Best Tent Camping near Pawleys Island, SC

We had a tent site here for the weekend and were overrun with our neighbors children. No one was governing the curfews or the maximum allowed per campsite. There was literally a family of almost 50 people in two tent sites next to us. And they were there with the people on the other side of us. So we were just wedged in between them. We were woken up every morning to their children trying to unzip our tent. 

There are quite a few campgrounds in the area to choose from and this is among the best. I've camped here, swam here, explored the beach here, worked here, gotten to know many of the staff, and even hosted a triathlon here. You just can't beat Pirateland in summer or winter. If you don't want to camp in a tent, they have quite a few trailers and cabins for rent that are pretty nice. If you don't have a bike, you can even rent a golf cart and roll your way around. If you bring a kayak, there are some great salt marsh areas to check out as well.

This is a pretty big campground. RV's rule the roost here. Most of the tent sites are on the rightmost section of the park (with the exeption of the tent only site on a separate far left section of the park). There are also cabins available at this park There was a good cross section of people. Many different age groups, and walks of life. Really friendly and chill park. Some very nice decorated tents and one really cool old 'skoolie' (actually a retired Air Force transport bus) which was my favorite of the lot. The beach is only 200 meters away, and there are some nature trails and a nature center as well. The camp store stays open till 9pm and they have plenty of wood and most of the things you will need. And they dont charge you up on items either!

The campsites are clean and feature a water spigot AND a power outlet, even for the tent sites! Tent sites usually do not get power outlets. There is also wifi included, which is another plus. 

Now. This is a cool place, but the sites are really close to each other. You WILL get to know your neighbors. Also, you are on the approach/departure pattern for Myrtle Beach International, so planes will be 500 feet above you. Makes for nice photography, but just an fyi.

This is a great option for staying at Myrtle Beach, and if you are with a group and/or really social, you will enjoy this park.

Myrtle Beach has multiple options for RV campers, this is probably one of the best. Because it's the state park and not one of the private campgrounds it's less developed. So if amenities are what you are looking for, don't choose Myrtle Beach State Park. If being immersed in nature in a peaceful setting is what you seek, this is a great choice. 

There are limited tent spots, so either snag one early or skip this if you prefer tent camping.

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.

Beautiful state park with access to Atalaya castle and Brookegreen gardens, all in walking distance. Art festivals are held here too! Bike trails give you access to Pawleys Island, Litchfield, and the shops along the way. The brackish water bridge uses a natural gate to change with tides and will typically be packed with alligators. Take the 1/2 mile walk to the jetty and do some fishing. The further you get from the parking area the better the shark teeth and fishing get. The camp store has some minimal items but make sure to bring meat tenderizer for the occasional jelly fish sting. The trails to the beach from the last 2 hike in tent sights are great, if you go on a full moon you may find some turtles- NO Flashlights! Been here numerous times and it is always less crowded than Myrtle Beach State park. Make sure to check out the aquatic nature center too!

We love camping here, its clean, quiet except for days and weekends people coming in for birthday parties, reunions but its really not bad they don't come into the actual rv, tent, camping area..we've been there 3 times now and its our go to quick vacation spot..we did however make reservations highly recommended. Don't expect to just drive up and get a spot won't work..the sites are all relatively nice, we drive the park to see what spots are good for next time, they also show on the website. Anyway we like it there..

Best beach camping I've had! Lots of shade at the walk-in tent sites. The sites are secluded with bear/animal proof food storage at each site. Of course raccoons are about everywhere, but the nature is so friendly at this campground. A little birdy built a nest in our beach towels one night. The park rangers were helpful (for that situation) so that's cool. We camped during a tropical depression with no flooding. 8 straight hours of hard rain. Great great park.

A refuge from the commercial feel of Myrtle Beach, but only minutes away from major attractions, shopping, and event venues. Very close to Myrtle Beach international airport- watch planes fly out over the beach! Excellent pier for fishing and crabbing (for a fee). Equestrian friendly (seasonally). Great place to bring a bike and explore. There is a park office near the entrance, store at the pier, and a campground store. If RV/ Tent camping is not your vibe, they also have cabin rentals available. Only a short walk from the campground to the Beach and pier with plenty of parking. Showers located in the parking lot right off the beach for easy clean up. ADA accessible beach accesses. Dog friendly. Watch out for Sea Turtles!

I camped here several times when I was younger as a boy scout. It is situated right next to the beach. There is an indoor pool and a big splash park on the grounds. There is a big shower house, laundry facility, and an arcade club house. We were given special permission to tent camp as a boy scout troop. It is mainly for big campers, but they allow tents on site with campers. They have man made water canal that snakes through the campsite where you can rent canoes and paddle boats. The entrance to Pirate land is situated right on the myrtle strip where there are the beach stores and restaurants. Your only ten minutes from the skyward and family kingdom. Overall Pirate land is a family oriented grounds that also has an onsite grocery store for your basic foods and essentials.

Loved this park! There are several tours that would be gegeat to go but we didn't have enough time to get to them. We stayed in the rustic tent sites which I wouldn't recommend. 1. You have a bit of a hike in. #2 Raccoon bothered us while we were eating and he wasn't a bit timid. 3. Ants got in my car with all the doors shut and windows up and made an ant pile on the racks on top of my car overnight. Way more rustic then what I was hoping for. We were much closer to the beach though than the other sites so could here the ocean from our site.

I grew up in Myrtle Beach and camped here in the primitive camping on many occasions. I've done this with groups and also alone. It is absolutely spectacular. During the off-season you'll have the place to yourself. During the summer months, it's busy during the day but quiet at night.

Tips- Take a bike and go out riding late at night. The alligators will lay on the road at night and you can ride right by them. Once night falls, take your sleeping mat or cot down to the beach and sleep there. Be sure to visit the castle during the day.

I've also camped out in the normal tent sites with family. Still a pretty awesome spot to stay, but not as secluded as the primitive camping.

We stayed here for a Martial Arts training weekend on the beach. The camping area has access to the beach and is maintained by the state park rangers. The campgrounds have garbage disposal, bathrooms and showers. The facilities were nice and you could reserve spots with electricity and water. Most all of the camping spots were sand based and of different sizes and shapes as the camping is fit into a horseshoe shaped area. It was also Bike week so there was a lot of people using the campgrounds but it did not seem loud or overwhelmed. There is a camp store and everyone is very friendly. The only facility issue we ran into was a shower head that didnt have a lot of pressure but from others in our group, this seemed to be the only one. They had RVs, tent sites and cabins.

Booked the spot for 4 nights in the tent, and extended for two more after rest stops in Savannah and Charleston during this fourth week in September. This park really has it all: trails, beaches, camp store, RV and tent sites, laundry, clean bathrooms, and WiFi. There's something magical about the trees that shelter the picnic areas beside the beach. You will see hares, turtles, birds, and lizards in the nature preserves, but you won't see raccoons, possums, or armadillos near the camp sites. There are just too many people and dogs for them to bear. Camped in spot #123a, pretty large and next to the bathrooms and trash/recycling bins, and a short walk to the camp store. The fire pits are shallow and don't have that ability to raise the rack to separate your food front the fire, so be watchful when cooking to prevent burning. Expect overhead air traffic related to the nearby airport and a helicopter tour company. There's a special path for bikes and carts that takes you out of the park and places you right in front of the supermarket Food Lion on Hwy 17. Cool. This is now a favorite park. It would have five stars if I couldn't hear my neighbors' low-volume conversations next door.

Big Cypress Lake RV park is a smallish (approximately 10 sites) RV park located on a private lake. The lake has a walking path maintained by the landowners. Reservations are required to stay in this RV park. There are nightly and monthly rates. The park can handle even the largest RVs and most of the sites are right on the waterfront. The site has fairly good reviews on Google. Electric (up to 50amp) and water hookups are available. There is a picnic area by the water, along with 2 docks you can fish from. A large grassy area is available for pets (must be leashed).

Reservations can be made by calling (843) 902-9090.

Rates are currently $50/night ($795/mo) which includes fishing on the lake (which is private to the RV park). Tent sites are available at $45 per night ($495/mo.)

Extra charges are as follows:

$2.50/DAILY• Ages 12& OVER

$1.00/DAILY• UNDER 12 of age

$10.00/DAILY• Big Rigs or 50 AMP

Rates can also changed based on holidays or special events. When arranging your reservation, check rates.

The park is owned currently by Tim and Jane Chestnut.

I recently spent 3 days at this park and had a a great experience.

This location boasts 300+ campsites but are rather packed on top of one another. Once it hits about 10 pm you almost feel like whispering is loud as your neighbors are almost at arms length.

The camp store was stocked and had most of what I needed however, a quick trip out of the park and you will have all the stores you need, this is Myrtle beach after all.

The pier is a huge bonus as we fished for 3 days but it is $8 per person to use the pier. Tent sites ran about $40 per night, I would have hoped for a bit more privacy at that price point but overall it was not bad.

The bathrooms and showers were clean and the park was well kept. They offer hiking trials and a nature center.

If you have a camper or RV this is a great place for you. If you are looking for something more primitive... good luck

I still enjoyed myself and the views and beach were great.

Nice love and would camp there again but just expect it to be a bit cramped.

Campground Review:

Do you love people? Do you love the ocean? Do you love airplanes?

Then Myrtle Beach State Park is for you!

It's a great park--it's got lots of campsites, a beautiful beach, and amenities like a playground, a nature center with educational programs, and a fishing pier.

The campground is well-staffed with rangers, hosts, and volunteers.  The bathrooms are large and clean. (Hand soap is provided but there are no paper towels, just blowers). The campgrounds are well-maintained and tidy.  The trash and recycling stations are conveniently located.

The campground, particularly site 171, is directly under the flight path for planes departing from Myrtle Beach International Airport.  The flights start around 6 am and go until 11 pm or so.  The planes haven't gotten much altitude before they are roaring above your tent, hammock, or camper!

Sites are close together and there is little to no privacy.  Site 171, however, seemed to be the best one for tents, with a deep and wide site and a few trees--enough to hang our 4 hammocks.

Quiet hours were not enforced and traffic noise is easily heard, especially fire truck and police car sirens well into the night and early morning.  The park staff raced past our site frequently on tractors and golf carts once it was after 7 am.

Mosquitoes are in full force here.  The county had sprayed for them the night before we arrived.  Maybe they don't spray the tent sites, but the mosquitoes were insane.  Bring plenty of spray, wipes, and one of those bug zapper tennis rackets.  You will definitely need protection!  The camp store sells mosquito spray for twice as much as it costs across the street at Walmart.

Also, the raccoons were at our site both nights.  They are fearless and hungry.  Lock up your food, your coolers, and your trash.  They do know how to open up latches!!!

Bring a bike and/or a beach cart to get around and transport your stuff to the beach for the day.  The campground is about 300 yards from the beach and it's so nice, you'll want to spend the whole day there, then go out at night to look for creatures and enjoy the ocean breeze.

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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 Morsel Spork (mini and XL).

I was pleasantly surprised at the comfort of using the Sporks.  I was worried they'd be awkward and unwieldy, but the creators put thought into how they are being held by the eater.  My thumb rested nicely in a groove near the top of the utensil.  The rubbery edge worked as intended to completely scrape the sides of the bowl, but an added bonus was that the rubber made the spoon edges soft where it met the skin of my mouth.

The spoon holds much more (cereal and beans, in our case) than it looks like it would.  The fork works, but I'd like thinner tines to better stab food items.  The serrated edge?  Well, it crushes rather than cuts.

I love the different colors and unique shape of the Spork(s).  They will be going on every camping trip with us.  They are easy to tell which fork is whose, and won't be lost in the cutlery shuffle when we're camping with a group of friends.  They're good for kids and adults!

One of the cleanest campgrounds I’ve been to in South Carolina. And only a short walk from the beach

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.

Huntington Beach State Park South Carolina. Stayed a week. Great campground. Trails, easy access to the most amazing beach. The nicest washroom facilities and laundry. January was a little early for us, temperature wise. We would probably return in Feb or March but maybe it is too busy then?

Jake from the Dyrt here!  Levy Riceland Farm is new to the Dyrt and they are ready for campers looking to relax on this peaceful farm, with fishing on the property and close proximity to Georgetown, South Carolina its a must see spot.  Check them out and share some pictures of your stay on the Dyrt!

Santee Coastal Reserve is a hidden gem near the South Carolina coast offering eight, first come, first served primitive campsites in the Santee Coastal Reserve Wildlife Management Area.

The campsites are spacious and can easily accommodate multiple tents and/or RV's. This is primitive camping so there are no water or electrical hook-ups. We drove the short distance to the Elmwood Recreation Area to fill our water jugs. They do not sell firewood at the campground and we didn't see any for sale by local residents on our way in. Fortunately, we were able to gather a lot of downed wood around our campsite since it wasn't until the end of our stay that we found out that firewood, groceries, fishing, and other supplies were available at the Seewee Outpost, about 26 miles south of the reserve on highway 17.

Out of the eight sites, only about 4 or 5 were occupied at any given time and everyone was fairly quiet. Except for one camper who ran his RV generator for hours morning and night. Fortunately, they only stayed one night.

There are several hiking trails around the reserve where you can see various birds and spot alligators bathing in the sun. The only wildlife that we weren't happy to see were the gnats and mosquitos, which we weren't respecting so early in the season.

Overall, this is a beautiful campground and e look forward to visiting again.

Don’t confuse this campground with Hunting Island (many people do). Although expensive, the sites here are very generous in size. Sites on the outside of the loop have more privacy (sites 1-33 have trees behind them for even more privacy). 

The restrooms and showers are clean. 

There are multiple access points to a very walkable or runnable beach. No bike rentals on-site but there is a local bike shop that will deliver to your site. Tours of Atalaya available plus other programs (although we didn’t take advantage of these). There is a large store with many souvenirs along with general necessities. If you order three or more bundles of firewood, they will deliver to your site. 

It would have been nice to have a utility sink to wash dishes in as there are in other state parks. Also, like all other South Carolina state parks, alcohol is prohibited.

Although I usually take many photos at our campgrounds, for some reason, I didn't here!

We'd never been to South Carolina before and had no idea what to expect. We were thoroughly smitten with the coast and the city of Myrtle Beach, but we really loved camping in the state park. Everything was clean, manicured, raked, and private. You can see your neighbor's camper, but usually behind some trees. We now understand the words"Carolina pines" better. They are tall, straight as an arrow, and beautiful. There are millions of them in this park. Our site was level with easy access. It was long enough for our truck and fifth wheel. It was surprising how secluded everything was, yet the city is really closeby. People were friendly. There was a bunch of kids riding bikes, having fun. Lots of parents enjoying cooking out with friends. The park was super quiet at night though. All of the staff seemed cheerful and like they enjoy their jobs. Every camper seemed good about picking up after their dogs, which was really nice. We haven't found that everywhere. The only negative I would give this place is that arrival is a bit confusing, especially with a big rig. It wasn't real clear how far back in the woods we were going to go before we came upon the check-in building. Then, it wasn't real clear that we needed to go around the circle of the little parking lot in order to come up alongside the check-in building. Luckily, we did it right, but there needs to be more signage out there spelling it out in detail along the way. When you're pulling a 40'+ fifth wheel with a big truck, you can't just turn around anywhere. We were afraid we were going the wrong way a couple of times. That can be anxiety-inducing.