Best Tent Camping near Murrells Inlet, SC

This State Park is in one of the best locations we’ve seen. Nestled in a huge wooded setting, set back from the beach. It doesn’t feel like you are just 15min from the hustle and bustle of Myrtle beach. There is a bike track for easy access to the shopping complex across from the entrance to the State Park. Its 15min from Murrels Inlet(great seafood places!) 

The State Park has its own fishing pier and you can walk to Mtryle using the beach! There is an entrance fee for visitors to the Park which keeps traffic down (fee not payable if camping). It is also gated from 10pm to 6am. 

Most sites have some privacy between them. Half the sites are full hookup, the other having electric and water. Most sites can fit a travel trailer or larger, with a few sites towards the front of the park reserved for tents (or tiny trailers only). The amenities although older, are clean. Decent size laundry which takes $2 of quarters. Cell service (Sprint) was ok, however the parks WIFI is poor, especially toward the back of the park, do not rely on it. Even in the off season(December) they said it was also due to so many people using it. 

Fire rings and picnic tables at each site. Firewood for sale at the camp store for $15 a bundle. Summer it wouldn't work at all. Will definitely stay again.

Campground Review:

When we pull into a free, national forest campground in the dark, it’s really hard to get a perspective of where you are – everything seems just a bit spooky. When I saw the sun rise, I popped out of Hamlet (our adventure rig) to take a look around. Wow…this remote dispersed campground was AWESOME! We parked under a gorgeous live oak dripping in Spanish moss which was backlit by the morning sun. We decided to stay for a few days and explore the area.

This campground has drinking water (still a bit rusty this time of year) and very clean pit toilets. There are no picnic tables or tent pads. Sites are not established, so you can park wherever there is space. The large lawn area in the back of the campground can accommodate a couple very large RV's, but keep in mind there are no hook-ups. There were just a few campers there in March, so plenty of space from which to choose. And, the best part…absolutely no mosquitoes this time of year. The only downside of this campground are the lack of established firepits, so people tend to build fires (and leave scars/remnants) all over the place. We had our new Primus Kamoto OpenFire Pit with us, and this was the perfect place to use it for a “leave no trace” fire. Hutch cooked me Belgian waffles for my birthday with our Amish waffle iron…what a treat!

We cycled through the national forest, stopping at both the Hampton Plantation (historic rice plantation) as well as St. James-Santee Church (beautiful 17th century church) – both within a few miles of the campground. The following day, we drove to the Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center on Hwy 17 and spent the afternoon learning from “Wolfman Rob” about the conservation efforts of the Red Wolf as well as touring the ancient native shell mounds in the area. In addition to all of this, there is a canoe put-in for Wambaw Creek just a few miles down the road from the campground.

Note: While there is a general store a few miles away, they didn't have much, so come prepared with groceries as it's about 20+ miles to the nearest grocery store in Georgetown! McClellanville is much closer, but only has a Dollar General.

It’s official folks, we’ve fallen in love with the coast that lies between Georgetown and Charleston, SC! Check out our blog on The Dyrt's Online Magazine about our experience on the coast of South Carolina.

Product Review:

As Rangers for The Dyrt, we’ve been testing out these products in various boondocking and beach locations around the southeast. We will admit that we are “foodie vegetarians” who love to cook over an open fire, but don’t often use campground or picnic stop grills to put our food on directly. They are often rusty, greasy, and somewhat gross. We had been using a propane grill (using the same propane connection that we use for heating our adventure rig), but found that it didn’t have quite enough power to cook things quickly especially for the amount of space it took up in the truck. Now, if we have access to a bit of dry wood, we can easily create a fire anywhere (that is legal and safe, of course!).

What we like about these products:

1. Firepits and grills in campgrounds are often so large that to build a fire big enough to cook over and/or add some warmth to your evening’s activities, you must have a lot of wood and spend a good deal of time maintaining the fire. This unit allows you to build a small, focused fire for cooking, or a slightly larger one for warmth. We were surprised how much warmth we got from the heat radiating off the metal sides. You, of course, can also use charcoal.
2. Firepits in campgrounds are often wet and soggy, filled with trash from not-so-leave-no-trace focused campers, and the grill is often quite rusty. This unit allows you to start with a dry pit and the airholes on the “V” shaped bowl and sides help to increase the amount of oxygen to the fire, while the bottom allows ash to drop out like a wood stove.
3. Robustly constructed overall. Grill top is sturdy enough to hold a pan without bending, and the tight “weave” is perfect for burgers, dogs, and even grilled pizza!
4. No need for propane, just collect some downed wood from your campsite and you have all the fuel you need for a nice cooking fire.
5. Great for use on backcountry canoe and rafting trips where there may not be an existing fire pit or grill. Also, great for tailgates, beach parties, or anywhere else you may want to cook with wood or charcoal.
6. Folds down to an easy to store size, whether you keep it in your vehicle or garage.
7. The spatula (sold separately) is a nice design. Sturdy, long enough to reach the food on the grill top without having your arms directly over the fire, and stores nicely inside the fire pit when it is in its folded down position.

What could be improved:

1. It’s a bit heavier than it looks, so it’s not something you are going to want carry very far.
2. We’ve used it about 6 times and left it out in the rain one night. There is already some rust developing on the non-enameled surfaces.
3. While perfect for a canoe trip or rafting trip, it doesn’t fit well in our sea kayaks. A smaller version for sea kayak camping would be a great addition to the line!

Product Link: https://primus.us/products/kamoto-fire-pit?variant=30578573842

Product Video: https://youtu.be/6ooC6kDfjKI

There are only 6 tent sites at this RV friendly park. We stayed in site 4 and had a cut through to the beach. Site 2 also could access the shortcut, but other sites had a slightly farther walk. Going before the bugs come out is a must. Potable water on site and a short walk to bath houses. Beach is absolutely breathtaking and not crowded.

We also went on a night hike to the beach and saw so many stars!

No long hiking trails to speak of, but a few short walks through forest and an interpretive trail are available.

Tent sites are close together. There is little visual or auditory privacy.

Raccoons are abundant and the park has provided lockers for all food. We didn’t have any problems, but neighbors who didn’t store food properly did.

Camp site is situated on a pad that I assume is set up that way for flooding, but it made the campsite feel cramped, even though there were 2-4 feet of cleared space around the raised pad before the tree line.

This park is huge. We are in the northern camping area Lot 160. Platform is cement so the camper is Level. Our site has a built-in black and grey water private dump station.

The park has nature trails to walk and bike.There is a causeway with a lot of marsh birds and several crocodiles. We went there after tropical storm and a lot of crocs were dry active.

Our site was a 1 minute walk to the shore. The beach was clean but barely occupied due to social distancing. It was part of a 60 mile stretch of beach.

The facilities, were pretty clean and hardly used when I was there.

There was so much to do in the area, including kayaking, that I’ll have to come back for more.

When we left very early (4:30 am) the park entrance was padlocked. Luckily a ranger came out pretty quickly to help with the padlock.

Contact info 16148 Ocean Hwy, Murrells inlet, SC 29576

843-237-4440

www.southcarolinaparks.com

This primitive camping facility is located between McClellanville and Honey Hill. A short camp loop swings through an upland pine/oak forest and encircles a fire lookout tower. The fire lookout tower is no longer in use.

This semi-primitive campground is about 30 minutes north of Charleston, SC, 8 miles west of Highway 17 in the heart of the Francis Marion National Forest.

The number one thing I love about this site: It's free. It's easy to get to. It's camping!

There are 12 fairly large sites spaced well apart so you avoid that parking lot feel. LOTS of trees. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring.

The entire campground is well maintained by the National Forest Service, and the ranger. I say it's semi-primitive because there is a vault toilet which is old, yet clean. 

In the center, there is an old abandoned fire tower that is fenced off from people going up it.

I've been here several times and overall, it's fairly quiet. However, there was one Friday night where a bunch of 20 something's came in, climbed up the fire-tower and partied making for a not so quiet experience.

Since it's free, you can expect to see some interesting neighbors coming in and out. But with the ranger station down the street, the rangers do patrol this daily (I've never seen them in here at night). It's first come first serve, so weekends are usually packed. You better get here early.

I give it 4-stars because it's clean with generous spaces and we've always had a great time. Plus, the spots have so many trees, it makes hammock camping a breeze. All sites are perfect for car / truck camping. Just pull up and unload.

Nearby are several of the major trails that run through this National Forest, including the popular Swamp Fox. The site also is right next to one of the dirt forest roads, that takes you in even deeper.

10 minutes away, at the Highway 17 intersection are gas stations & mini markets, so if you need some basic supplies, things are right down the road.

Directions: From Charleston, take US Highway 17 north to McClellanville. At the intersection of SC Highway 45 (the yellow caution light) turn left, and drive eight miles to the camp.

Reservations during the main season are key if you have any hope of getting a campsite in this awesome Francis Marion National Forest campground which sits just along the gorgeous intercoastal waterway, about 40 minutes northeast of Charleston, SC! We pulled in without reservations and nearly every site was booked out. The campground host was super helpful, though, finding us an empty spot (due to a cancellation) for a couple nights, then moved us to a non-reservable site for the remainder of our time.

The majority of the sites are designed for very large RVs, with a few very nice waterfront sites designated for tents. Each site is spacious, complete with a picnic table, firepit, 2 lantern poles, and electrical hookups, with a dump station at the back of the campground. The bathrooms are equipped with flush toilets, sinks, and a shower and kept relatively clean.

The campground itself is dripping with live oaks and speckled with Palmetto trees, so lots of shade is available, especially in the tent areas. The boat launch is walking distance from the campground and has a nice picnic area adjacent to it. We watched a pods of pelicans and dolphins come through the area, as well as many other sea birds.

We kayaked along the intercoastal waterway and out into marshy sea grass areas and had one of the most amazing wildlife encounters to date (and we’ve been all over the country). We saw a pod of dolphins in the distance, which appeared to be feeding. We stopped about 150 away and just enjoyed watching them dance and dive in the morning light. Then, two of the dolphins peeled away from the pack and headed straight toward us. As they approached our kayaks, the larger one gave an extra tail fin flap and dove under our boats, coming up just a bit on the other side. As naturalists, our hearts were pounding with excitement! We also hiked and mountain-biked along the gorgeous Palmetto Trail (which is a mountains-to-sea trail across South Carolina, and this campground serves as its coastal terminus).

Also, don’t miss the famous Sewee Restaurant for some downeast coastal Carolina fare, as well as the Center for Birds of Prey just across the highway from this restaurant. This wildlife conservation and rehabilitation center is doing some amazing things for birds and in the region and doing a great job of public education. If you head up the coast, be sure to stop in Boats & Hoagies in McClellanville for a bite to eat. Cute place, great food, awesome service!

The $20 per night fee is a great price for the amenities this campground offers, especially with full hook-ups and showers, and a boat launch. Check out our blog on The Dyrt's Online Magazine about our experience on the coast of South Carolina.