Best Campgrounds near Hampton, SC

Given the well-healed surrounding isle that you have transported yourself to, it should be an assumption that whatever you experience here on HHI is going to cost a bit more, feel a bit smoother and last a bit longer in the memory banks of moments shared. This incredibly well-landscaped, pet-friendly RV outpost sits on the northwestern corner of Hilton Head and from the very moment you exit Route 278 / William Hilton Parkway, you will feel as though you’ve been whisked away to a secluded wooden forest of ancient and live oaks bathing the sunscape in Spanish moss as you make your way to the entrance of Hilton Head Harbor RV Resort.

Upon entry, you’ll be confused as to where to park as there’s plenty of roadside (apparently public) parking with your first view of the water, which isn’t quite yet the Atlantic, but instead, Skull Creek. While you will be attracted to stop and pull over here as the amazing view will lure you to steer to one of the number of vacant parking spaces, don’t. Instead, take a left and head to the main office where you’ll check-in, but be careful, what looks like the main office, actually isn’t – that first small building you’ll spot is just for rentals and tours (despite the sign indicating RESERVATIONS), so keep on heading in the direction of the larger building just beyond the first one. And while the scenery is amazing, we were less-than-impressed by the non-existent staff at reception – in fact, reception was closed when we arrived… at 8am, mind you, on a Saturday morning nonetheless, when me thinks most folks would be checking in – and we were told to wait until someone opened up the office, which didn’t happen for another 1½ hours. Once checked in, you’ll easily find your slot here amongst the 200 or so back-in (no pull-thru sites that we saw) RV slots all of which offer up 30 / 50 amp electric, water & sewage.

Amenities include: tennis courts, (2) heated pools and jacuzzis, bath house and restrooms, horseshoe pits, kids playground, designated dumpsters, covered pavilions, fishing pier, boat, kayak and jet ski rentals, recreational area, assorted picnic areas, dolphin, fishing& watersports tour facility, sun deck, marketplace, fuel dock, exercise room/ gym, WiFi, cable TV, laundr-O-mat, 5 star on-site restaurant (see below Insider's Tip #1), wet & dry saunas, full-fledged working marina and, of course, direct access to the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and the amazing beaches that await you here at HHI. One huge bummer is that none of the sites have a fire ring, which seems like a basic thing, especially at a luxe location like this.

This RV campground offers up concrete pads in an incredibly well-manicured space that offers up 12 amazing oceanfront sites (#53 - 65) that will provide you with walking distance access to the amazing Sunset Grille restaurant along with a designated picnic area. If you are not fortunate enough or don’t want to splurge on such accommodations, you’ll have your pick of 10 or so other RV micro-communities here, so depending upon whether you want to be as close to the action (sites #182 – 200), which places you around the tennis / pool / hot tub / bath house fulcrum, or on an outer loop (either #24 – 52 OR #1 – #23) or one of the 6 interior loops, there’s a very smooth, well-appointed concreted slab of paradise awaiting you here.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) While you are obviously aware of the substantial dining options available to you here at Hilton Head, made even more abundant if you were to include not too distant Savannah, you’ll be blown away by the fact that you don’t need to jump in your RV or vehicle to find some succulent servings, in fact, just head on over to Sunset Grille, which is connected to this RV resort and has startling views of the Atlantic Ocean all while offering up typical low country dishes like shrimp & grits, buttermilk fried pork chop and brined fried chicken; (2) At $199 / night for waterfront sites during peak seasons and $119 for interior sites during the same time frame, I find this RV depot somewhat overpriced, but hey, it’s Hilton Head – if you want value for $ being this close to the water, then manage your expectations or head southwest to Alabama Shores – otherwise, enjoy the ritzy RV life here; (3) If you would like to become educated on the area that you are laying your head down at each night, then it is worth the time investment to check out Gullah Museum of Hilton Head, which has absolutely amazing exhibitions and a wonderful facilitated tour of the historical significance of Hilton Head Island and the surrounding area; (4) Should you elect to get some decent hiking in, just about 15 minutes from where you are parked there’s Victoria Bluff Heritage Preserve; (5) If you are on the look-out for some amazing encounters with nature, we were able to spot dolphins, manatees and stingrays from the dock here at the resort!; and (6) In the event that you need to load up on any supplies, just head due east and within 7-10 minutes, you’ll encounter a Jarvis Creek General Store, Walmart Supercenter, Publix and Harris Teeter.

Happy Camping!

If this RV oasis was any closer to the hustle & bustle of I95, the busiest thoroughfare in the Palmetto State, it would be on it, but what you don’t know is that there’s a handful of lakes and surrounding forest that is thickly populated by pine wetland along with 300 acres of Sergeant Jasper Park that adds additional nature between this CG and the highway, so you’re incredibly close, but you won’t notice it. In fact, you won’t hear anything out here, which was pretty amazing, considering just how close to I95 you are. And whether you’re planning on heading to Savannah, which is 30 minutes south of here, 40 minutes to picturesque Beaufort or oceanfront Hilton Head Island, only about 30 minutes southeast, Lake Jasper RV Park makes for either a great layover for a single night or for even a longer spell. What was also surprising is that you are not even located on the mainland here – in fact, you’ll be parked on Eagle Scout Island with direct access to beautiful Lake Jasper, which will satisfy your fishing, boating and paddling urges.

The campground is impeccably landscaped, well-maintained and organized with the RV and 5th Wheeler crowd in mind, wherein there’s decent-sized paved roads that will easily escort you around the entire property, where even the trickiest of turns are EZ here. The parking pads are both long as well as wide and where you do find ground, it’s a mixture of soil and sand silt, which prevents any erosion from happening whether you need to set up blocks for your sewage or erect a 10x10 shelter – whatever you plant in the ground is going to stay put. While there’s not a ton of privacy in between slots, each site was very spacious so you won’t have to worry about being up in your neighbors business and with 105 individual pull-through or back-in slots to choose from, each one is incredibly level and features FHUs featuring water, sewage and 50 amp electric. The pads themselves are either small gravel or sandy soil with all sites featuring a concrete patio.

Amenities: General marketplace at the main office, separate restroom and shower facilities, heated pool sitting lakefront, coin-and-CC-operated laundr-O-mat, community fire pits, doggie park & station, fishing dock, designated picnic area, RV & boat storage, covered pier, WiFi, cable-TV access, lakeside center, tetherball, horseshoes, key-pad gated entry, designated dumpsters, access to hiking trails that will take you in and around Sergeant Jasper county park offering more than 3 miles of decent, flat trails but the crown jewel of this particular campground is the direct lake access to quaint Lake Jasper.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) You definitely want to make the most out of being located adjacent to Sergeant Jasper county park where not only is there a direct trailhead access point here at Lake Jasper RV Park to explore all of the hiking trails or bike on, but there’s additional activities over here like a lakefront gazebo, kid’s playground, additional picnic shelters, canoe & kayak rentals as well as an 18-hole disc golf course; (2) In the event that you want to get ‘off the reservation’ and try some local fare, I highly recommend Tailgators Bar & Grill, The Clubhouse at Okatie Creek and Frankie Bones over in Blufton;(3) Should you need to load up on any supplies, just head east on Route 278 where there’s a Publix, Kroger, Sam’s Club, CVS and Walmart Supercenter; (4) If you are of my tent pitchin’ tribe, you’ll want to look for other accommodations as this is a mobile camping outpost only; (5) Be sure to grab a spot at the community fire pit or the small little peninsula that the picnic area is on around 5pm in order to get a pristine view of the sunset as it sinks right over Lake Jasper, making for simply wonderful sundowners; (6) Be aware that there are snakes and alligators in and around Lake Jasper, so if you’re out walking Fido, be sure to keep him / her on the leash at all times; and (7) IMHO the best sites are those located right on the lake and include sites like #14, #31– #38 and #39 – #47, although you will want to take the following into consideration: site #39 rubs right up against the shower and restroom facilities and sites #14 and #31 have the head trail entrance running between them, so if you are concerned with random pedestrians passing by your spot all the time, then maybe another spot would be better. If you don’t mind not having a lakeview, I also like spots #48 – #53 that are tucked away in a corner and keep you away from the general population.

Happy Camping!