Best Glamping near Beech Island, SC

Site 74 is right between the beach an the boating dock. Very large pull thru. Love how it was super private compared to the many other campgrounds I've been to.. We set up tents and did our glamping camping with ac. Also site was right on the water. Beautiful views. Wish there was more of our own little swim beach area. Bring spray for ants an mosquitos but that's everywhere in the woods lol. Bathroom was average happy our site was so close to the facilities. Would recommend staying here

Winfield is a compartively little-known USACE campground situated on a peninsula near the more heavily-traffic Mistletoe State Park. Quiet and peaceful, it's tucked up the Little River and therefore not on the main body of Clarks Hill Lake (Lake Strom Thurmond, if you're form South Carolina) which sees a good deal of boat traffic (pontoon boats in particular) in the summer months. Great for water activities (kayaking, SUP, etc) with awesome evening views.

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.

This was my kid's favorite place that we have been so far. Our site 49 was right in the water. There was a drop of about 2 feet to get in, but we made it work. My kids played in the lake and we used our kayak and paddleboards. The beach was nice as well. We drove about 20 minutes to South Carolina and the J. Strom Thurmond Dam. Call ahead to listen to the recording to know when they are releasing water.

We have a 30ft TT and as we left my husband said anything else would be tricky getting out due to some trees on each side. The shape of the pull through site was fairly tight, but we didn't face any real issues with it.

There are little black ants everywhere. By our third night they found some food which wasn't tightly sealed and there were ants everywhere. I got rid of most of them but it was too late at that point. We got some ant traps when we went home the next morning. Even though this was a pain, we would still go back, just with ant traps.

If you are looking for a near perfect lakeside camping experience in the 'Low Country' here in South Carolina, than you may have just found the perfect getaway! Tucked away from main roads and a solid 20 minute drive from the nearest traces of civilization (the itty bitty town of McCormick), Hickory Knob State Park, which sits right on the Savannah River / Lake Thurmond and provides the setting for truly one of the most perfect camping escapes I have ever encountered. 

There's about 60-70 individual campsites here, but you would be hard pressed to count them all on account that there is so much foliage that separates each individual campsite that despite the # of sites, you are left with a very intimate and secluded feeling. While some of these well-secluded spots can get you just about as close to the lakeshore as possible (without infringing upon the land boundaries itself), most set a decent 10- 15 feet above shoreline and offer a private and simple-to-navigate pathway to the refreshing lollops of the lake's gentle rippling waves. 

Each site is apportioned with the basics - long drive-way with corresponding flat base platform (either perfect for RV or very amenable to the largest of tents), fire ring, water spigot and picnic table. While there's a handful of campsites that appear to be close cousins to the one next to it, most sites feel independent from one another and offer up enough space to forget your next-door neighbors. Further, I counted 3 separate loops (or communities, if you will), each with their own facilities. 

Apart from the greatest amenity being the lake itself, the park also offers a simple, yet splendid boat jetty with an easy-to-navigate round-about. Unlike many other state parks I have visited in the country, this one offers boaters many easy places to stow away their boats, when not in use on the lake. Further afield, there are plenty of trails to explore the deeper, less frequented side of this overgrown lakeside forested haven. 

If there were any drawbacks at all, it would simply be the less than mediocre bathrooms and showers that the state of South Caroline seems intent on not fixing (think back 50 to 60 years ago to what bathrooms might have looked like back then and then come present day to find exactly the same thing, without any repairs (and perhaps any sanitation) being made whatsoever). With all of the tax dollars that the state collects, on top of the fees paid for camping in these amazing state parks, you think the state would be able to afford building and maintaining better and more modern facilities for its overnight guests (what is it that they say about hospitality in the South?!). 

In sum, if you are looking for some really good seclusion, right on the lake, don't mind the overgrown nature of this campsite, have a boat, and perhaps older children that don't need playgrounds (and other man-made distractions) and can do without direct access to civilization, then this may very well be a perfect spot for you. 

Insider tips? Here's a few: (1) Because the nearest town of McCormick is a bit of a hike to get to (think at least a 20 minute drive on slow moving, winding country roads), be sure to bring everything you need with you, but if you do need any groceries, there's a Food Lion that has just about everything you might need; (2) When you grow tired of trying to conjure up that next meal from the depths of your Cordova cooler, then check out Michelle's, which is one half family restaurant - where I never believe any waitress who answers the question 'What is the best thing on the menu' with the response 'EVERYTHING!', but I will admit, she was absolutely right - we tried the pizza, wings, salad bar and hamburger one night - all were equally amazing - and one half happy hour / karaoke bar that apparently the entirety of McCormick shows up at after 8pm every night, which was pretty cool to experience; (3) When / if you head into the town of McCormick, take note of the Ice ATM machine there - it's fantastic and super cheap, so be sure to stock up on your ice there; and (4) If you are wanting to 'whet your whistle' after a good hard day of kayaking, then head on over to nearby Back Paddle Brewing for some really nice local craft beers.

Happy Camping!

Stayed here while working in the area. Great shower houses and beautiful place to stay. Went fishing in the lake. Very nice people around

A really nice and very pretty place , most sites have a little room between them , one that we will be back to.

We had cabin 5 and walked to the water. Free fishing pole for kids.

Veryn good area to walk in and camp, hike in and camp or even drive in!! I've done both hike in and walk in. Had my dog with me both times also. It won't let me post a pic though.

Prior to walking the Rock Dam Trail, I was interested in the conditions of the backcountry campsites. So a few hours and pictures later, I can now share this here. The trail could use a little more maintenance around the split rock area, and mosquitoes were plentiful between the "His & Her Oaks" and Backcountry Campsite #1. Didnt notice anything that would keep from this park getting 5 stars.

This campground is close to home. The rangers and patrons have maintained this park well. The lake views are incredible! The primitive sites are a short hike in and so serene. The bathrooms are clean and have washer/dryer accessibility.

I've camped here a few times and frequent the trails. Great for car camping, trailers, RVs, and back woods camping.

Main camp areas have bathrooms, showers and even laundry. Individual sites have power and water. There's a small beach area and playground for kids too. Tree cover is great in the summer.

Camp sites are close, but not in top of each other (probably 20 yds at closest).

The staff is super friendly and provide a lot of informative and interpretive resources.

Well maintained and manicured. Park rules are strictly enforced. Campsites on the water. Beautiful, clean lake for kayaking and all water craft sports. Great roads for biking. Plenty of hiking trails. Bath houses are clean. Laundry facility in the park. Beach, pavillions for large picnics, playgrounds, cottages, convenience store inside the office, friendly camp hosts, and a dump station in the park. Going from fcfs on August 2nd to online site specific reservation which will make it difficult to reserve sites for full weeks b/c many camp only two nights.

My campsite was perfect! I loved that the sites are nicely spaced so you are not right on top of each other! Bathrooms were close and very clean.

Welcome center sells wood and general supplies.

Peaceful and amazing place to cast a line and chill while the sun sets!!!

Enjoyed our site. Camped next to relatives and had the perfect swimming area between us. Planned on fishing but never got around to it since we spent most of our time inthe water. Bathrooms were veryclean and staff at office very friendly.

Great lakeside camping. Very clean, very quiet.

Mistletoe State Park is just outside of Augusta, GA. It’s on Lake Strom Thurmond, which is good for fishing and boating. The campground was nice, with level sites, and clean showers and bathrooms. When we were there the lake was very low, so the water activity was limited. It is close enough to Augusta for dining and shopping if you need that.

Most of the sites have water access. We stayed on 83 which was on a quiet cove. No view of the lake but easy canoe or kayak access. One bathhouse for our loop but never anyone in there and the campground was full. Our loop had larger sites than the main loop with the boat ramp. Most boats where docked right at the campsite. Very large park with many walking trails. Very nice camp hosts that maintained the sites very nicely. Take a walk to the walk in sites as you will see some beautiful views. I liked site 4 and then 2 of the walk ins. Both have a trail right to the beach. All walk in sites were nice. We took a drive to Thomson and did some antiquing in some quirky shops that were very friendly. We drove over to Winfield Campground which is a beautiful campground as well and is cheaper because it is an army corps of engineers campground. I would recommend either campground. The pictures are of our campsite (83) and then the ones we liked best. I have 73 as my #1 choice but we don’t have a motor boat (only canoe and kayak) and my husband thinks that site should go to someone with a motor boat. That leaves 82 as our first choice as we can still launch the canoe and kayak from that site. We have been told by everyone we have met for 3 years to go to Mistletoe and we were not disappointed.

Spacious campspots,beautiful lake

Lucked out with a great site for two nights of Spring Break. No easy way down to the water from site 49, but it sure was pretty. Photos and details on the link.

https://imaginecamper.com/2019/04/24/mistletoe-state-park/

We absolutely loved our large site, right on the lake.  #82 was amazing!  There were even a couple wooden benches down by the lake.  We had just enough beach area to sit on the bank while the boys played in the water.  The bath house was just down the hill from our spot and it was pretty central to all the sites.  The sunset views were breathtaking and we thoroughly enjoyed our long weekend here.

Had a very relaxing overnight stay here.  Would of stayed longer to enjoy even more of the area.  Highly recommend coming here for a night or a week.

Really great time at this campground. Sites are very large with plenty of room between sites. Some lake front, lake view and woods. Site 64 was huge with plenty of room for our two golden retrievers with lake view and woods. Kayaked around the area, water was nice and dogs loved swimming. It was in the high 90s so the shaded site helped. Bath houses were clean and centralized throughout the campground. Everyone was very friendly. Have a large beach area and playgrounds and picnic areas too. Great place to bike, will bring mine next time. Good hiking trails around the park.

Mistletoe takes very good care of their sites.  There are plenty of RV/tent sites to choose from as well as a few walk-in sites, a group site, and even a few back country sites.  The facilities are always extremely clean.  They also have laundry facilities available.

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.

This review is of the three backcountry hike-in sites at Mistletoe State Park along the Rock Dam Trail.  I didn't stay in any of these, but checked them out as I hiked the Rock Dam Trail.  This trail was supposed to involve several water crossings, but when I was here in September, the water level was extremely low and nothing was flowing beyond a trickle.  Water in the streams was mostly still and quite murky.   If you are filtering water (and you surely will be if you are camping back here), you'll need to pre-filter well to not clog your filter (at least when it is low and murky).

If you hike the trail from the Mistletoe parking lot counter-clockwise, site #1 is about 2.8 miles in, site #2 about 4.1 miles in, and site #3 about 4.8 miles in.  (So sites #2 & #3 would be closer going clockwise.)  Water sources: sites #1 & #2 are near the stream, and #3 is near a small lake.  If the water is low like it was when I was here, the lake water was not accessible -- you'd have to trudge through 50 fifty feet of mud to get to it and you'd probably get swallowed or it would really suck anyway.  So save #3 for the springtime only I think.  The other two water was there but murky as I said.  (Apparently when the water is high the streams are really flowing and possibly near waist level to hike through at some points.)

Site #1 was the best in the most interesting location, spacious, level, pretty nice site for tents or hammocks.  Site #2 was more boring, smaller and without really good ground for a tent, although workable.  No shortage of trees for hammocks though.  Site #3 was decent (and the closest to start if you hike the trail clockwise), but again only when the lake water is high or there won't be any water (see pic).

All of these sites are in the forest and I'm sure it is quite buggy almost always, so be prepared with thermacells, bug nets, etc.  All sites had a table and fire pit.  All trash must be packed out.  The trail itself was pretty good, moderately strenuous with a fair amount of ups & downs and parts where you are in a very narrow ravine.  If the water crossings really involved water (as they do in the spring apparently) it would be even more strenuous.