Best Tent Camping near Prosperity, SC

Tent camping near Prosperity, South Carolina centers primarily around Congaree National Park, located approximately 50 miles southeast. The park offers two tent campgrounds: Longleaf Campground with 10 walk-in sites and Bluff Campground with 6 backcountry sites accessible via a one-mile hike. Additional primitive tent camping options include Sedalia Campground in Sumter National Forest, roughly 45 miles northwest of Prosperity, which provides basic facilities for tent campers seeking a more remote experience.

Most tent sites feature flat, sandy soil with numerous tree roots that can make tent setup challenging. Sites at Longleaf Campground include fire rings and picnic tables, while Bluff Campground offers more primitive tent setups with minimal amenities. Potable water is not available at either Congaree campground; campers must fill containers at the visitor center. Vault toilets are located at the Longleaf parking area, but no showers exist at any of these tent camping areas. A visitor commented, "If you want to get away from civilization, this might be the place to camp," regarding Sedalia Campground, which does feature running water and clean vault toilets.

The tent camping experience varies significantly by location and season. Congaree's sites are well-spaced, providing decent privacy despite the walk-in requirement. Sites closer to parking lots (such as Longleaf #1) offer easier access but less seclusion. "Sites were spread out, but also the vibe was less 'party all night' and more 'sleep and then explore the park during the day,'" noted one Congaree camper. Spring visitors may encounter synchronous fireflies, while summer brings significant heat, humidity, and insects. Flash flooding can affect lower-lying tent sites after heavy rains, particularly at Congaree. The boardwalk trails at Congaree provide unique tent-camping experiences with opportunities to view wildlife in the old-growth forest and swampy ecosystem, accessible directly from the tent camping areas.

Best Tent Sites Near Prosperity, South Carolina (10)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Prosperity, SC

15 Photos of 10 Prosperity Campgrounds


Tent Camping Reviews near Prosperity, SC

225 Reviews of 10 Prosperity Campgrounds


  • CThe Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 24, 2023

    Lick Fork Lake Recreation Area

    Nice spot would return for sure

    I was passing thru SC on the SCAR headed down to the Palmetto Rally and stopped here to camp. It was a very nice campground with level pads, picnic table and fire ring (bring your own wood). As well there were several vault toilets and there was even a water faucet. It was a good campground and I would stay here again. It is not reservable so first come first served. There was some cell coverage as well. I tent camped so can not comment on RV as the others in the campground were tent camping as well.

  • D
    Nov. 19, 2021

    Sesquicentennial State Park Campground

    Campsite 41 was poorly planned and maintained

    Pros 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.

  • SwitchbackKids
    Jun. 29, 2017

    Longleaf Campground — Congaree National Park

    Bluff Campground the way to go for quiet, peaceful park oasis

    Having 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)

  • Thomas H.
    Mar. 21, 2022

    Weston Lake Recreation Area

    Peaceful

    I 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.

  • Michael W.
    Jan. 8, 2021

    Brick House Campground (Sc) — Francis Marion And Sumter National Forests

    Better than Thought

    Easy access from I26. Spent a week here and really enjoying it. Has 21 spots. All have legal gravel pads, fire rings with grill bars. Vault toilets clean and trash containers serviced. Within good driving distance to larger towns. Access for bigger rigs too. Ranger Bob was here and talked to him. Real nice and informative. 5.00 to me is great for the peace and quiet. Arrived after hunting season, informed was busy then. 4 or 5 come and go.

  • M
    Jun. 23, 2018

    Longleaf Campground — Congaree National Park

    Congaree National Park Longleaf Campground

    If you like seclusion this campground is for you. The campground is primitive. There are 10 single sites that you have to walk into from the parking lot. Not a very long walk but just enough to feel secluded from traffic and other people. It has no showers, vault toilets and no running water. There is potable water at the visitor center and also flush toilets. The trails are very nice and well kept. Depending on when you go you may be the only ones on the trail. The wildlife is very neat it makes you feel like you are in a mini rainforest. There are snakes, skinks, lots of birds, insects and fox squirrels.

  • R
    Sep. 3, 2019

    Lake Wateree State Park Campground

    Busy campground

    I can see why this is a busy campground. Bathhouses were clean. Many lakefront sites have posts to tie up your boat to if you have one. Beach area by the store. No WiFi and rarely did we have cell service but that’s not a bad thing! Large sites with some pull through. We had site 39 and there was nothing but woods behind us which was perfect for us. Only negative was I that I was bitten up by mosquitoes and I used bug spray ( obviously I need a better kind) and citronella buckets. Even with a packed campground for the holiday weekend it was relatively quiet especially by 11. This campground tends to be booked solid on weekends so important to make reservations. Also not much for stores close by so pack well. Oh and no alcohol sales on Sunday’s in the county.

  • S
    Jun. 10, 2018

    Longleaf Campground — Congaree National Park

    Nice campsites, and great experience, prepare to walk in and bring water

    We stayed in Longleaf campground at Congaree National Park for a stop-over on our way back north from a family trip in Florida. The campsites at Longleaf each had a fire ring and picnic table, and were pretty good sized. The key thing to know about Longleaf is that you need to be prepared in several ways:

    1. You have to make a reservation online. The ranger at the visitor's center told us to make sure we had some kind of documentation of our reservation. Reception can be spotty, so printing your reservation ahead of time might be a good idea.
    2. There is one parking lot, and you'll be walking with your stuff into your campsite. It isn't far, but be prepared to carry things. (Note: The walk into Bluff campground is further than Longleaf)
    3. There is no potable water at either campground. Bring your own. (Relatedly, there are only vault toilets at the campground)

    We stayed in campsite 6 at Longleaf, which was great. Campsites 1-3 are closer to the lot, but also closer to the walk that everyone takes from their cars to their sites. For a little more space/privacy, opt for campsites 4 and above.

    Although the campground is barebones, it had everything we needed and made for a great stop for us. Most of the park trails were underwater when we were there after a recent flood. It seemed like paddling would have been an optimal way to see the park and surrounding areas, but even so, we had a great time. There were lots of people out on the boardwalk trails, including lots of kids and dogs. Before you hit the trails, stop in the Visitor's Center and pick up the interpretive brochures on the types of trees/wildlife - they have kid versions and grown-up versions. Both were helpful in understanding the unique environment of the floodplain.


Guide to Prosperity

Tent camping near Prosperity, South Carolina offers several secluded wilderness options within a 50-mile radius. The area sits at elevations ranging from 300-500 feet above sea level in the Piedmont region, characterized by rolling hills and moderate humidity. Sandy soil conditions predominate across most campsites, with summer temperatures regularly exceeding 90°F from June through September.

What to do

Explore the Palmetto Trail: The Sedalia Campground provides direct access to sections of the Palmetto Trail for hiking adventures. "If you're thru-hiking, this would be a good place to camp for the night," notes Myron C. about Sedalia Campground.

Bird watching opportunities: Spring and early summer provide exceptional bird watching at Congaree National Park campsites. "The fireflies were very pretty and interesting. We saw other wildlife around the campground too. A lizard during a walk during the day. Many frogs during the rain at night," reports Veronica S. about her stay at Longleaf Campground.

Cycling access: The national forest roads near Prosperity offer road cyclists excellent terrain with minimal traffic. "If you're a road cyclist this is heaven, and some decent trail riding down to the lakes," explains a reviewer about Sedalia Campground's surrounding terrain.

What campers like

Spacious sites: Many campers appreciate the generous spacing between tent sites. "Sites were spacious and clean," notes Kim L. about Bluff Hike In Campground, which requires a one-mile hike to access the backcountry area.

Quiet atmosphere: The remote nature of campgrounds near Prosperity creates a peaceful camping experience. "It's been quiet the times that we've been there," reports one camper about Sedalia Campground, highlighting its minimal noise pollution.

Central camping field: Several campgrounds feature open areas suitable for group activities. "There is a spacious grassy area in the middle of the campsites for whatever activities you want to engage in. There is also a large, separate grassy area for group camping," explains a Sedalia visitor.

What you should know

Insect preparation: Biting insects can be problematic during warmer months. "Lots of bugs so come prepared," warns Joel R. about his experience at Longleaf Campground.

Rain drainage issues: Low-lying areas can experience flooding during heavy rains. "The first night got a lot of rain and storms and several of the campers from sites farther back left saying they were flooded out," reports a camper at Fell Hunt Camp.

Limited facilities: Most campgrounds provide only basic amenities. "I was glad to see that it had running water and one of the cleanest pit toilets I think I have ever seen," mentions a Sedalia visitor, indicating the primitive nature of facilities in the area.

Cell service varies: Coverage can be unpredictable but exists at some sites. "We had Verizon service. Enough to use Google image search to look up plants, animals, and mushrooms we had found," notes a Longleaf camper.

Tips for camping with families

Site selection: Choose sites closest to parking areas when camping with children. "If you don't want to walk far, get campsite #1. It's right next to the parking lot and closest to the bathrooms," suggests Jacinda S. about Blythewood Acres.

Pack hauling equipment: Many campgrounds require walking gear from parking areas to campsites. "Definitely bring a wagon for packing your stuff in," advises one Longleaf visitor who found the transportation challenging.

Best seasons: Spring and fall offer more comfortable temperatures for family camping. "We stayed here for one night while traveling and it was perfect for what we needed. 20+ campsites in a circle for tent campers," notes Brittany S. about her experience at Fell Hunt Camp.

Tips from RVers

Primitive options: Small RVs can dry camp at several locations. "Overall, it is a great area for primitive camping and for dry camping if you are in a small RV," mentions a reviewer at Poulous Loop Seasonal Camp.

Water access: Bring containers to fill at designated water sources. "The water in the spouts is well water and delicious," notes one camper about the quality of available water at Fell Hunt Camp.

Level sites: Some campgrounds provide flat parking areas suitable for small recreational vehicles. "These sites are level and waiting for your RV," comments Ashley F. about the tent camping areas at Blythewood Acres.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Prosperity, SC?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Prosperity, SC is Longleaf Campground — Congaree National Park with a 4.1-star rating from 29 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Prosperity, SC?

TheDyrt.com has all 10 tent camping locations near Prosperity, SC, with real photos and reviews from campers.