Best Tent Camping near Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests

Whether camping in a tent or renting a cabin, all are $20 per night. 🤔 Beautiful lake, flushing toilets and hot showers. I am passing through but see others boating, fishing and hunting. Laundry available upon request and current availability.

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

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.

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

This State Park is large with camping for everyone, RV’s, tent camping. On lake Thurmond between Plum S. C. And Modoc S. C. On hey 28.

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!

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.

Lake Greenwood State Park is a smaller state park in South Carolina. The lake is sizable, you can easily take your boat or jet skis, but at the same time the lake is suitable for canoes and kayaks as well. This weekend, we opted for the tubes as our means to relax on the lake, and we achieved that. The only issue we found was the size of the campground itself. The campsites are nearly on top of one another, but there are some beautiful spots right on the lake. Since they are so close, you can hear the neighbors at all hours, and there is hardly any privacy. One other issue was the sites themselves. Now, if you have an RV, it's no problem. But if you are into tent camping, like I am, you will have to pitch the tent on gravel or pavement. Not the easiest pitch. With that, though, it was still enjoyable and relaxing.

Gear Review – As a Dyrt Ranger, I also get to review and test products in the field. This weekend was the perfect weekend to test the Cotopaxi 35L Travel Duffel. Right out of the mail, I knew that it would be one bag that lasts for a super long time. It is extremely well made, and very versatile. The only thing I was concerned about when I opened it for the first time was the size. I didn't quite believe I could fit everything for the weekend inside. This was not the case this weekend, though. I even had enough room for the frisbee with all of my clothes, toiletries, and extra pair of shoes. Overall, it is an excellent weeken bag, in it for the long haul. Check it out here: https://www.cotopaxi.com/collections/chumpi/products/chumpi-35l-travel-duffel

A lot of the sites are on the waters edge and offers beautiful views. The red clay was horrible though, especially with a white dog and after it rained. We had site 145, beautiful views but difficult to maneuver into the site and access the water, but we made it work. We would return though. Site 144 and 143 had gorgeous views of the sunset...I’ve heard 108 and 77 are prime spots. Be aware of booking a site and how you’re awning will face! Bathhouse is about 1/2 mile away, so too far to walk when you have to go. Not many bathhouses either so there was a line for the shower (only 2 shower stalls and 3 toilets for at least 75 campsites with the tent sites included). Only 2 single access dump stations for the entire park, so there was a line of 8-10 campers at both on a Sunday morning!

Croft State Park is a really nice campground for RV and travel trailer camping. For tent camping, it is just okay. I say that because of the gravel surfaces at the campsites. Fortunately, I took a cot to sleep on, for even with a foam pad and an air mattress, I think sleeping would be uncomfortable. The site I stayed on did have water and electricity, which was fortunate since it is very hot there in August. My mistake was not taking a large enough fan. 

The bath house was conveniently located, and it was air conditioned. There were hot showers, and when I say hot, I mean hot. If you take a shower in their bath house, I suggest that you do not turn the water all the way to hot to begin with. Otherwise, you will burn yourself. Although there was a soap dispenser in the bath house, you will need to take your own soap. The dispenser was empty. 

There is a beautiful lake at the campground, which allows several opportunities for fishing. There is a fishing dock and several types of watercraft rentals. There is also miles and miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. I was amazed at the number of trails. 

Another section of the park is devoted to equestrian camping, and there is even a show arena. For those who want to primitive camp, there is a place for that as well. I would have given the campground four stars, but because of the gravel sites and the yellow jackets, I could only give it three. The yellow jackets were out of control. 

I would suggest some pest control measures. I realize that most campers are in RVs and travel trailers, but tent campers also need a more appropriate place to camp than on large gravel surfaces.

We have tent camped here twice at the walk in camp sites. The first time we were on sites 2 and 3 during a busy weekend. Second time we were on 3 and 4. I would definitely recommend 4 as the best walk in site by far. We had a group of 8 and 2 large tents that we were able to put side by side in between 2&3 and 3&4. There is a lot of room to spread out. Just a few yards away from 4 is a water bank where you can row a canoe up to easily if you decide to rent or bring your own canoe. They have canoes and kayaks for rent. $15 for 4 hours. $25 for 8 hours (8-5). The kids had so much fun with that. It is first come first serve starting at 8 am. Campsites 1-4 are all waterfront. I would not recommend the other sites at all. Very small and on a hill. You have to park at a designated area but you are able to bring your car down to unload. The bathrooms are a short walk up a hill which is fine but when you have to go badly it can feel like forever. The bathrooms in the walk-in site are bad compared to the RV sites. The showers are very small and pretty gross. There is a leak in the ceiling above the women's bathroom that drips over both stalls which is very unpleasant because everything is just so wet and dripping on you. Ended up having to use the men's at one point. Overall we really enjoyed our trips. The water view is beautiful. Despite the bathroom I would highly recommend this park.

We had a great experience that unfortunately ended a day early due to some heavy rain. We checked in on a Thursday evening from the drive from Florida. Campsite was chosen from a map, which seemed to have an upfront water access. Apron arrival, we found out there was actually another campsite squeezed directly in front of us and a RV showed up to obstruct the breeze and view of the water. We wanted our own water entrance and the view, so we moved to campsite 103. Best decision we made was moving to campsite 103, highly recommend. It’s on its own point, more secluded from the other sites, almost no visibility from your neighbors. The best part was the view, sunsets over the water were beautiful. There is a slightly steep step down to get to a lower ridge that walks into the water, be careful in the rain, but that’s where we scattered our hammocks throughout. Campground wise, we had 2 tents set up, trucks parked about 20’ away and still had room for Cornhole boards, fire pit and tables. The lake access was awesome because we bring inflatable paddle boards and there was a small island about 1/2 mile out that we would paddle around and back

The drive in is easy and paved. I do always hope for that off-road, overland kind of drive in but not here. Campground is huge with multiple sections so pay attention to the signs. Campsite #s where spray painted yellow on the ground if I recall correctly.

Overall, great getaway, the cell service was almost gone, every now and then a bar would pop up so just throw it in airplane mode to truly escape. Make sure you get a site on the water if you are tent camping. It would suck to have your view impeded and not have a back up campsite so choose wisely.

Seclusion might be an issue at some sites but they do have a couple sets of bathrooms around that are well maintained at the campground. Nothing crazy but they are clean.

I had never visited Lake Greenwood, save for driving by on the way from Augusta to Greenville. So when no other State Park had reservations available for Labor Day weekend, I was hesitant to book here. I will admit, I was mistaken. My in-laws and my parents both pulled their camper trailers, while I pulled my Jayco pop-up. I was very satisfied with the size of the spaces, which were accurate compared to the website. The camp website also accurately informs campers about the grade of campsite driveways, which did become an issue for my parent’s trailer. The sites are generally not much more than an asphalt driveway, and a gravel picnic table/fire ring area. I didn’t see many tent campers in this part of the campground, and I would imagine tent camping would be especially uncomfortable (hot) during the summer months. Electrical hookups are new, and standard, and water hookups are plenty for even the biggest of rigs.

The campground maintains decent tree/shade coverage, especially on the outer sites. The sites near/on the water are also shaded and have the added bonus of the lake breeze, although they are a bit crowded; very close to the sites next door. Speaking of which, perhaps due to the sold-out Labor Day weekend, but most probably because of the design of the campground and lakeside access, foot traffic was heavy between and around my campsite. This was annoying as always, and made me feel like I needed to bring in all of my chairs, etc when I left the site.

There are several bathhouses spread throughout the campground. Each one has two showers, two sinks, and two toilets, though at my closest bathhouse, one of the showers was out of order. The bathhouses were always very clean, and did not have the usual peeling paint and army of bugs and spiders that some bathhouses seem to maintain as a matter of principle.

Nearby Ninety Six NHS was a great half-day attraction, less than 15 mins away. Greenwood City is also a draw. Of course, the gem is Lake Greenwood. I was wishing the entire weekend that I had a boat to enjoy the cool clear water.

Bottom line, I have plans to come back on a less crowded weekend, and definitely with a boat.

We went camping at Hamilton Branch State Park in October 2019 for a week. There are so many wonderful things to say about this campground. 

1. Almost ALL sites are lakefront- There are very few sites that are not right on the water. There are some sites that have a steep drop off to the water(mostly the tent sites around the sites 123-128 range). We found several sites that we thought were the best. Sites 77, 168, 98, 97, 103, 105, and a couple of others I can’t remember. Nice views and access to the water. 

2. Sites are very spaced out- We were there during a quieter time, so we had several sites around us that were empty, but even if they had been full, we thought there was a lot of space between them, and most faced the water, so they all kind of faced away from each other. So, it seems to be very private. 

3. Park is LARGE- This is a huge park, and even though there are 200 sites, those are all distributed over 9 different areas, each area consisting of at least 1 loop each. So, again, very spaced out and private. 

4. Clean Bath Houses- Obviously we stuck to the bath house closest to our site, but it was extremely clean and appointed. Toilets cleaned every morning. Shower clean with good shower curtains! If you have camped before, you have likely encountered shower curtains that were hanging on by their last 2 or 3 loops. We even brought our own, in case that was the case here. Nope, it was very nice to have the bathroom so well taken care of. 

5. Friendly Staff- We had originally booked a specific site, and when we got there, we wanted to change it(due to the steep drop to the water, that would be hard to do every day with kayaks). We looked around the park to see what else would be available and Amanda at the front office was very helpful in checking for availability and helping us change our site. In addition to the very helpful Amanda, we encountered several camp hosts. Since the park is so big, there are multiple camp hosts. Everyone we encountered was friendly, helpful and seemed to enjoy being there. 

6. Beautiful Lake/Nature- Obviously the big attraction here is the lake. Thurmond Lake is ENORMOUS. And the park is on one small part of it. We kayaked a few days and saw a lot of fish, bald eagles, geese, blue herons, white egrets, etc. At our campsite we saw a couple of deer and a few raccoons. For a 6-night stay, we only saw the raccoons one night. We must not have had very good tidbits ad they gave up on us. 

We stated several times that we will be coming back to this campground, and that it might be one of the best we have ever been to. I hope this gave you some info and insight into this park.

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.

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.

Parsons Mountain Recreation Area sits beside a small lake called Parsons Mountain Lake. It is a great fishing spot and it has a roped off swimming area that has no life guard but is six foot deep at the most at the back of it. The brim in the lake will nibble at the hairs on your legs if you have any. The camp sites have gravel and a fire pit for most of them. Nearby to the camp sites there are restrooms and showers though expect spider webs on either as they are used infrequently except at the height of Summer. But the whole area is surrounded by pine trees and most sites are shaded by all of the trees. You will need a South Carolina Fishing licenses to fish. Camp sites are very reasonable. See this site for current fees. http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/scnfs/recarea/?recid=47187

Overall a very nice camp ground. Quiet except for the owls and crickets at night.

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.

Campground Review: 

Baker Creek is a seasonal campground, and is the place to go if you love the water and love to spend your days floating lazily in the South Carolina Midlands.  At night, if it's not cloudy, you'll get to gaze at the constellations in the gorgeous night sky.

The sites are close together, which we certainly noticed during the July 4th holiday, but at times when it's not so crowded, I'm not sure it would matter. We snagged the best sites in terms of privacy (88-96), which are on the water and have no sites across the road from them. We had to switch our site (91) with a friend (89) because we were hammock camping and sites 90-93 don't have many trees. As such, those sites also get hit by sun most of the day, although they have gorgeous views of the water. 

The majority of the campers during the July 4th weekend were in RVs, and we noticed there is less consideration towards tent campers with regards to noise and light. I guess the RVers think everyone is inside their campers and therefore can't hear them driving their car at 3 A.M., starting their boats at 5 A.M., or leaving a bright security light on all night. 

There are many swimming areas around the campsites, and they are shallow enough near-shore that kids can spend, literally, the entire day playing in the water. Bring inflatables, kayaks, boats, and canoes! 

An odd thing about the sites is that there are charcoal grills, but no fire rings! Many makeshift fire rings have been constructed using the large granite rocks that can be found in the lake, though. 

The bathroom, while old, is kept clean by the camp hosts who stay there the entire season. Hand soap is provided but no hot air or paper towels are there to dry hands. 

The trash dumpsters are a fair distance away (you'll need to drive if you have a bag of trash) and no recycling facilities are provided.

I've read online reviews that mention how old and run down Baker Creek is. I disagree. It's a beautiful SC State Park on a gorgeous lake. If your tastes run more upscale, Hickory Knob State Resort Park is right across the water and might suit you better. 

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Product Review:  

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - today I am testing the éclipse Equinox Hoodie Cover Up https://eclipseglove.com/collections/frontpage/products/equinox-hoodie-beach-cover-up

The éclipse line of products spoke to me because I love to be in the sun all day, and I'm great about applying the first round of sunscreen, but after swimming and chillaxing, I get too lazy to put on more. I don't want to get out of the sun, but I just know I'm burning, especially on my chest and shoulders. Usually, I'll put on a big, long-sleeved shirt to try to hide from the rays.

éclipse makes cover ups with a special type of fabric that increases evaporative cooling and is also UPF 50+. But the sides of the shirt and undersides of the arms are open, allowing airflow where the sun isn't hitting. There is a front pocket and inside that is a cell phone pocket, which is a perfect size for making sure it doesn't slide out. 

I found it was also a good shirt to wear in the hot summer evenings while camping, because it provides mosquito protection without being stifling. 

I got compliments and questions about it when I wore it to Baker Creek. The neck is high to keep the sun off delicate neck skin, but that makes it not as fashionable.  Another option that might look more flowy and cute is the Aurora Shawl 

https://eclipseglove.com/collections/frontpage/products/aurora-beach-cover-ups

My husband took the éclipse Adjustable Neck Gaiter

https://eclipseglove.com/collections/sun-neck-gaiter/products/neck-gaiter-adjustable

on his day-long canoeing trip and it blocks the skin that a shirt doesn't normally cover while still cooling the neck. It's versatile, and can be worn in many different ways

The éclipse products are easy to clean and will be a staple in our beach/boat bag from now on!

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!

Campground had some lovely views, some sites with lake access. Water and electrical hookups at most sites. RVs and tents share same area. Bright lights were burned all night, no need in complaining to camp hosts they burned strings of bright LED lights all night too. Large groups allowed, across from our tent there was a party that included 13 children. Generally noisy, lots of traffic moving at all hours. Bathhouses well maintained. Maybe okay for RV but no sleep if using a tent.

Arrived here for two nights in the tent after Myrtle Beach. Site 46 is not terribly even, but it's well situated inside the loop. The park is clean, the tent pad is a good size, and the amazing aroma of pine is one of the natural highlights. Unfortunate that the camp store closes at 5 pm. So one must drive to Publix for firewood. The closest Walmart has $2 ice bags.

This is our first time here and it was great other than I wish the site we picked was better. We r tent campers and the site was rather uneven and not much room. But the other sites from what I seen are great. A good mix of tent and rvs where here. Easy access to the lake for fishing. We stayed at site 17 might be better if we had a small pull behind for this site but oh well we made the best of it and enjoyed our trip.

We had a true adventure when we stayed there.The place was beautiful we camped overlooking the lake.The bathrooms were spotless.We do advise if your in a tent maybe not taking a direct lakefront spot because we literally had to tie down our tent to anything including our car because it got so windy from the winds across the lake.Otherwise it was a great spot to stay.You can go swimming in the summer too we went when it was still cold so no swimming for us.

This place is awesome! We slept in the primative tent section. It was nice and peaceful. Facilities are clean. Great views ❤️