Best Tent Camping near Blythewood, SC

Recent Tent Reviews near Blythewood, South Carolina

276 Reviews of 8 Blythewood Campgrounds

• J

  J Terrell M.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 5, 2019

  Sesquicentennial State Park Campground

  In the middle of Columbia SC

  Built to celebrate the Sesquicentennial of South Carolina in the 30’s . At one time on the furthest outskirts of Columbia SC. It is now firmly in the muddle of the Metro area. Plenty of trailer sites. Tent site and primitive camping. Has recreational areas. Restaurants and shopping nearby

• C

  Christopher B.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 7, 2021

  Military Park Shaw AFB Wateree Recreation Area and FamCamp

  Wateree Tent Camping

  This was my family’s first time tent camping in the cold weather and it wasn’t that bad. The lakeside tent area provided beautiful scenery with access to restrooms and showers. It wasn’t too crowded as it was military members only and you can’t beat the price for a lakeside spot. We would definitely go tent camping here again!

• 

  Erica F.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 16, 2018

  Cane Creek Park

  lovely campground

  we tent camped here before and it was lovely.

• 

  Matt C.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 22, 2021

  Military Park Shaw AFB Wateree Recreation Area and FamCamp

  Tent camping

  Did some tent camping in mid October. Had tons of fun and the park was really clean. Bath houses were nice and had hot water. T mobile service doesn’t work at all, but they have Wi-Fi hotspots for rent for $5 per day. Tent camping was $7.50 per night. The reason for 4 stars instead of 5, was because Quiet hours are supposed to be from 11-7, but there were people partying pretty late. Definitely should’ve brought some ear plugs. Check out our review https://youtu.be/j-5JBxOl3uE

• R

  Rick B.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 9, 2018

  Sesquicentennial State Park Campground

  Nice camp ground.

  Good camp for rv or tent camping. Plenty of trails, splash park for kids and a lake for boating and fishing

• 

  Matt C.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 31, 2021

  Weston Lake Recreation Area

  Overnight

  Stayed in a tent at tent site 3. Site was level and clean with water and electric, fire ring, and a picnic table. for $10 per night. There are also primitive tent sites as well for $5 per night. Lots of RV spots too! Bathhouse was cleans and has 2 showers and toilets on the mens and womens side. The office was closed before we arrived, but we were able to call on the phone to make a reservation. Seems like a few full time people in their RV. T mobile service worked well. Camp host was very friendly

• 

  Katie L.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 26, 2023

  Brick House Campground (Sc) — Francis Marion And Sumter National Forests

  Weekend trip

  Great spot for a quick weekend away without needing to travel too far. For tent camping the spaces are large and pit toilets very clean. The only negative part of this campground is how close of proximity all sites are. very popular spot and more people than we had expected after reading other reviews! Definitely will come back though!

• A

  Ashley R.

  Traveler

  

  May. 26, 2018

  Sesquicentennial State Park Campground

  Great spot

  Camped here numerous times throughout the years. Always had a good time. Rangers are nice and helpful. We park our John Boat at our tent camping site without any problems. They seem to be adding a splash pad area for the kids. A couple of big playgrounds at the park too. A decent lake for fishing and paddle boat (at least I think) rentals. Picnic tables and charchol grills are availble near the lake as well.

• 

  Gary D.

  Traveler

  

  May. 15, 2019

  The Farm Campground

  Off the Beaten path

  5 of us on 4 motorcycles needed a place to stay for the night on the way to Myrtle Beach bike week. After you drive down a long sandy rutty road you come to the farm. A little oasis for the road weary. Mostly long term trailers are here but the do have tent camping. Nestled in the woods with sandy soil. Excellent rates. 25$ for the 5 of us and the best bathrooms ever!

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 10, 2017

  Cane Creek Park

  Cane Creek county Park

  This review is probably not representative of what will be many people’s experience or opportunity, as I visited in November in the off season, albeit an unusually warm weekday! Cane Creek Park is a county park that is of state park caliber. It is located south and east of the town of waxhaw, and an easy drive from Charlotte. It is a large park on both sid s of a large lake, beautifully maintained, clearly with a variety of family recreational activities that are surely heavily used in the high season. The park offers everything from day use, to car and rv camping, to hike in tent sites and wilderness group areas, to cabins. This review is for the hike in tent sites, which are large, well spaced, heavily wooded and private, with lake access for good fishing and paddling. There are restroom and shower facilities in walking distance, though not at the campsites themselves. This is a simpler and quieter camping opportunity than the drive in sites. In fact, no one else was in this section of the campground on this fine autumn day, yet the weather was beautiful and the setting so peaceful. I would recommend this campsite location for fall camping

• 

  Matt C.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 30, 2021

  Poinsett State Park Campground

  Nice state park

  We tent camped for the weekend in mid October. The park was probably 80% full, but didn’t seem crowded. All the spaces were spread out and the sites were level. We stayed at site 30, so it was a close walk to the bathhouse, with plenty of space, picnic table, and fire ring. The bathhouse was in fair condition, but the hot water was limited. The mens bathroom definitely needed to be cleaned. There were lots of trails, a pond, and a park for thing to do. T-mobile service barely worked. Check out our review https://youtu.be/pL1zgad0rN0

• 

  Krista R.

  Traveler

  

  Feb. 23, 2020

  Poinsett State Park Campground

  Great Park

  I stayed at this park because the one in Congaree was full and I’m very glad I did! It took a good 45 minutes to get to Congaree but it was a pleasant drive. I walked on some of the trails in the campground but didn’t touch most of them. I definitely need to come back with a bike! I stayed at tent site 36 and felt like I still had enough privacy from the sites beside me. The bathrooms were well taken care of.

• 

  John P.

  Ranger

  

  Mar. 4, 2020

  The Farm Campground

  Super friendly, no frills, awesome spot

  Every year on the first weekend of March, we go to the Sandblast Rally that’s in the same town as this campsite. As per usual lodging gets filled up and it’s hard to find a place. If it wasn’t for The Dyrt I would have never found this place. The lady gave us a discount since it was cold and we were tent camping. There’s tons of amenities here. Laundry, kitchen, playground, commons area with a tiki bar. There isn’t much hiking or exploring to be had at the campground but there are tons of parks within just a ten minute drive.

• 

  James C.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 4, 2018

  Cane Creek Park

  A Great Place for the Whole Family.

  Located just outside historic Waxhaw NC, Cane Creek is part of the NC Soil Conservative Sites. They offer day passes,$4.00 per car where you can launch you kayak canoe or fishing boat. If you like Bass Fishing, they rank as one of the best spots around. They have swimming areas for both day users and one for campers. This really is a gem within Union Co NC. The campground is on the other side of the lake. They have camping for RV’s, Cabin Rentals and tent sites for either large groups or individuals. The hiking trail is beautiful and takes you around the whole lake. Watch for horses, as this is a great place for riders too.

• 

  Hannah W.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 11, 2022

  Poinsett State Park Campground

  Great stay!

  Stayed here for a few nights with a friend for spring break. The staff were very friendly and answered all the questions that we had. We were tent camping and the campsite was perfect! Had a picnic table, fire ring, plenty of space to pull the car in, level ground for the tent, and trees for hammocking. The bathroom facilities were very clean, and were right by the campsites. In terms of activities, there are plenty of hiking trails and a beautiful lake right in front of the visitor center. We rented a paddleboat and got to see some wildlife on the water (cranes, turtles, and even a couple little gators). Overall, this was a perfect state park, great for a quiet getaway.

  (Side note: the bugs were practically nonexistent in March when we visited, but we were told that they can get bad in the summer months)

• 

  Jessica M.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 16, 2022

  Poinsett State Park Campground

  Great for Activities, Camping is lacking...

  Large. Multiple trails. Secluded. Scenic. Rental/Activities. Waterways. Picnic areas. Kid playground. ***BUT...! if you are camping... there's no wifi or cell service in camping section!! Whether 'primitive' or tent/rv with power, it ALL seems a little primitive. Only difference is power connection sites and a bathhouse. I'm truly ok with semi-primitive, but no cell service or Wi-Fi (in camping area), as a female... this needs to be addressed for safety, at minimum. It was beautiful, but we had to leave, as safety is #1. *oh.... SITE 17.... is the worse, if you wanted a little seclusion. It's the only rv/tent site that is "in" the 'activity field' (there was a group of teens playing loud and rough football right next to us, even my daughter did NOT like it). Highly suggest day visits, not so much camping.

• M

  Marissa H.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 5, 2021

  Longleaf Campground — Congaree National Park

  A National Park in my backyard!

  It was a pleasant stay at Congaree. As a SC resident I was surprised to learn we had our very own National Park and just had to take the short drive from Charleston to experience it - glad we did! The sites did not have water or power but were a decent size. We stayed at tent site 1 which was right at the beginning of the Bluffs Trail. We took our 2 dogs hiking to the boardwalk trail which led back to the Visitor Center.. this was a decent 3+ mile hike our dogs were pooped! Overnight guests should be prepared to gather your own wood as none is sold on site. You can also get water from the Visitor Center (which is a better drive than walk if carrying a large or multiple jugs). The bathrooms on the campground part were essentially glorified port-o-potties (a building surrounding a hole in the ground). The Visitor Center was a better bathroom experience. Overall, I would return here to camp. The hikes were not too challenging but the boardwalk provided a unique experience!

• 

  Jay B.

  Ranger

  

  Apr. 4, 2021

  Poinsett State Park Campground

  Site 37

  We stayed here April 2-4. We mainly stayed here because it’s only an hour and a half from Charleston, and read some good reviews.

  If you are coming from the south, be advised that once you are off I-95, you will see zero stores or gas stations, so plan accordingly.

  The road going into the campground is pretty bad, but doable. We tent camp, but saw quite a few bigger rigs camped there. I did hear some of the other campers with trailers saying they had trouble backing into their sites do to the trees.

  If you’re getting there after dark, I imagine that it would be difficult to find your site.

  Site 37 was super small, but we did manage to get our tent set up as well as our screen for the picnic table. The water spigot was in a weird spot and got in the way.

  There are many spots that are bigger and in better spots, so choose wisely. There was no privacy at 37 and it was way to close to the site next to us.

  There seems to be many trails for hiking and/or mountain biking and we did see people with kayaks.

  There are two bathrooms that were fairly clean, although one was closed Saturday afternoon for a plumbing issue.

  We were surprised at the amount of people camping, because the first night we were there, it got down to 27 degrees.

  If you are not bringing wood with you, the office will deliver to your site if you call between 4 and 5 pm.

  Overall, a decent place, and we will go back, just into a different site.

• 

  Thomas H.

  Ranger

  

  Mar. 21, 2022

  Weston Lake Recreation Area

  Peaceful

  I was stationed at Jackson from’07-‘09 and the only thing that has really changed is the dam is being worked on so you can only observe the lake, no swimming, boating, anything on the lake until repairs are completed. The receptionist said they’ve been working on it for maybe 4 years. Hopefully it’ll be completed sooner than later. The grounds could be kept up a little better as could the restrooms/bath houses but I imagine they lost some revenue due to the lake being closed for dam repairs.

  There isn’t any concerns getting back here, the biggest rigs will not have any problems. All sites are large concrete pads, FHU. Most sites are spaced very well, some better than others but you won’t be on top of anyone whichever site you’re at. They have a large concrete patio area, nearly the size of the pad itself with a picnic table and fire pit/grill and stand alone grill.

  Verizon cell coverage is adequate. I had 2 bars and LTE, sometimes 5G. Not like being in the city but sufficient. No wifi.

  There are cabins and tent sites as well. This isn’t a large campground but there were still a few open spaces.

  There will be various bugle calls throughout, morning, day and night. You may hear firing range training going on in the distance. You should expect this and it should not be seen as negative, you’re on a military campground.

  Current RV site price a night is $35, if you have a National park pass it’s $32.50. Despite the lake being off limits right now I will still come back. Once it’s opened back up I’m sure it will be more busy, right now it’s very peaceful.

• 

  Caleb

  Scout

  

  Sep. 8, 2020

  Poinsett State Park Campground

  A mirage

  It looks nothing like South Carolina as you enter the gates. After half a dozen ups and downs and right turns you find yourself in a clearing and a large parking lot, a lake and a ranger station. Around the clearing are more than a dozen trails for hiking or MTB. It's a "mountain" in the low country.

• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 1, 2021

  Woods Ferry Campground (Sc) — Francis Marion And Sumter National Forests

  Secluded Campground in National Forest

  It was difficult for me to find Woods Ferry, but after talking with a park official, I finally got there. It is off the beaten path, so it is quiet. Apparently, there had been a lot of rain recently, and the area showed it. Woods Ferry is a campground mainly for campers who have horses. There are corrals at many of the campsites, so there are also a lot of horseflies. Horseflies and the actual site itself are my two main concerns. Selecting my campsite was my mistake. It was sloped, but there are a few others that were not sloped. There is running water and a pit toilet. Otherwise, you will have to take everything else in that you need. 

  Since South Carolina is hot during this time of year, I was a bit uncomfortable, especially since I was on a slope.

  There is a separate section for group camping. However, I think it caters to groups of horse campers, as there are corrals at the campsites. 

  Overall, it’s not too bad for those who camp in an RV or a travel trailer, but it’s not ideal for tent campers.

• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 1, 2021

  Chester State Park Campground

  State Park with a Beautiful View of the Lake

  I gave this campground four stars, but only for RVs and travel trailers. I would not give it four stars for tent campers. Tent campers would have a hard time finding a suitable site that would not be too rocky. When I checked in, the lady was nice enough to find a site with grass behind the gravel so I could set up my tent. She didn’t warn me that it was sloped. With that said, it is a campground in a beautiful setting. The lake and the sitting area beside the lake are both beautiful. There is a paved walkway down to the lake to a sitting area and a dock. The bath house was air conditioned, almost too much. It is a shock to the system moving from the intense South Carolina heat into the bath house. However, it was a nice break from the heat. Be aware that when you take a shower, you may have to wait a few minutes for the hot water to start. When I first turned it on, I wondered if there was any hot water. Eventually it came, and it was HOT, so I had to adjust it quickly. Also, take your own hand soap with you. There are paper towels but no soap. There are several trails, and you can rent boats, peddle boats, canoes, and kayaks. There is also a disc golf course. If I had known beforehand, I would have taken my own discs. That’s my fault for not doing the research. My favorite part of this camping experience was waking up early in the morning and sitting by the lake. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture a photo of the ducks taking off and flying in a perfect v-formation, but it was so peaceful there. Overall, this is a great campground to get away from civilization.

• 

  SwitchbackKids

  Legend

  

  Jun. 29, 2017

  Longleaf Campground — Congaree National Park

  Bluff Campground the way to go for quiet, peaceful park oasis

  Having been on the road for about three months before coming to Congaree, we were happy to arrive to such a quiet and tucked-away campground. For $5 per night, Bluff Campground was the perfect spot to hole up for a few days and relax surrounded by the old growth forest of Congaree National Park.

  Our time at Congaree was different from the other national parks we visited, because South Carolina had just undergone major flooding and much of Congaree -- especially its trails -- were under water.

  With no crowds and not much to explore, our three days in the park was very relaxing. We chose Bluff Campground -- a one-mile walk-in campground near the visitor center -- because we knew it would be less popular than Longleaf Campground, and we knew we’d be spending a lot of time there. The one mile hike seemed further than we thought because of our heavy loads, but once we arrived at our camp, set up our tent, chairs, hammocks, and slack line, we were able to just make the easy walk in and out each day.

  The campground itself has no facilities; its only amenities are the fire ring and picnic table at each site. We encountered only one other camper in our two nights here. We did encounter many mosquitoes, though, so don’t forget bug spray!

  At Congaree, there are several hiking trails and kayaking trails that we would have liked to do, but with our plans foiled by rain, we spent time at the visitor center, around the short boardwalk trail adjacent to the visitor center, and kayaking through the flooded plains, straight off the boardwalk.

  You can read much more about our three days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Congaree)

• 

  Matt G.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 9, 2016

  Poinsett State Park Campground

  Quiet...minus the bugs

  First, in the parks defense, it was probably not the best idea to stay here during the summer time. July? Hottest month of the year? South Carolina? The bugs were massive. I probably could have been carried away by some of the horseflies I saw. However, I will not give a place just two stars for something out of the parks control. The mountain bike paths are really cool, and if you have a mountain bike, I suggest you bring it because there really is not much else this park has to offer. You can swim in a 10' by 30' area of a pond that is questionable. You can fish in that same pond. That's about it. The "overlook" is okay, but really you are staring at a sliver of flat land. I will also say that it is very clean and there are probably always camping spots available.

• D

  David D.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 19, 2021

  Sesquicentennial State Park Campground

  Campsite 41 was poorly planned and maintained

  Pros The pond was beautiful, nice walking trail for beginners, would never consider this a hiking park. Location was close to Colombia and all it offers. Bathhouse was acceptable but nothing to brag about. Toilets were three flushers is you cared about the next guy.

  Cons Guessing I may have had the worst site (41) but walking through there were others similar. Site 41 is a pull through lot which declines quickly upon entry and is marred by deep ra9n crevices. You then incline to the area you should probably land as there is an obvious flat spot. Unfortunately in you stop there, your camper door will open on the neighboring fire ring which is the only fire ring on the back side of the neighboring spot in in the fore ground of yours. Asinine. I had to manipulate my camper for an hour to a spot level enough yet not in my neighbor's fire and dealt with a large tree and had to tie back branches to extend my awning. Uggg

  Effing covid. The state of South Carolina, the City of Columbia don't have mask mandates. But this state park requires a mask to pee in the urinal. The boss says the county still mandates it.

• 

  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.

• K

  Kayla

  Scout

  

  Feb. 22, 2021

  Poinsett State Park Campground

  Pretty Park & Great Hiking but Poor Roads & Rude Camp Host

  Poinsett State Park is absolutely beautiful and a true hidden gem. We recently visited South Carolina and after spending the weekend visiting nearby Congaree National Park, we opted to stay at Poinsett State Park for 4 nights in our Mercedes Sprinter campervan. As we had read online, the roads into and around the park are truly in desperate need of repair, but once in the campground, the sites are very nice. Site 24 was perfect as it is the last one with hookups and that allows RVs. The hiking is fantastic- I was able to easily hike several miles each day with my dogs and most of the hiking trails are very peaceful and pretty. Even though we were there in early February, we did encounter some gnats/mosquitos and we had to be incredibly vigilant about picking ticks off of our dogs. The only negative is that the park host was incredibly rude to us. We travel with our two well behaved dogs and ALWAYS keep them on a leash. I spent several hours a day hiking with them and walked through the campground with them on several occasions, which I know the host saw since we walked past him multiple times. On the third day of our stay, as I was bringing one of our dogs back and we were switching leashes and harnesses, our other dog jumped out and got away from us for a minute. We immediately ran after her, and after calling her name, she turned around and came back. She was out for less than a minute, and we were actively pursuing her with leash in hand the entire time. My husband was literally running after her without shoes on. The camp host came and yelled at us claiming that our dog"almost attacked his dog." She's a 9 year old Golden Retriever that is literally the most friendly dog on the planet. She was in our view the entire time and never barked or growled, only went up somewhat near them(several feet away) to say hello. It was clearly a mistake that she got out and something we rectified immediately. He kept yelling at us well after she was in our control. While I 100% understand and agree that all dogs should be on leash, it was clearly a mistake and absolutely nothing happened. It made us feel really awkward and uncomfortable. Then, on top of that, the next day, we couldn't even walk our dogs because there were 2 loose dogs running all over the campground with literal bells on- the camp host of course didn't address what was actually a flagrant violation of the rules by a neighboring camper. Other than that, our 4 day stay was perfect, but this really negatively impacted our stay.