Lake Murray & the Dam

The Columbia clubs' lake ride in one loop: from Lexington the route takes US-378 west, SC-391 north across the far end of Lake Murray to Prosperity, US-76 east through Little Mountain and Chapin, and SC-6 south across the Dreher Shoals Dam back to Lexington. It's 63 miles of smooth rolling road, good for a large or new pack. Expect traffic lights around Lexington and Irmo, and the dam lots fill on weekends.

Lake Murray is the big lake west of Columbia, and riding around it is a regular outing for the city's clubs. From Lexington the route takes US-378 west, turns north on SC-391 across the far west end of the lake to Prosperity, and comes back east on US-76 through Little Mountain and Chapin on smooth, rolling two-lane road. It's a scenery ride rather than a curvy one, which makes it a good first ride for a large or new pack.

The finish is SC-6 across the Dreher Shoals Dam, the earth dam built in 1930 on the Saluda River that created the lake; at about a mile and a half long, it was billed as the largest earthen dam in the world when it was completed. A walkway about 1.7 miles long runs along the top, with the lake on one side. The parks and lots at each end of the dam fill on weekends, and expect traffic lights around Lexington and Irmo at the start and finish.