Are you planning a trip to Hartwell with your horse? We've got you covered. Camping with horses is a beautiful way to experience nature. At The Dyrt, you can find top-rated spots for horse camping, as reviewed by campers.
After hours of scrolling through nature photos and majestic mountains, the urge to get out and explore is hard to ignore. We applaud the explorers and adventurers of the world who brave the treacherous elements, as well as the sweet photos that come as a result. However, for many the ideal of a fun weekend away consists less of roughing it, and more relaxing on a beach or in a warm cabin. If you’re in the latter of these groups, you’re going to love Oconee State Park.
Oconee is the idealistic place for families and friends looking for a nostalgic getaway complete with rustic charm and character. Dotted throughout the park are rustic, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Cabins available for nightly and weekly rental. Meanwhile, a small, glassy lake lazily invites campers to disrupt its reflection with the canoes and kayaks located on shore.
The Greenville region is known for 25+ waterfalls found throughout. Closer in, the 1,100+ acre state park hosts a number of wooded nature trails snake throughout. It also serves as the trailhead for South Carolina’s 77 miles Foothills Trail. Friends and families visiting can enjoy the local wildlife, as well as the regional flora and fauna which proudly thrive in abundance.
In the summer Lake Oconee comes alive, creating the backdrop for unforgettable family vacations. Festivities begin in June, including Square Dancing, mini golf, pedal boating competitions, and so much more. However the Winter Months are just as enjoyable if you don’t mind getting cozy in a warm cabin, sipping some coco, and reading a good book. The rangers here are known for their hospitality, and are knowledgeable on the area. Stop in their lodge for a small convenience store, firewood, and great conversations.
Oconee offers all the benefits of a mountain resort without the upscale pricing. There are 140+ sites available for rent, starting at just $21/night. Cabins and lodging is available but pricing is dependent on group sizes and room choice, so be sure plan out your trip in advance before coming.
This recreation area is part of Lake Sidney Lanier
Located in the northern Georgia mountains, far from civilization, Willis Knob Horse Campground is one of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests most beloved horse-lover hideaways. The campground features equestrian camping, riding and hiking trails and fishing in the nearby Chattooga River.
The 15-mile Willis Knob Trail in Georgia and 12.5 mile Rocky Gap Trail in South Carolina provide some of the most scenic horseback riding and hiking in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Winding across deeply dissected ridges, the trails descend into the vast Chattooga River. The 10.7-mile Chattooga River Trail and the 37-mile Bartram Trail are also accessible nearby and are for hiking only. Fishing is available in the Chattooga River.
The horse camp is located in a heavily wooded area of the forest, amid deep canyons and near to the Georgia-South Carolina border.
Chattooga River Wild and Scenic area is nearby
For facility specific information, please call (706) 754-6221.
$20 / night
Whetstone Horse Camp is located in the Andrew Pickens Ranger District in Oconee County in the western corner of South Carolina, about 13 miles northwest of Walhalla. The Chattooga River flows nearby. With over 30 miles of horseback riding trails, Whetstone serves as a base for those who like to ride and camp.
The Rocky Gap Trail on the South Carolina side of the river and the Willis Knob Horse Trail on the Georgia side provide excellent horseback riding and hiking opportunities. Visitors also enjoy exploring the nearby Chattooga River.
The camp is situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, near the Rocky Gap and Willis Knob Horse Trails. The Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests encompass more than 629,000 acres in four districts throughout South Carolina, from the lowcountry Atlantic Coast to the western foothills along the Georgia border.
The town of Walhalla is 13 miles away. The town holds an annual Oktoberfest celebration the third weekend of October. Stumphouse Tunnel, a 19-century uncompleted railroad tunnel, and Isaqueena Falls make for interesting visits. Both are located just 20 minutes from the camp.
$15 / night
Located approximately 8 miles from Clayton surrounded with 16,000 acres of Wildlife Management Area. 21 campsites overlooking the beautiful Walnut Fork Creek. 2 Bath Houses on site; as well as a covered pavilion for gatherings.
$20 - $30 / night
The Broad River side campground has 25 campsites available (11 Waterfront and 14 Interior Sites) and the Savannah River side has 33 sites available (7 Waterfront and 27 Interior Sites). The amperage on each site is 30/30/20 and each site has a water hookup, fire ring and picnic table. There is an extra $2.00 per night charge if using 50 Amp service. The Savannah River and Broad River Campgrounds both have comfort stations (restrooms, showers, handicap access) and washer/dryer available. There is also a dump station located in each campground.
Our Pioneer Campground is perfect for those seeking a more primitive camping experience where we have provided a fire ring, picnic shelter, and waterless toilet.
The Danny Burt Yurt Village is located within a shaded area on the Broad River side of Lake Thurmond (Known locally as Clark's Hill Lake). Bobby Brown Park has five Yurts. Yurts are a circular canvas tent 20'feet in diameter, 12' feet high featuring lattice wall support, insulation, clear dome skylight, electricity, outside water, heating and air conditioning, ceiling fan and lockable doors. The Yurts have a front & rear deck along with outdoor picnic table, grill, fire ring and swing. The Yurts are furnished with frame furniture that sleeps 6. Linens and blankets are not provided. A full-service comfort station is available in the Yurt Area with restrooms and showers. SMOKING IS PROHIBITED inside the Yurts. Pets are NOT ALLOWED in the Yurt Village.
The Petersburg Cabin is located in the historical area of the park. The cabin has a full kitchen, microwave, restroom with shower, heating and air conditioning, two full size futon beds, one full size bed and an outdoor deck with picnic table.
Guests must provide their own bed sheets, linens, towels and other necessities.
$20 - $25 / night
Scout
My wife& I stayed at Oconee State Park Oct. 28th-31st in a Cabin. For 90% of the stay, we had a wonderful time in the Cabin and walking/viewing the Lake, etc. However, there were several events that occurred in the Cabin that were disgusting and resulted in a BAD Situation and which I would assume is also occurring throughout the entire Oconee Park Cabin locations. On the 1st Night: We killed a"huge" Brown Recluse in our bathroom, on the floor near the sink wall. Luckily, I captured it and threw it in the fire. Next Morning: I noticed a big Fat Worm about 2-3" long of some unknown type on the bathroom floor near the sink area again. Obviously disposed of it. That afternoon, we went to the Station and told the Ranger attendant guy about our 2 experiences already. He searched and gave us a white Orkin Glue Strip to use and explained that Pest Control occasionally visits the Cabins?? Really?? Apparently not ours! 2nd Night: After placing the Glue Strip in the bathroom near the sink wall, I could not believe that, after hearing my wife scream, I discovered a Mouse partially trapped by the glue trap and only able to barely crawl toward the log wall with its front legs. I cautiously picked-up the glue trap from behind and threw the critter outside, still attached. 3rd Morning: Once again, another type of unknown Big Fat Worm in the bathroom near the sink and about 2" long. Again, disposed of. I cannot believe that, as nice as the rest of our Cabin#5 was, that there were that many insects& Varmints freely entering the Cabin walls. That was truthfully, DISGUSTING& VERY DISAPPOINTING. It is apparent that this Oconee State Park Cabin(s??) is managed by Gross Oversight& Negligence by someone. These four(4) unpleasant events greatly disturbed our stay and left a Very Unpleasant Taste in our Minds due to these occurrences. Imagine how uncomfortable you might be trying to slip into your bed linens at night with this invasion happening!!! If this State Facility is using any kind of Pest Control Measures, then obviously it is NOT WORKING and someone should be Disciplined or Fired! We have already filed a Complaint with the Oconee Park Manager several weeks ago and with the SC State Parks but as usual& expected, NO RESPONSE FROM ANYONE! NO ONE! Obviously, SC Parks and their Park Manager could care less about their customer’s bad experience, or the terrible condition of their specific cabins. All they want is YOUR MONEY$$$ and then you can leave!
Guide
Site 7 is separate from the others and has the whole point except there is a trail behind the site. No easy, sandy water access unless you go to the nice beach they have.
Traveler
Me and a friend came camping here this second weekend in January. The campground itself was well maintained and the hook ups, dump station and bathhouses were easy to find and use. We had only 2 complaints, the gate to get in closes at 10pm, unfortunately I85 was shut down on our way up so our 3 hr drive became 6hrs. We did not make it before the gate closed and had to stay at Walmart. No code no exceptions. Secondly, there are no trashcans anywhere, on the grounds or in the bathhouses. The trash dump is in a completely different part of the park. It was inconvenient with picking up after my dog. Besides those two things, beautiful lake camping with affordable campsite prices!
LegendNice state park with easy sites. Plenty large enough. Has grey tank hookup which is nice. Lots of trails to hike.
TravelerWe have been for 8 days with tomorrow being our day to head home. First for the pros. There is a fhu area with several buddies sites. These sites look to be upgraded from in the not to far past. My site was easy to back into with my 37’ 5th wheel with plenty of room for my truck. There are plenty of tent and water/electric only sites. Those are suited mostly for smaller rigs. There 2 lakes with easy trails around both. A swimming area , putt putt course and a park store. Many adventure in the area to be had, waterfalls , hiking, history, and other state parks. There was a square dance Friday night and by the screams of the kids it was a hit. A snow cone food truck is on site with weekend hours. Trash pickup is done by the park staff daily, which was nice. Now for a few cons. Many people put their trash out at night and garments opened the bags and staff were left with picking it up. Bathrooms were a little neglected during the week until the park becalm loaded again. Putt putt course is in pretty bad shape but still playable. As with most parks roads are directional and many people just ignored the signs or did not see them so the signs could be clearer. Our site need the grass trimmed due to the sand spurs growing. And last, a pet peeve of mine, pet on a leash or lead is for everyone, no Matter how well trained you think they are and we saw lots of dog poop in and around some camp sites where the campers were just leaving it for the next person to deal with. Overall our stay has been nice. Saw some waterfalls, and there are many in the area. Hiked , and hit devils fork for a swim in the clear lake. I would visit this park again since overall it has so much to offer in the area.
GuideClean and well-maintained including the facilities.
Guide
Well laid out campground with some good spots, especially further back in the campground. But definitely set up and geared for horseback riders. Passed through on a bike packing trip and we were the only non-horse people there. Campsite was clean, with bathrooms and water available.
LegendVery quite and easy to utilize all amenities. Nice having grey tank connection at the sites. Will be back.
Scout
Happy to find a reliable way to source RV horse camping
GuideGreat family vacation. Paddle boats and a beach. Dog friendly. Clean bathhouses. Garbage pick up. Close to Walhalla, if you need supplies. It's crowded. Reserve way in advance.
GuideWe love this park! We've been for Halloween twice now and out little guys loves it! The staff is so kind, and the garbage pick up twice a day is great! I will say, compared to other state parks, these campsites are TIGHT! Be prepared. We've come across this with other state parks in South Carolina. The facilities are clean, and the nature is beautiful! Can't go wrong with this campground!
Legend
Real friendly staff. Nicely laid out, but I guess could be challenging for really big rigs. W & E with dump station and pretty good facilities
Cell coverage a little challenging but managed to get enough download for Visible to stream Netflix. Too many trees to break out Starlink
Trails are a fun walk.
ScoutBeautiful playgrounds for kids. They have a beach area at the day use area. The park ranger was super friendly and helpful. Our fifth wheel was a lil bigger than site but they were very accommodating.
GuideA great place to camp with lots of hiking trails; there’s even a canoe trail! Campground is well maintained and bath houses are clean.
GuideWe go camping every memorial day weekend and this year it was at Don Carter. We love this camp ground! Its fairly new, probably under 12 years, and everything is so clean and well taken care of. The campsites are always clean when you arrive, and the volunteers are so sweet. We love that it's on the lake because family members have boats and its just easy to jump on at the campsite dock. There is also a beach for the kids to play at as well, very well kept. Our campsite was a tad bit small for our camper, large campers like motorhomes or fifth-wheels will not fit. Our campsite backed up to one of the hiking trails and our little guy loved it! Wonderful campground!
RangerI might be a little spoiled after staying at places like Black Rock and Cloudland, but this park was a bit boring. Definitely not a destination park by any means, but it was clean and easy to navigate, and the little beach was nice. The walk in campsites were nice, with plenty of room for our large group. However, there were no showers for the walk in sites, so we ended up showering down at the beach bathrooms at the outdoor showers. I wish the park had even put an open-air shower on the back of the bathrooms for the walk in. Would've made the stay a lot better.
GuideBeautiful state park with lots to see, nice hiking. Campground is small and sites are close. Some of the pull through sites are tight and challenging. Enjoyed our stay, will be back.
RangerWe’re still here. But we are enjoying our site. Great level site took no time to setup. Grey water on each site, power, and cable hookups. Our cable hookup was stripped but didn’t matter much. Campgrounds seem very new. Clean playground, quiet environment, and quiet camp grounds.
TravelerThis park is one of the newest in the GA state system and it shows based on how new the facilities look. The we camped at site 10 of the walk-in camp sites. There was one bathroom facility with flush toilets, but no showers. It looked like one could use the beach showers, but they were still close for winter. Site 10 was a nice spot with a decent distance from other sites. We were there at the beginning of spring. Once the tree coverage grows back in the site would be more secluded. There are many miles of hiking trails that are interconnected so one can make the a long challenging hike if so inclined. Overall this park was a nice basic state park, but seemed to be more of a day use park for locals than a destination park like many of the other GA state parks.
TravelerThis park is very pretty. The people camping here were very nice. Bathrooms are clean. The sites are notoriously NOT level. We had to move because we could not get level. Ended up in a site that faced the street (which was vey busy). A lot of the sites are very private and some have water views. The sites with sewer are very parking lot like.
GuideThis is a tiny campground and State Park. We stayed on site 20 which was a pull through. For a State Park the sites are considerable in size and our neighbors weren't 15 feet from our site.
Verizon LTE was on 4G with 2 bars but we had no issues with phone calls, texts or streaming.
There is one bathroom and there is a washer and dryer despite what someone mentioned. It looks pretty new.
Park is beautiful in the fall. Middle November there were still yellow, orange and red leaves hanging on for dear life.
Head down the the covered bridge 20 min after sunset for gorgeous photos.
GuideThis was our first time staying here and all in all we really enjoyed it! It’s a tradition of our to camp during Halloween weekend and our little guy loves his best life! I’ve never been to a camp that goes all out as much as this campground does, and not just the rangers, the other campers as well. It was so fun. Our site was a little tight and difficult to get into, but once in we enjoyed ourselves. We will definitely be going back! There is a playground near the ranger office, and then throughout there are stations of tire swings and we al enjoyed the tire swings being right next to our site, nice added bonus. This campground quickly became one of our favorites.
TravelerFirst time visitor and already planning the next trip. I stayed in cabin 12 which is an ADA cabin. Privacy, location, amenities were all top notch. The only disappointment was that a wheelchair bound person would not be able to join, or have great difficulty , at the firepit.
TravelerWe camped here last month and it quickly became one of our favorite campsites.. you’re not so close to your neighbor so it’s still private but there’s still plenty of people around in case you need help or something happens.. the bathrooms were probably my favorite lol the showers are the nicest showers I’ve seen at a campsite
ScoutQuiet and breezy
GuideI’ve been going to Oconee State Park since I was a kid and have always enjoyed it. It is very family friendly and great for kids. Several trails to hike and lots of history at the park. The only negatives is the park is not a great park for a getaway in my opinion. It’s more focused on the family time (nothing wrong with that) and the sites are very very close together. I stayed at tent site 12 and it was great but was a very far hike in. Not a bad thing but wasn’t planning on backpacking on this particular trip. Overall a great park and will always go back!
GuideThe waterfall is beautiful and there are plenty of trails for hiking. Single track and double track. The facilities are decently clean. The are around the park is very clean.
Horse camping in Georgia offers a unique blend of scenic trails and well-equipped facilities, making it a favorite for equestrian enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Hartwell, GA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Hartwell, GA is Oconee State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 43 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Hartwell, GA?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 equestrian camping locations near Hartwell, GA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
