One Lake Murray park won’t open this summer. Another is down 80 parking spaces
A long-delayed state park on the shores of Lake Murray is taking steps toward opening later this year, even as another public park has opened with tighter rules for access this summer lake season.
Formerly an employees-only getaway spot for workers at SCE&G, Pine Island was originally planned to open as a state park last fall. But the opening date has been pushed back due to a pair of unforeseen calamities.
Last April, the building that was meant to house the park manager was damaged in a fire, delaying the arrival of a full-time ranger to the site by almost a full year.
The planned park also saw damage from Hurricane Helene when it passed through the state last September.
“A lot of trees came down, and the marina area was messed up,” said Samantha Queen, spokesperson for the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. “If you ride by the island by boat, you can see the picnic shelters are damaged.”
When will Pine Island open?
Crews from the parks department have been in the process of mulching downed trees on the island since the hurricane passed by. The cost of repairs ahead of any opening to the public are estimated to cost $268,000, after the cost of repairing the manager’s residence cost just under $200,000.
Those renovations will be helped by the arrival of Pine Island’s new park manager, who only moved into the restored house on site in the last couple of weeks. Tim Ritter will manage the island after seven years as manager of the 7,000-acre Croft State Park near Spartanburg, Queen said.
Plans to convert Pine Island into a state park have drawn concerns from the new park’s Lake Murray neighbors, who worry the narrow road leading onto the 27-acre island will be clogged with traffic during the peak season on the lake. The parks department plans to hold a community meeting in the coming weeks to update residents on the plans for the park and for managing traffic.
But the challenges Pine Island has dealt with since the initial announcement have already delayed its planned opening by about a year, so daytrippers will miss out on visiting Pine Island this summer.
“Not for the summer season, unfortunately,” Queen said about the park’s expected opening date. “Right now, we’re tentatively scheduled for this fall.”
What’s happening with Lake Murray beach park?
Meanwhile, Dominion Energy opened its Lake Murray Public Park and boat ramp facilities for the season on Wednesday. The energy giant is changing its access rules for the park and lakeside beach on the south side of the Lake Murray dam this year, with visitors now required to make a reservation ahead of time on Dominion’s website. Spaces will be parceled out on a first-come, first-serve basis, and cash payments at the gate will no longer be accepted.
“Visitors have embraced the new reservation system since it launched last month, with more than 100 reservations so far,” Dominion spokesman Matthew Long said in a statement. “We anticipate more people will start using it as the weather gets warmer. We thank everyone for their patience during this change, especially as we approach the peak season at Lake Murray. We believe this will create an even better experience by providing visitors a guaranteed parking space when they arrive.”
Passes are available on the website three weeks ahead of time. Visitors will have to provide the pass they receive digitally and the associated email address when they arrive at the gate. The park will be open until Labor Day. About 80 parking spaces will initially be unavailable due to ongoing construction work on the dam, Long said, leaving 200 available for park visitors.
This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 1:01 PM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the number of parking spaces available at Dominion Energy’s Lake Murray Public Park. 80 spaces are currently out of use due to construction, with 200 spaces remaining for the public.
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