Twin Lakes at Lake Hartwell, near Hartwell, Georgia, is a fantastic spot for those looking to unwind by the water. This campground offers a mix of tent and RV sites, many of which provide easy access to the lake, making it perfect for swimming, fishing, or just soaking up the sun.

Visitors rave about the peaceful atmosphere and the stunning water views. One camper mentioned, “We had our own private swimming spot with steps into the water,” highlighting the campground's charm. The sites are spacious, with some offering shade and a bit of privacy, which is great for families or groups looking to relax together.

The campground is open year-round, so you can enjoy it in any season. While there are no showers, the clean restrooms and friendly staff make for a comfortable stay. Plus, the nearby grocery store and dining options mean you won’t have to venture far for supplies or a good meal.

If you’re up for some adventure, the area around Twin Lakes is perfect for hiking and boating. Just be mindful of the local wildlife; skunks have been spotted wandering around, but they usually keep to themselves. Whether you're planning a weekend getaway or a longer retreat, Twin Lakes offers a welcoming environment for all types of campers.

## Overview

 Twin Lakes Recreation Area is a 152-acre site consisting of a dense overstory of pines and mixed hardwoods. The site presently offers camping and a separate day use and boat launching area. Day use and camping facilities are separated to prevent user conflicts. The area is moderate to gently sloping with the northernmost campsites being located on the steepest terrain. Campgrounds facilities presently include a gatehouse/entrance, 2 Park Attendant campsites, 102 public campsites, 1 picnic shelter, 5 comfort stations with showers, 2 dump stations, 5 playgrounds, 1 designated swim area/beach, and associated paved roads and parking areas throughout. Day Use facilities presently include a new gatehouse/entrance installed in 2017, 1 volunteer host campsite, 27 picnic sites, 2 standard picnic shelters with water and electric service, 1 two lane boat ramp, 1 courtesy dock, 2 comfort stations, 1 playground, 2 designated swim areas/beaches, and associated paved roads and parking areas throughout. The campground experiences very high occupancy rates throughout the year and is Hartwells highest producer of camping revenue. 
## Recreation

 Boating and water sports top the list of popular activities. A boat ramp is provided for easy lake access. With multiple trails snaking throughout the shoreline area, hiking and biking are also popular pastimes.
## Natural Features

 Hartwell Lake is a man-made lake bordering Georgia and South Carolina on the Savannah, Tugaloo and Seneca Rivers. The dam and lake area boasts 8 campgrounds and 11 day-use facilities that are operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The Hartwell Project was originally authorized for hydro-power, flood control, and navigation. Later, recreation, water quality, water supply and fish and wildlife management were added. Surrounding vegetation allows for plenty of shade, and the 962 miles of shoreline provide numerous swimming beaches, picnic areas and boat ramps. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Twin Lakes is located just five miles from Clemson, South Carolina and Clemson University, offering additional tourism opportunities, along with grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants. 
## Charges & Cancellations

 - Once your reservation has been created, there will be a $10.00 fee to cancel and a $10.00 fee to change your site or dates. - Cancellations made the day before, or up to the day after your arrival date will also be charged the first night use fee. - Reserved campsites will be held until check out time ( 2 p.m.) on the day following your scheduled arrival date. If you do not arrive at campground by 2 p.m. to fulfill your reservation, your reservation will be cancelled and you will be assessed a $20 service fee and forfeit the first night use fee. - If your reservation is for one night and you have been charged the first nights use fee, there is no $10 service fee. Refunds: - To insure fairness for all Recreation.gov customers, any reservation with departure dates outside the 6 or 12 month maximum window cannot be changed or cancelled until 18 days after the reservation is made. - Refunds must be requested no later than 14 days after scheduled departure date. Refunds may be requested through NNRS Customer Service at 888-448-1474. Refunds for bank card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank card. Cash and check purchases will be refunded by check and may take up to 8 weekds for approval and processing.

Twin Lakes at Lake Hartwell

Searching for the best camping near Clemson, SC? Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Clemson, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Clemson, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.

Clemson

The Best Camping Near Clemson, South Carolina

Open year round, nice staff,full hookup unavailable

Federal owned

Yes 

It is a very family friendly site that is always a favorite. The lake isn’t the cleanest but it’s great for boating, kayaking, and paddle boarding. The biggest plus for me is that it is a short distance from Fants Grove and T Ed Garrison arena. During rodeos held at the Garrison arena we often take breaks to Fants Grove for the wonderful horse friendly trails on Lake Hartwell. As far as I know no facility offers over night horse boarding at this site which is a shame. 

Nearby equestrian trails

Clean bath houses, nice and large campsites, most sites have nice views 

Nice campground 

Tent camped here at Twin Lakes in June 2018. Very private (site 12) and beautiful view of Lake Hartwell. Staff was friendly and bathrooms/showers were clean.

Private and great view. Very peaceful

I have stayed here dozens of times. We always get water front sites. Bathhouses are a little old but they are always clean. Level gravel pads for campers and quiet park. Easy access dump station on the way out. Going back to spend another week in the fall. 

Love Twin Lakes

We stayed at Twin Lakes for the proximity to our hometown. The sites were immaculate, and more private/better shielded than other campgrounds. The waterfront aspect was completely charming. The water and electric hookups worked perfectly, the fire pit had been cleaned out and was easy to use... it was all great! The bathrooms were not amazing but they were quite handicap accessible which was awesome, and there were  a lot of them. 

The swimming area was nice and the playgrounds were sadly closed but definitely would have been enjoyed by my kids! Overall it was quiet and relaxing. All we could have wished for was a breeze, it was stifling hot (95+). 

Delightfully Quiet (but HOT!)

Huge campground near Clemson. The best spots are hard to get unless you reserve way ahead of time. Plenty of amenities and most sites are lakefront. A very busy boat ramp and the lake is as busy here as anywhere on the lake. Hot in the summer. 

As far as the actual campground is concerned its top notch. 

Soothing and relaxing overlooking the water. 

Twin Lakes COE, Pendleton SC

 We stayed here for 2 nights just this past weekend. It was easy to get to and very well maintained. Our site(site 60) was right on the lake and absolutely beautiful. The layout of the loop we were on was very well thought out and plenty of space between sites so you don't feel like you were right on top of your neighbors. The way the sites were oriented, you had a fantastic view of the lake. 

  

One thing to really consider is proximity to Clemson. When we booked the site, it was one of only a handful available however while walking our dogs, we noticed over half of the sites were unoccupied. With the cancellation of college football, this is not surprising. Fall will be a busy time so if quiet is what you are after, I would be mindful of the Clemson home schedule. 

  

The bath houses were very clean, however there is no soap for washing your hands so keep that in mind if you use the facilities. The dump station was also nice and easy to use. Three large dumpsters for taking trash when you empty your tanks. 

  

Not all sites have a separate grill and fire pit which was the only downside. Ours did not, but the fire pit did have a grate you could put over a fire and cook.

Beautiful Lake Views

Amazing Water Views. Really not a bad spot in this campsite. We stayed at site #26 and #33.  The pictures here are of site #26. Awesome views. Water and Electric on each site. Super clean. Helpful staff. We will be back!

Our #1 Campsite of All Time!

We stayed here this past weekend and absolutely loved it. Our site was #40 and it was right on the lake. There is a skunk that comes up to your site at night but he doesnt bother anyone as long as you dont scare it. Very beautiful and peaceful campground. Friendly staff. Definitely going to return again. 

Beautiful campground

Really no bad spots here! So many amazing spaces.
This is site #26

Beautiful waterfront and tent camping sites. 

Another great COE campground.  Large sites (most had plenty of room for our 35' motor coach) with most backing up to the water.  Restrooms were clean.  Water pressure at site and in restroom showers was very good.  Picnic table and fire pit were in good shape.  Two dump sites are available.  Checkin was easy and the staff was helpful.

Will definitely stay here again when in the area.

Great Location

We were in Clemson for a wedding, and were surprised how close Twin Lakes Campground was to everything. 12 minutes to downtown Clemson (even on a game day Saturday).

  

Our site had amazing seclusion and great views of Death Valley stadium and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

  

A couple things about our site #12. It's a multi-level site where your rig goes up top, and you have a fantastic "lower patio" with a large picnic table and fire pit. 8 yards from a small sandy beach area where you could pull a boat up to.

  

BUT BEWARE, this spot is really meant for motorized RV's and not trailers. Due to the orientation it is meant to pull in head first so your electric and water are on the "land side" and not the "lake side" of the site. That allows you to have your door and awning facing the lake. HOWEVER, if you're in a trailer like we are, you have to come into the site from other direction, basically against the one way direction of small road. 

  

You'll notice our utilities are on the same side as the normal sitting area, which faces the hill and NOT the water. Then when pulling out, you have no option other to go the wrong way on the one way loop...you'll need to have spotters.

  

Overall, site is fantastic. RV's all day long. Travel trailers beware...make sure you're under 25 feet to be able to make the very tight "against the grain" turns you'll need to get in here.

  

But...with the view and seclusion as the nearest site is about 50 yards away...worth it if you can summon a lot of patience.

Amazing view. Great Privacy. Site 12 is awkwardly amazing.

We started camping last year and have been to a lot of campgrounds all around lake Hartwell and Twin Lakes for us was the best one. We love it. We have a boat and get the same site every time and are always happy staying there. 

Great Campground !

Most, but not all, sites have lake views.  During the time of our visit, only one area was open for camping (sites 25-58).  We picked site 42 out of a handful of available sites, all seemingly equal.

  

Apon arrival we discovered sites 42 and 43 are very cozy with each other.   A family with a large number of small children was tent camping in site 43, basically using site 42 as a spillover (literally, the site 43 water is physically located inside the edge of site 42, and as children were getting water, this created a small muddy run towards our trailer position).    Suffice it to say we were pretty displeased with the proximity of the neighboring camp site.   See picture.   On the positive side, these 2 sites would be a great setup for a multi-family or group camping event.

  

We walked the next branch of the campsite which was not open, and found that sites 3-24 are much more to our liking with regards to elbow room and privacy.  Our next trip to this park will be on that branch.

  

I would recommend this park with the caveat of doing site research ahead of time.

Camp map is here:

https://www.sas.usace.army.mil/Portals/61/docs/lakes/hartwell/PlanaVisit/TwinLakes/FY13TwinLakes.pdf

Some sites better than others.  Do your research first.

Great site right on the lake with lots of space, flat, and great sunset 

Small beach at my site 

Campground is making major changes. Family friendly. Great pizza and fantastic restaurant next door. Big catfish and nice dock and beach.

Gator County

We had a great weekend. The sites are large, very clean, and conveniently located. Each site has a fire pit, grill, and large picnic table. Gravel parking area, easy access, and very private! 

Twin lakes/lake hartwell

We loved staying here for a birthday weekend. Dog friendly, right on the water, clean restrooms. We stayed at a primitive site and will definitely be back. It was mostly very quiet with the exception of some boats engines or playing music during the day. Felt very safe!

Easy waterside camping

Big spacious sites. Lots of pull through options. Beware of skunks at night. Don’t really bother you, but we had 6 hanging out by the campfire. It was pretty cool to have them visit. 

Very nice lakeside sites

I found everything I was looking for and more in Jonesboro, NC, where I left knowing I would come back to again and again to experience a little bit of Heaven here on earth. Camping lots at only $25/night. So many aminities right on site that included, but not limited to; excellent fishing spots, showers &amp; laundry services, recreational abundance all around, and golf cart friendly community filled friends always willing to help whenever the need arose. Lake access offered clean beach atmosphere with breathtaking sunsets and welcomed pets like family. I cannot wait to go back! I will stay as long as I can. 

The Air up There

Great attendants, grounds were kept neat and clean with the exception of poison oak and Ivy!! Good quiet place to stay.

Retirement weekend 

Prepare yourself for some beautiful sunsets! The campsite was perfect, plenty of shade for the bulk of the day. Beach access was right down a small hill and a playground was on the other side of the beach. Our first night we had a monsoon, our site flooded but did dry out quickly the next day. They did tell us at the gate that they are having skunk issues, we saw one or two in the evening but they didn’t bother us. We made sure our pup was inside to not risk her being sprayed. The bathhouses weren’t bad, but they could stand a good cleaning. The gate staff was friendly, and we had no issues at all. Hoping to make a trip back soon! 

Overall excellent time! 

Well maintained campground with most sites situated within easy access to Lake Hartwell. A short drive to Clemson via country roads.  Stayed in site #12 with tents so the orientation and split level site weren’t an issue.  However, as someone else has mentioned re this specific site, it could be tricky to get a trailer into this slot.  Personally, I think the sites located in the 01-23 loops offer more secluded sites to select from than the rest of the campground.  Many offer easy access to the lake for boating or beach playing.  Skunks are not afraid of humans and will wander into your campsite in broad daylight with you there.  Knocked off a star for the bathrooms which were dated and dirty with poor lighting; wife didn’t feel comfortable using them at night.  They likely don’t get much use if the number of self contained RVs we saw is any indication of the typical visitor.  Regardless of the bathrooms, we’ll be back.  The support staff/hosts were very friendly and available for questions.  Hard to reserve spots due to location on the lake and relative to Clemson, especially during football season.  

Great lakefront campground close to Clemson

We have been coming to this park for years with family and have always enjoyed it. First trip with our own RV. 

We stayed the first week of January so the campground was quiet and not a ton of neighbors. They only keep one loop open during winter months. 

Nice flat spot but tight for our 33ft travel trailer with one tree on patio side and truck barely fit in front. The yard in this site is nice and open for kids. Cool stone steps down to the lake. 

We had water heater trouble so used the bathhouse for showers. They were clean and well maintained. 

Overall we enjoyed it and already planning our next trip with family! 

Peaceful Park

Quiet and peaceful campground. Very close to grocery store and dining. Fantastic water views and warm lake water. Boats in the distance, and we had our own private swimming spot with steps into the water. Well maintained and friendly staff!

First-Timer’s, Will Be Back

Campsite surround the lake. Sites are plenty big and lead to the lake. Campground was very peaceful. We had a small walk to bathroom with showers. 

Photos of Twin Lakes at Lake Hartwell

Real photos from real campers