Sesquicentennial State Park

This was a fun ride on around 30% sand. Nice shaded parking in one of the nicer state parks in SC. I have an annual pass so no fee for me, but there is a charge to park. Watch for the blue arrows at the beginning. Lots of sand and about 800', total, of climbing. Bring your wide tires and lungs. Good for a beginner. No crazy technical stuff just lung busting sand at times. Was a great and scenic ride.

Just an update on the price. It's the beginning of December any they charge $5 to get in the park.

As others have said Sesqui is a great place to hit when recent rains have made other local trails to wet to ride. The Loop trail(road) and MTB trail primarily consist of sand. This means it drains almost instantly and really firms up in the wet. The most technical it will get with features will be climbs of roots and water steps and a rare deep drop of approx 29" wheel height. Where I believe it is technical and a good trainer is that same sandy surface. Turn up the heat and attempt to hold corner speed and it will test your cornering skills and your heart. If your skills aren't up to snuff it will tell you in an instant with a quick front/rear washout. If you're going after any prolonged dry period do expect areas of deep loose sand

I was wondering why I bought an Orbea Loki 27.5 with 3 inch tires and now I know. The 6 mile MTB trail had plenty of sandy areas to try it out. She did great! The trail s not very technical, but it's a lot of fun and plenty of hills. It's great for beginners or anyone wanting a good work out.

I really enjoy this trail. Been riding it for years. It's a great quicky.

This area has a lot of potential. What this park considers a bike trail is actually a dirt road. I had more fun riding on the hiking trail that the bike trail. There are a lot of unmarked trails that cut in and out of the woods that were kind of fun. The sand out there is a beast. If you have wide tires it will be easier.

I went to this park when it was dry (lots of loose sand) good place to practice balance cause it really wants to throw you off. I went on a off day during the week and decided to cruise around the hiking trail aswell and its a lot more scenic than the biking trail. If they added more technical parts/benches/wallride/anything on the portion of the bike trail that looks like a dirt road for a car I would probably be happy with this trail but that part is alittle boring

We ride here when it's too wet at other parks. The sand here is thick in places however when wet its rideable. This is a great ride when you cannot ride at Harbison. Nothing really challenging but you can get your heart rate up. The trails seem to be well maintained. We will go back when the rain comes.

If you turn into the first parking lot on the left near the Ranger's building, there is a nice 6 mile loop with some climbs and a couple that will challenge you. The only problem with the trail is that it is very sandy and seems to be especially sandy in many turns. Also, be careful of a large drop near the end of the forest part. Great trail to get yourself in shape for some more difficult rides.

OK place to ride if it's wet everywhere else. Not technical at all - a good beginner trail. As others have suggested, you are better off going to Harbison if you are looking for trails close to Columbia. Sesqui is a last resort for me...

Harbison was underwater, K3 is Sunday only during deer season, so I went to Sesqui for the first time. Fresh off of a few days of rain so the sand was packed, and while its no FATS or Spiderwoman, it was fun. There was one little set of steps on a climb that snuck up on me that I was not in the right gear for coming off a descent and it got me. The park staff has cleared up whatever downfall previous posters noted, and have signed the trails very well with placards and updated blazes on trees (though agree with others if you were to ride opposite direction, it could be tricky). It was a fun little ride that I will go back out to without hesitation on wet days. This would be a sandy nightmare when dried out, but dont be scared off by the reviews that describe it as bland, as I was for over a year. Its a great place to stretch the legs when your options are limited and is worthy of a trip if you live in/near Columbia. The park also offers camping, and this would be a fun night ride.

Sandy and not very technical. If you ride after a good rain the sand is not a real issue. Only a few switch backs with limited elevation. The only challenging part was the sand in some turns. This trail needs a lot of maintenance.

The latest storm dropped some trees on the trail.

Boring!

Not very challenging from a technical point but by starting with a fast lap around the main park road, mainly hard-packed dirt/sand will get the heart pumping for a fast run through the pine forest. The heat and humidity of July in Columbia will do the rest. A decent ride for beginners or someone just looking to get in a before or after work off road ride.

I understand that all the loose and deep send may be difficulkt or even annoying for some (especially beginners) but it offers some extra workout and bike control practice in the same time ;-). I really enjoyed this trail and had a great ride. Following the advice from these reviews I did the second lap in the other direction. Counter clockwise direction would, actually, need some improvements in marking. Otherwise this is a nice trail.

Fun little trail for those new to mountain biking. A few more log pyramids would increase the difficulty level. Definitely ride this trail after it's rained otherwise be prepared to ride and deal with loose sand in several sections. Trail was well marked and easy to follow. Nice job Columbia, good place to introduce new riders to single track.

very well marked but didnt like all the sand

Good trail to ride w/ fledgling MTBers or whenever the other trails in the area are closed after a good rain.* Review edited 2/20/2012

Decent trail. A lot of people don't like all the sand but I think it's not too bad. Nothing very difficult here, just a good place for me to go when I only have a little bit of time after work. The trail is not flat but only has small hills. Mostly single-track with a couple of spots that use a service road. Kind of short, only six miles, so I ride oneway then go back in the other direction.