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This campground is located just off the park entrance road, approximately mile before the Harry Hampton Visitor Center, in a mixed pine/hardwood upland forest. This campground is located at a higher elevation than the floodplain and is not subject to the flooding events that occur regularly in other parts of the park.
Campers with reservations at the Longleaf Campground have easy access to the parks 27 miles of hiking trails. Campers can reach the Harry Hampton Visitor Center by car or by hiking on the Longleaf Trail. At the visitor center you can access the Boardwalk and find information on other trails to plan your trip into the old-growth forest of Congaree National Park. Those who would like to explore and experience Congaree via canoe or kayak can launch from one of the park's two landings, located between 5-10 minutes by car from the campground.
Located in a mixed pine/hardwood upland forest, campsites are surrounded by pines and other trees. Campsites are generally in shade for large parts of the day. An open field in the middle of the campground is available for use by campers throughout the day, and this location offers campers excellent opportunities for observing wildlife such as birds, butterflies, and the occasional southern fox squirrel.
Congaree National Park is located near many attractions including state parks, forests and parks. The city of Columbia is a short drive from the park and offers access to many attractions including museums, city parks and shopping.
$15 - $25 / night
5 min from downtown Blythewood and exit 27 on I-77
Water/Sewer/Power (20/30/50 pedestals) provided.
Daily/Weekly/Monthly rates available
Rural land in Blythewood down long driveway with locked gate. Circle drive, water connection from on-site well & septic dump station are available.
$45 - $55 / night
This is a hike-in campground that is located at the intersection of the Bluff and Firefly Trails, approximately 1 mile from both the Harry Hampton Visitor Center and the Longleaf Campground. It is surrounded by a mixed pine/hardwood upland forest. This campground is located at a higher elevation than the floodplain and is not subject to the flooding events that occur regularly in other parts of the park.
Campers with reservations at the Bluff Campground have easy access to the parks 27 miles of hiking trails. Campers can reach the Harry Hampton Visitor Center, boardwalk, and other hiking trails via either the Firefly or Bluff Trails. At the visitor center you find information on other trails to plan your trip into the old-growth forest of Congaree National Park. Those who would like to explore and experience Congaree via canoe or kayak can launch from one of the park's two landings, located between 5-10 minutes by car from the visitor center.
Campsites are located on the edges of an open, grassy clearing in the mixed pine/hardwood forest, and is adjacent to an area currently undergoing restoration to a longleaf pine grassland/savanna. Depending on the time of day, sites may be the sun during the morning or afternoon/evening hours. This location offers opportunities to observe wildlife such as birds, butterflies, and other wildlife.
Congaree National Park is located near many attractions including state parks, forests and parks. The city of Columbia is a short drive from the park and offers access to many attractions including museums, city parks and shopping.
For facility specific information, please call (803) 647-3970.
$10 / night
Guide
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
Traveler
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!
TravelerDid 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
ScoutGood camp for rv or tent camping. Plenty of trails, splash park for kids and a lake for boating and fishing
Traveler
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
Scout
I chose the lakeside tent sites section. I wish I knew that the Cypress side was open to tents also. It is much further from I-95. I can clearly hear roadway noise from this side. I visited the other side tonight and it is a much greater diatance from the highway and faces away from the noise. It is more popular over there so tonight, I have more isolation here. Good for tents all tbrough park.
TravelerCamped 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.
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.
Traveler
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
TravelerI 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.
TravelerStayed 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)
GuideLarge. 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.
Guide
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!
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.
Legend
You’ll find this particular destination tucked away in one of the crevasses of Lake Marion, just off Rt. 6 and a stone’s throw from Indian Bluff Recreation Area, which is a gem to go hiking around and finding a nice spot to cast a line into the water for a slow day of fishing.
This campground is one part marina, one part multi-faceted campground escape. While they do have a handful of spots for RV’s and trailers, in addition to renting a handful of cabins directly on the lake, I was delighted to discover that the real find here is the small island that sits directly across from the marina, where there are endless tent camping options. I would consider the experience fairly primitive over on the island, as there isn’t any running water or electric to speak of, but a short little canoe ride and you’re back in civilization (er, the marina).
I would highly recommend this spot for anyone looking to get away from it all – and don’t mind being a bit secluded. If you have your own canoe or kayak, great, but if not, fret not, the marina will loan you one if you’re staying with them, and if you’d like anything else to rent (house boat, sail boat, innertubes, paddle boards, etc.) they have it at the boat house.
Happy Camping!
RangerWe 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.
LegendThis is one of the two campgrounds at Santee State Park, and it is as different from the other as night and day. Unlike the dirt roads at Lakeshore Campground(the other campground in the park) the roads in Cypress View are paved. The sites are gravel, and many of them are pull-through sites. Although tent camping is allowed in Cypress View, I would feel out of place since most of the campers are RVs. However, our teardrop camper fits right in. Cypress View is a much smaller campground than Lakeshore Campground, but the amenities are the same. Every campsite is a short walk from the lake, and the campground is closer to the store than Lakeshore Campground. Unlike Lakeshore Campground, Cypress View Campground’s sites are much closer together, so there is not as much privacy. The campground is quiet, other than the noise from the highway. That may be one reason to be in an RV or a travel trailer--to cut out some of the noise at night.
Close to the campground, there is a tennis court, a boat launch, Fisheagle Tours, a picnic shelter, kayak rentals, hiking trails, and more. It is conveniently located to most of the state park’s attractions without having to drive so far. Cypress View Campground is also close to the main office and the boat dock.
If you had rather stay in a cabin, there are cabin rentals on the water. They are accessed by way of a boardwalk across the water. The bath house is modern and has hot showers. It is centrally located so that it isn’t that far of a walk from any of the campsites.
Overall, I do recommend this campground, especially if you are in a travel trailer or an RV. If you are tent camper, you would probably better enjoy being at the other campground in the park.
RangerI 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.
ScoutIt 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.
GuideThere are quite a variety of things to do at this state park, and the camp sites are spacious. There is a little store where you can buy any of the little things you may have forgotten. There were not too many people camping during our visit, but it could be that not many people want to stand the South Carolina heat! Either way, it made the visit quiet. There are also plenty of geocaches around, if you're into that. There are 2 places to shower in the campground, so I imagine that once it fills up, you may have to wait to shower. It was pretty clean and the water was clear, so I guess you could just go for a swim! I wish we had brought our tubes and some rope to float out on the water!
LegendHaving 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)
GuideFirst, 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.
GuidePros 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.
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.
ScoutPoinsett 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.
ScoutWell, last minute decision on a Friday in July. Should be hot, humid, mosquito-filled, but was breezy and with a water view! Site 115 in the tent area (tent or RV, but had a tent) was beautiful. Not full this weekend. I'd say the whole campground was 40% full, being the week after the 4th and all, but I'd highly recommend such a visit! The camp store, purportedly open until 5, was open until 7, perfect for smores fixings and breakfast, etc. And nice quite morning! Children are the future, but honestly a campsite where they aren't wailing before 7AM is a treasure and a rare find. Enjoy!
LegendArrived 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.
Tent camping near Gadsden, South Carolina, offers a unique blend of natural beauty and outdoor adventure, perfect for those looking to escape into the wilderness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Gadsden, SC?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Gadsden, SC is Longleaf Campground — Congaree National Park with a 4-star rating from 27 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 3 tent camping locations near Gadsden, SC, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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