Best Tent Camping near Barnwell, SC

Tent Camping Reviews near Barnwell, SC

135 Reviews of 3 Barnwell Campgrounds

• 

  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.

• 

  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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• 

  Karen C.

  Guide

  May. 8, 2021

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Nice hiking trail, beautiful lake views.

  The 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.

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• 

  Meg W.

  Guide

  Nov. 3, 2019

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Everything you need, just not close to other things

  Magnolia 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.

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• k

  kevin T.

  Ranger

  Jun. 30, 2016

  Aiken State Park Campground

  aiken state park

  Awesome place to come. I came in early January and it was really cold. At night a ranger brought me a pile of firewood which was really nice. Thee campsites are on the big side and had fire rings and a picnic table. It is also a great place to go kayaking

• 

  Jay B.

  Ranger

  Sep. 7, 2020

  Aiken State Park Campground

  Site 23 Labor Day weekend

  This 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.

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• 

  Bethany E.

  Scout

  Mar. 1, 2021

  Barnwell State Park Campground

  Great Value Camping Spot

  Overall 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.

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• 

  B+J S.

  Guide

  Aug. 29, 2020

  Colleton State Park Campground

  Easy stop over

  Easy stop over for a night or two. Right off of I95. Next to a major road, so there is car/truck noise during the day. None of the sites are private, so I wouldn’t call this a “destination” campground. Great if you want to fish and kayak the Edisto River!

  The bathrooms are very clean and air conditioned. Sites are all very clean with power, water, picnic table, and fire ring. There are nicely spaced out trees, so if you have a hammock, bring it. Didn’t have mosquito issues, but beware there are a lot of ants and they bite!!

  Best sites are 6, 8, and 9. We camped in site 10.

• 

  Robert A.

  Scout

  Apr. 20, 2026

  Pine Hill Camp

  Peace and serenity

  First time traveling whilst using this app, and so far these camp site is more than I personally could ask for. Nice level ground for pit, and plenty of shade. 10 outa 10.