Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Plum Branch, SC

This is a very well-kept campground. There is no bath house or laundry on premises but there is a very nice dog park. It is mostly gravel with one or two streets being sand and all the sites are back in except one which we thought we were going to get but I guess someone called before we did and got it. Our site was level and we were able to set up quickly with the help of Mike the office manager. There is nothing for kids to do here so be advised the gravel becomes a toy! It was great for a night stay. Right off the interstate with lots of stores nearby including Walmart and Camping world.

We camped in one of the tent only walk-in sites located on a peninsula jutting into the lake. We had a ton of stuff, not realizing it was an uphill and pretty long trek, but it was totally worth it. We had the whole place to ourselves, no neighbors, in late March. The sun setting over the water was beautiful, it was quiet even as a few motor boats came in for the night. There is a tiny beach on the tip of the peninsula, picnic tables, and an outhouse. It was my favorite spot of everywhere we stayed on an Alabama-Georgia-South Carolina roadtrip including AirBnB and bed and breakfast.

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.

This is one of South Carolina's furthest afield campgrounds (any closer to Georgia and you'd be in that state!), so be prepared to find seclusion and a decent dosage of privacy all on the lakefront edge of heaven. Having never camped in SC before, my family and I checked out a number of campgrounds in the state before stopping by this one - and for the most part (bathrooms aside), we were delighted by what we found! 

Unless inland, the majority of campsites either inch up to the lake's shoreline or offer a small, easy-to-access private pathway to the waterline. Each campsite that we viewed had very generous (and most importantly) flat grounds, although all are set off by small pebble grounds, much like a driveway (which if you are used to grass, will irk some, but for those that have camped on much larger stone rubble, won't mind as much). 

Insider's tip? Bring cardboard boxes and lay them underneath your tent- both your elbows and knees will thank you later! 

All sites feature a fire circle, running waterline (and for those spots designated RV, an electrical line) along with a peculiar hanging hook for garbage (which depending upon which way the wind is blowing, can be good or really horrible). The bathrooms are just mediocre (at best) and should be prioritized by the state to be demolished (yes, not simply remodeled) and rebuilt as they feel fairly 3rd world (in fact, I've camped in 3rd world countries that had better bathrooms!). I was impressed by the space and privacy of each campsite - while in many spots you can still see your neighbors, this campground offered abundantly much more privacy than other SC state campgrounds. And while camping purists will be put off by the seemingly overwhelming# of RV's, although the way that the sites are organized, you can still camp out in a tent here and not feel as though you are spending the night in a mall parking lot. 

The most majestic offering of Calhoun Falls State Park is its access to the pristine lake- whether boating, kayaking or inter tubing it, this spot is nothing short of perfection! The entire state park is fairly great-sized and you'll find numerous trail hiking and biking to explore. For those seeking spiritual experiences, there's even an outdoors service on Sundays, which looked pretty spectacular when we passed by(for more, just read John 3:16). 

Outside the campground perimeters, there's not much in the way of commercial offerings or grocery stores, although there is a 7/11 in the nearby town of Calhoun Falls, and for those that don't mind a slightly longer drive, there were definitely some stop by's in neighboring Mount Carmel (roadside café), Bordeaux (check out the small church!) and Willington (beware the odors from the outdoor 'art cafe'!). 

Happy Camping!