Best Tent Camping near Aiken, SC

Tent Camping Reviews near Aiken, SC

398 Reviews of 9 Aiken Campgrounds

• C

  Charles H.

  Guide

  Mar. 24, 2023

  Lick Fork Lake Recreation Area

  Nice spot would return for sure

  I was passing thru SC on the SCAR headed down to the Palmetto Rally and stopped here to camp. It was a very nice campground with level pads, picnic table and fire ring (bring your own wood). As well there were several vault toilets and there was even a water faucet. It was a good campground and I would stay here again. It is not reservable so first come first served. There was some cell coverage as well. I tent camped so can not comment on RV as the others in the campground were tent camping as well.

• 

  Mo F.

  Guide

  Aug. 26, 2016

  Mistletoe State Park Campground

  Waterfront seclusion

  We camped in one of the tent only walk-in sites located on a peninsula jutting into the lake. We had a ton of stuff, not realizing it was an uphill and pretty long trek, but it was totally worth it. We had the whole place to ourselves, no neighbors, in late March. The sun setting over the water was beautiful, it was quiet even as a few motor boats came in for the night. There is a tiny beach on the tip of the peninsula, picnic tables, and an outhouse. It was my favorite spot of everywhere we stayed on an Alabama-Georgia-South Carolina roadtrip including AirBnB and bed and breakfast.

• 

  Joseph J.

  Traveler

  Mar. 2, 2026

  Steel Creek River Ramp

  Primitive clearing with boat ramp

  It is very much just an abandoned boat ramp on the river. It’s quiet, secluded and I was the only person here. There’s signs of other campers and fires but I can’t say what’s allowed. Fish and wildlife stopped by because they saw me from the water. He said he would like to see it used more often. It’s practically abandoned. The city mows it. As long as people leave no trace. There’s some trash around, but I can only fit what I brought in.

• N

  Name

  Scout

  Oct. 16, 2022

  Elijah Clark State Park Campground

  Friendly. Fun. Relaxing.

  Set up well for families with children… room to ride bikes, scooters, skateboards; playground; putt putt course; trails to walk; beach areas all around the camp ground for easy access to the water. Kayak rentals.

  Bathrooms were generally clean. Campsites a relatively flat. Good picnic tables at each site. Not every site had a pole for a lantern or trash bags to hang from. Fairly good tree coverage around the campground for shade and hammocking.

• 

  Andy S.

  Traveler

  Sep. 16, 2019

  Mistletoe State Park Campground

  Nice!

  This is a review of the four walk-in tent sites at Mistletoe State Park.  I personally stayed in #4 and had a look at the others. 

  The best site is definitely #2 -- feet from the water, spacious, suitable for more than one tent or hammock (better for tents as it is mostly open, but there are places for hammocks along the edges). 

  Site #4 is probably second best, better for a hammocks probably (which is what I had) as no great level ground. It is not right on the water but has it's own private path to the water(couple hundred feet to the water).

  Sites #1 & #3 do not really have access to the water without climbing down something steeply dangerous or through thick trees.  (The water access from the other sites is right in the middle of those other sites so you couldn't really share that unless they are empty or occupied by friends.)  Still #1 is a pretty good site.  #3 is the least interesting and smallest, but still secluded -- I wouldn't call any of these bad.

  None of these sites have groomed tent pads -- just gravelly ground.   They do each have a table, fire pit, and lantern pole.  #1 & #2 are best for tents.  There is good separation between all sites.  Sites #2 & #3 are within shouting distance of each other and you'd be able to see tents, etc at one from the other.  There is an outhouse between sites #1 & #2, and another another between sites #3 & #4.  It is a 5 minute (or so) walk to the real bathroom (which also has showers) back in the main campground.

  Other than the lake itself at sites #2 & #4, I didn't see any dedicated water source for these sites.  (The lake is silty -- pre-filtering recommended if you are using a filter.)  So you'd have to bring in water or get it from the bathroom area or maybe from an empty RV site which all have spigots.  You'll have to pack out your trash, and there are definitely critters around that will get in your trash so it should be secured somehow.  (Hanging it from the lantern pole isn't good enough -- you'll wake up to find a hole in the bag and it strewn around, ask me how I know.)

  Everything in the park was very clean and well-maintained, although when I was here in September (during the week), the whole place was basically deserted anyway.

  The water access at sites #2 & #4 is nice but it is not a real beach -- it is all large rocks for the most part and they were very slippery even when dry so be careful.  The water level was also extremely low when I was there so some of those rocks are probably covered by water earlier in the year.

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• M

  Muffy S.

  Traveler

  Aug. 2, 2020

  Aiken State Park Campground

  Kayaking

  So worth the trip! Beautiful hour long paddle from Aiken St Park.

• 

  Michelle P.

  Scout

  Jan. 19, 2021

  Sweetwater Lake Campground

  One Star is Too Much

  I would like to give an honest review of this campground because I rely on other peoples’ reviews to choose campgrounds that I have not been to before. I cannot in good faith recommend this campground to anyone. I called the week ahead to confirm that reservations were not required. I spoke with a lovely lady who shared reservations were not required and that their campground never fills up. (However I will have to say the night that I arrived, there were very few spaces left.) I told her I had read good reviews and that we were local and were excited to come.
  My first impression - I would prefer to camp under the stars. Instead, at this campground you camp under a light pole at each campsite. We also like to have a fire ring to have a fire going to cook our food, but not at this campground. There’s a community fire, and no fire rings at the campsites. But the most deplorable part of our short stay was the treatment received from the owner. We arrived after dark, in the fog and after setting up our camper, we went to plug it in only to find that there was no wiring in the electrical box. Unfortunately we did not notice the small, paper sign, wet and faded stating that the electric box was out of order. When we spoke to the owner, he had no professional courtesy at all. He was the rudest person I have ever met. He blamed us for not reading his wet, faded sign that could not be seen in the dark. He did not offer to help, but instead raged on and noticed that we had South Carolina plates. He then said we weren’t even supposed to be there, that their campground is for out of state campers. I have never heard of such a thing and not to mention, the lady I spoke to earlier in the week knew I had said we were local and did not mention this policy on the phone. If I I am paying to camp, I expect a working campsite. If it does not have working electricity or sewer, it should be roped off so that people know not to park there. We packed up and left because of the unprofessional behavior of this campground owner. If you are looking for a place to camp, I would highly recommend skipping Sweetwater Lake Campground and checking out one of our State Park campgrounds instead. They have working campsites under the stars with electricity, water, fire rings, and park rangers that care about your camping experience.

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• 

  Bill W.

  Scout

  Jun. 15, 2024

  Sumter National Forest Lick Fork Lake Recreation Area

  "roughing it" in a small secluded campground.

  I spent a great couple of days here mid-week in mid-June. There was one other occupied campsite (out of 9) the first night and I had the whole place to myself the second. No showers, no wi-fi or cell sevice, no dump station, no electricity, and a common water spigot-just what I wanted. No reservations either. 

  There were people who came to fish in the pond (more of a pond than a lake) and I had a nice swim.. There are two trails. A short one (about a mile) around the pond and a longer 5.6 mile loop. Great trail.

  Be sure to check the website for problems beforehand.   The water was out when I was there (actually it was restored just as I pulled out!!!).

  So all in all, I great place if you want a rough campsite with few others around.

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• R

  Richard A.

  Ranger

  Apr. 4, 2026

  Winfield - J Strom Thurmond Lake

  Winfield waterfront campground is open again...

  Winfield Campground is open, upon arrival we were told that after 2+ years closed they are finally open again.

  This COE park is beautiful, has approximately 80 site of which about 90% of them are lake front. Most sites are VERY large and provide a decent amount of privacy. 

  Each site has a picnic table, fire ring/grill combo, as well as a separate standing grill and food preparation table. All have electric/water hookups, no sewer, but there is a dump station.

  The bathhouses are slightly dated but during our stay were cleaned well daily.

  There is also a boat ramp and dock/fishing pier, playground, and unstaffed swimming beach. (All located near sites numbered in the 70's)

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