting. Most park facilities are designed for wheelchair accessibility … including the swimming beach. A nature trail follows the shoreline as it circles through the adjoining woods and returns to the beach.
The park encompasses 2,508 acres and has 20 cottages, 27 tent, trailer and RV campsites, 3 picnic shelters, 1 group shelter, 1 event room, a sand beach and boat ramps with plenty of parking. There’s also a very unique trail made of rubber from shredded old tires that leads to a fairly new building, which is actually the group shelter. If you look through the woods to your right, as you approach the building, you can catch a glimpse of an historic old steel bridge. Just a five minute stroll through an opening in the forest, and you can walk across the famous Blackwell Bridge, which has a beautiful osprey nest on the left upper corner. Most visiting photographers find the old bridge and the lake at this point to be very picturesque!
Taking a big swing over the water at #16.
Many avid golfers in Georgia and South Carolina have been drawn to the 6,800-yard, 18-hole Arrowhead Pointe Golf Course which is built on a peninsula within the state park, allowing water views from 10 of the 18 holes that are stunning! Since Lake Richard B. Russell has no visible lakefront houses from any vantage point on the course, except for an occasional passing boat, there is no noise! It also offers a full service golf shop complete with golf accessories, a restaurant and group or individual lessons. Many visitors agree that this is the most beautiful, challenging, and well kept of any of the Georgia State Park golf courses. This park is also known for its well-kept disc golf course, where Frisbee-style discs are thrown into metal baskets. The sport is easy to learn and can be enjoyed by all ages.
Several Indian sites were excavated near the park in 1980 before the lake was filled, indicating that Paleo-Indians lived in the area more than 10,000 years ago. This area is now called Rucker’s Bottom and lies deep below the waters of Lake Richard B. Russell.
The beach and bath house at Richard B. Russell State Park.
Anyone would enjoy staying or playing at Richard B. Russell State Park (www.gastateparks.org) where you can try disc golf, fish, camp, picnic, hike, boat, play a round at a top ranked golf course or simply relax beside the peaceful shores where Indians settled along this Savannah River watershed thousands years ago. It’s a really large park away from any big city, so it’s rather quiet most of the time which allows sojourners to really feel needed peace and quiet!
Photos: by Bill Vanderford
