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Enjoy a stroll in nature along one of our relaxing forest trails and if you want to try your hand at primitive camping let us know since we have several tent camping sites available.
We are booking reservations for our pioneer camping. Sites are $15 per campsite per night. Please note sites do not have access to fresh water or bathrooms. There is limited access to electricity in the common area but roughing it is meant to be part of the experience. Of course if you do need supplies, you are in the middle of Augusta, GA with a Family Dollar conveniently located next door. Once you step foot in the forest though you will feel as though you are miles away from it all! Our forest trails are free to the public and a great way to get out in nature!
$15 / night
Traveler
I was originally a little nervous about booking this because I tent camp and the only sites available were full RV ones. I like to be more alone and tucked in the back somewhere. The RV sites do not offer much for privacy as the trees are spread out and far between, however each site is spread out enough that it’s not terrible. The sites were shaded and the whole park was very clean and well maintained. Even the trails after days of heavy rain was cleared and looked good. Camp host was super nice and offered us his axe to help us with wood. You had the option to rent kayaks and little paddle boats that was closed due to Covid 19. There was like 6 different trails to choose from that we enjoyed. We took advantage of the lake and did a lot of fishing. I would definitely go back and hopefully will have the opportunity to stay in a tent site because they looked awesome!
Traveler
This campground is 20 miles from town. it is a long way out. The site is a loop for 35 foot or less and it has tent sites! it has one bathhouse with 2 showers and two toilets. it is not enough when it is full. It does not have sewer but a dump site. No phone or internet use. It was very quiet and it offered walking trails, small beach area on lake.
GuideMagnolia Springs State Park is a nice Georgia State Park. Located just north of Millen, GA, the park offers ample camping for both RVs and tents.
Spots are flat and easy to park campers and set up tents with enough room between each for a bit of privacy and a few walk-in tent sites for increased privacy. Cabin rentals are available as well as a group lodge. There is a bath house in the main campground that is well kept complete with flush toilets and showers, as well as a coin laundry machines.
Kayak, canoe, pedal boat and bike rentals are all available from the visitor center to explore the spring fed lake and mostly flat trails in the park.
This is a lovely park to camp and spend time in, but is a 2-3 hour drive to Atlanta or Savannah if you are interested in exploring GA. The town of Millen has fast food options, as well as ample opportunity to pick up essential goods.
Ranger
This is a typical state park, not exciting, but mostly quiet.
The road going into the campground is horrible if you are towing a camper and full of potholes but is manageable. We are tent campers, so this didn’t affect us.
We tent camped in site #1, and the park was full this weekend. There are only 25 spots here, so it fills regularly. Our site was mostly level.
We did have a group of about 10,000 scouts camp right behind us in the group site. This never bothers us, it’s always good to see kids out in nature. They were mostly quiet for such a large group.
The bathroom / shower house is centrally located in the middle of the loop that the campground is arranged into. It was clean and had plenty of hot water.
They do lock the gate at night, so if you are arriving late, call for the code to the lock on the gate. We made it before the gate closed, but the ranger did call us while on the road (we live about 2 hrs away) to see if we needed the code.
Nothing much to do here as far as we saw, but that’s why we camped here this time. Just sat and read while enjoying the weather.
GuideThe main campground is flat making it easy to back up campers or RV’s in slots. Some pull through spots. We were tent camping and choose a walk in slot. 27, 28 & 29. Our site was 29 it is about 100 yards from the main campground down a single lane sandy road that leads into a wooded area. We saw vehicles on the other 2 spots and decided to just pull in by our space as well. I really like the walk in spaces because they are away from the main campground. I do like seeing stars at night but the tree canopy blocked them. The spigot on this spot was leaky. We did watch chickadees take an evening bath in the puddle. We noticed some little pieces of broken glass on the tent pad. The bathhouse was clean.
The 28 acre lake and trails throughout the property are well maintained. Signs to watch out for gators are posted. We saw 2. The springs are so pretty and clear, so many turtles and fish to see. I would’ve liked to paddle board in the springs but wasn’t sure if that was permitted. We did paddle board and kayak in the lake.
If you are up to a history lesson the Camp Lawton museum is a bargain at $2 ! It is very informative.
We had lovely weather and would return in the fall or spring. Summer may be to buggy and hot.
Traveler
This one one of the cutest, most well-maintained State Park Campgrounds we’ve been to. The groundskeeper Larry is the nicest man and was so welcoming from booking to departure. You can tell he takes pride in caring for his site. There’s a nice big field for the dogs to play in and we were able to rent kayaks from the outfitter across the creek to explore the Edisto River. There’s a good burger place 3 miles down the road (Lee’s) too. The cell and WiFi worked great for full time remote work and locationally Colleton is about 1 hour between Charleston, Savannah, and Congaree National Park. I think this is also the smallest state park in South Carolina.
ScoutOverall good experience with this campground. The ranger was super sweet and helpful. We enjoyed the trails, and they were nice and easy to get through and just long enough to feel like you got a bit of hiking in. They offer rentals for John boats, paddle boats, and kayaks for a very reasonable cost. We rented two paddle boats and had a blast (it was exhausting though). There is wifi at the office and meeting building, which came in handy for communication since cell service was spotty at best.
The sites are kind of on the smaller side and close, so if you are bringing a large camper it might be a challenge. There were lots of campers, so it's definitely doable though. We were in a tent so the pad size was perfect for us. The pad is mostly sand over clay, rather than gravel, which was great with the tent. The sites have power and water. Lots of trees, so it's perfect if you have hammocks. They also sell fire wood on site, if you need it.
My only minor complaints were the bathrooms, office hours, and wasps. The bathrooms are clean and fully functional but oddly proportioned so the showers and stalls are really cramped but the sink area is huge. The office is only open a couple hours a day, which was understandable but inconvenient. There were a lot of wasps around the fishing pier and the boats. Didn't have any problems with them in other areas or at the camp site, so that was good at least.
All in all, the trip was very enjoyable and we look forward to going back to Barnwell as well as making our way through the other state parks.
GuideI’ll put my gripe first and get it out of the way. Site 16 was awful to get into. Two trees are only about 10 feet apart and once you clear those you have to jackknife and nearly scrape your tow vehicle on a tree just to get close enough to the utility pedestals and to have some space on the door/awning side. The site slopes by the utilities and I had to get onto 4 leveling blocks and was still slightly off kilter. Ok. Gripe over. The rangers and crew were friendly and amazing! The park (during the week, late May) was pretty sparse with only 7-8 of the 25 sites occupied. Come Friday it fills up (and group near me noisy).. the park is beautiful, but small. Has a really nice fishing pier and beautiful hike around the lake. The two towns on either side (Blackville and Barnwell) are just enough for supplies. Overall a great and affordable place to visit!
Scout
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.
RangerWe stayed 3 nights in the “walk in” tent area of this state park. The park called the day prior to our reservation to see if we would need firewood, a big plus. “Walk in” is a little deceiving, because, gladly, you can drive to the 3 tent spots and park a vehicle in this area. We stayed in spot 29. The three tent spots all have water at each site. They all have spacious tent pads in a wooded, heavily shaded area. 29 has the tent pad very close to the “road/trail”, but there was very little traffic on it. We arrived at night, and the camp host was friendly and directed us to the site. The park was full, but the sites were spaced well and the park was pretty quiet. The bathrooms were very clean and did have hot water. There were numerous signs posted for alligators and bears. I didn’t put a lot of stock into the bear signs due to the fact that none of the garbage cans or anything were “bear-proof”. We did finally see one gator as we walked by the spring one of the days. I thought that we had seen on their site that no hammocks were allowed, or anything tied to the trees, so we didn’t take our hammocks. This was not the case, as there were many hammocks up when we were there. You can look up the history of this place on their website. We were there May 8-11 and only had one colder evening and weather in the 70’s during the day. We would definitely go back.
RangerFirst of all: this place is mainly an RV campground and I am a tent camper.
But I was desperate, so I showed up here without any prior contact or reservation.
They allowed me to pitch my tent close to the lake, far away from the RVs. They do have a bathroom with a shower and it’s not in the best condition, but when you haven’t showered in a week, it’s just fine.
This place wasn’t ideal, but it was great in a pinch for one night.
ScoutWe stayed over on our way to Charleston, SC. We booked it online. We had no hookeups, but water and a dump station is available. There are hiking trails, canoeing, and fishing. The ranger was super friendly and they are pet friendly. We had to switch sites when we arrived due to a space issue. We have a 32’ RV and the site stated a max of 35’ but there was a tent pad that would have interfered with us being level. We were allowed to switch with no issues.
Traveler
The tent area with electric and water hookup of this campground has no privacy. Our first time at a private campground. We prefer state parks. The kids did enjoy the dome they got to jump on at various times of the day. The playground is great! The hike was pretty uneventful. They have a pool although we did not swim when we went, much too cold in November. The staff is great. Bathrooms were clean. This place is great just depends on what type of camping you enjoy.
ScoutReally clean camp sites, they offer primitive camping without any amenities theses camp sites are more secluded and peaceful in my opinion its also near a large fishing pond and creek all the primitive sites do all have a small fire pit, and there are two outhouses( bring your own toilet paper). They also offer more luxury camping in the main park with running water and showers and outlets this is also where the RVs are parked, but you can also put up tents. In the main park there is a few fishing ponds with the ability to rent Kayaks, a spring fed pond with a swimming area, hiking trails, playground and also bathrooms and picnic tables. There is alot to do my family had a blast.
GuideWe stayed in the Cabin which was great with a baby! AC kept us cool in the heat of the summer but we were still close to our friends in tents and campers... nice tree coverage and close (quick drive) to the Edisto river/beach. Where you can raft or hang out at the beach.
Right by the cabin is a walk down to the river for fishing. Don’t recommend swimming here! undertow could be dangerous... there’s a path to the water on the other side of the camp where we set up to fish also but lost a lot of lures in the brush. Kids had a blast anyway!
RangerThis is an ok campground. Small (25 sites) and quiet. Kudos to the park staff for calling the day before to see if we needed firewood, and give us the gate code in case we were going to be late.
As I said before, it is quiet (except for our neighbors ac kicking on and off all day and night). Site 23 is spacious, and although it backs to the road, there is minimal traffic on it.
The bath house is in the middle of the loop and easily accessible. It is a little outdated, but was always clean. The showers are newer than the rest of the bathroom.
There is a canoe/kayak launch close enough to walk to and we saw many people with kayaks and canoes.
We are tent campers and slept with no rain fly, looking at the stars and listening to coyotes howl at night.
A good park overall and a quiet peaceful weekend.
GuideThis state park has a beautiful natural spring that is home to aquatic turtles, fish and aligators. It has history as a prisoner of war camp for the civil war and you can see some of that natural history as you walk it's many trails. The knowledgeable rangers work hand in hand with the local college and it's students in archeology to uncover more and more of it's secrets. Here you can play on athe playground with its water splashpad, go down the slides, and walk around the stream looking for aligators (don't feed the aligators) There is birdwatching, kicking and canoeing or paddleboats if you prefer on the lake. You can primitive camp, use a tent or RV space with water and power or rent a cabin. The friends of the park and the rangers host many various activities to make your stay a memorable one. Enjoy!
Guide
Stayed her for our sons basic training graduation. Perfect location. Far enough away from base but close enough to everything. Clean park and great staff.
ScoutI was a guest of someone who was living in a 5th wheel and we were made to feel very unwanted and we ended up leaving a couple of days after arriving.
ScoutI have stayed that this park 3 or 4 times. I have always been made to feel at home. It is a park that is located within the city and not out in the country so you must understand its location but for us it is a nice friendly place to stop, rest and have a relaxing time. I would recommend it if you are coming through Columbia and need a place to stop and just rest. Not many amenities but makes up for it in its peacefulness.
TravelerThis Campground is well maintained with level pull through sites. No frills like a pool but it's easy access. Congaree National Park Fort Jackson are nearby. Columbia is a neighboring city. They have a large flea market next door.
GuideWe are more of a state park kind of campers and these spots were very close together. Great for passing through but you won't see me there again. Internet was spotty at best.
ScoutGreat campground with excellent staff. Laundry is clean. Small pond. Level lots and close to shopping and highways.
GuideLocated behind the flea market Dirt sites : lots of water flowing through during rainy weather Water,electric and sewer at sites Large pull through sites Easy access to bathrooms and showers Friendly staff at front office Good weekly deals Big rig friendly Used several occasions now
TravelerGreat trip overall, camp sites were nice and tidy, restroom and shower facility's we're well stocked and clean, camp host had firewood. Trails were nice, some of the boards on the boardwalk area were getting soft. No lake view from campsite.
RangerThis campground is a breath of fresh air and my new favorite campground. The park is clean and so are the bathrooms! The sites are spacious and if you get site 11 during the week, you might be the only ones in a large section of the camp. The cheaper sites (the non-"full service" ones) still have electricity and water. The bugs seem to be under control here, too.
There are at least 8 geocaches, a self-led park BINGO, a swimming beach, paddleboat rentals, fishing ponds stocked with catfish, and a tackle loaner program. Note that the park office is only open from 11a-noon and 4-5p. The rangers are super-friendly.
If you get a chance to go to nearby Blackville, make sure to dine at Miller's Bread-Basket, an Amish-Mennonite restaurant with a Southern touch.
Travelergreat little park 29 sites, very friendly host amd rangers. lakes are very well stocked only down fall is most sites are sand. be sure to read site info to be sure your rig fits. trails are very well maintained. bathrooms very clean
Tent camping near Barnwell, South Carolina, offers a unique blend of natural beauty and convenient amenities, perfect for outdoor enthusiasts looking to escape the hustle and bustle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Barnwell, SC?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Barnwell, SC is Back to Nature Garden Center with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
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