Best Cabin Camping near Santee, SC

This is one of the two campgrounds at Santee State Park, and it is as different from the other as night and day. Unlike the dirt roads at Lakeshore Campground(the other campground in the park) the roads in Cypress View are paved. The sites are gravel, and many of them are pull-through sites. Although tent camping is allowed in Cypress View, I would feel out of place since most of the campers are RVs. However, our teardrop camper fits right in. Cypress View is a much smaller campground than Lakeshore Campground, but the amenities are the same. Every campsite is a short walk from the lake, and the campground is closer to the store than Lakeshore Campground. Unlike Lakeshore Campground, Cypress View Campground’s sites are much closer together, so there is not as much privacy. The campground is quiet, other than the noise from the highway.   That may be one reason to be in an RV or a travel trailer--to cut out some of the noise at night.

Close to the campground, there is a tennis court, a boat launch, Fisheagle Tours, a picnic shelter, kayak rentals, hiking trails, and more. It is conveniently located to most of the state park’s attractions without having to drive so far. Cypress View Campground is also close to the main office and the boat dock. 

If you had rather stay in a cabin, there are cabin rentals on the water. They are accessed by way of a boardwalk across the water. The bath house is modern and has hot showers. It is centrally located so that it isn’t that far of a walk from any of the campsites. 

Overall, I do recommend this campground, especially if you are in a travel trailer or an RV. If you are tent camper, you would probably better enjoy being at the other campground in the park.

The pond is good for all ages, but don't expect to be dragging a big boat here. You can rent a canoe or a row boat or bring your own. There is some sediment in the pond, but it is still enjoyable.

You can go all out camping with no extras or enjoy nature in a luxurious cabin. The big one had two bedroom which could sleep two in one & 3 or 4 in the other. Plus, there is an alcove with bunk beds & chairs & a couch to make a total of 11 or 12 easily. It is fully stocked included linens & towels. Cook in or out. There is even a fireplace & screened in porch

And I haven't even touched on the trails. So much to do or relax & enjoy the peace.

I prefer to stay at Poinsett State Park in the fall, winter, or spring as it is located in the sandhills and it can be pretty hot and buggy in the summer. The WPA era cabins are great. They have all the amenities you need for a little getaway, including a fireplace.

This is a good place to stay to mountain bike, there are two trails in Poinsett and Manchester State Forest is nearby.

this is a great park. have visited on many occasions both by tent and the cabins the park has to offer. It is great for the kids with playground and hiking trails.

Black’s Camp is in the heart of the Santee Cooper area of South Carolina and has been around for several decades. It’s not a destination for someone looking for the “camp in the woods” type person, but it is the destination for those wishing to go fishing and hunting. They are a “full service” fishing camp. They have a boat launch and a marina complete with a gas pump for your fishing boat. There is also a complete tackle shop and restaurant. The store was impressive and had a lot of gift items. When you walk into the store, you feel like it is truly a sportsman’s store. 

With all that said, the campground is across the road and is part of the whole operation. There is also a motel, but that’s not what this review is about. As far as activities, there are no swimming pools, but when you camp here, you don’t camp here for swimming. As I stated before, it is a fishing destination, and there are also guide services for fishing and hunting if you want some help. 

As far as the campground, the sites have all hookups. I didn’t ask about tent camping since we had our teardrop camper this time, but the sites are spacious. However, they are too close together for my comfort and very few trees. The bath house needs updating, but most of the campers probably use their own RV bath rooms since I didn’t see any tenters. 

Overall, I enjoyed the atmosphere of the place, but the campground is mostly just a place to stay when you’re not fishing or hunting.

We enjoyed our long stay at Santee. Spotted a gator on sinkhole trail. Took the fisheagle boat tour. Photos and details on the link.

https://imaginecamper.com/2019/04/13/santee-state-park-sc/

The campground was nice, the RV spaces had nice concrete pads and nice cabins. The roads had some serious potholes and the the campground doesn’t seem to be on a regular maintenance schedule but it was clean. There are a number of bugle calls that happen during the day on the speaker. All in all a nice campground and we would stay again.

Staff very helpful and accommodating.  Very clean camp grounds, good clean bathrooms.  Sites are randomly laid out and spaced well.  The camp grounds boarder the large man made lake.

Reasonably close to I95 and camp sites are $20/day.  If you do not want to camp, they have nice cabins for $30/day.  

they offer two camping areas, one near the camp store and office.  The other is a few miles away and isolated, where we stayed.

I have stayed at here several times over the years. I’ve done primitive camping as well as staying in the cabins. I really enjoyed the multitude of options when it comes to outdoor activities. Kayaking, boating, paddle boarding, and fishing just to name a few. The facilities are well laid out and fortunately, at the times I went, it wasn’t too busy. They have a small store if you forget something. Overall great experience each time.

Nice RV Site if you are visiting Charleston, South Carolina. The site is very hot due to no trees. Currently the restrooms and showers are down, so you need to have a self contained unit. However, very quiet. No pull thru sites. Must back in.

We camped here over the weekend with the pups. The state park has 2 different campgrounds. We decided for the Lakeshore one. It's pretty big with over 100 campsites. They have the usual amenities like fire pit, and picnic table with bench. Our was private, but the sites in the middle are not. The bathhouse was very clean with nice hot showers. The park has several trails, a visitor center, cabins on the water, at least 2 boat ramps with a bait shop. There are no trash cans near the campsites, there is one big dumpster at the entrance of the campground. It's about 1.30h to Folly Beach. We would definitely camp here again.

We usually go to Santee lakeshore campground - it’s very shady and next to the lake with lake access for swimming and kayaking - a few trails around the campground too (sinkhole) - beautiful sunsets - facilities are fine (normal state park standard) - we love it here (family with 2 kids)

We have camped here twice for several days each time. There are 2 main areas, both are close to a large reservoir good for fishing, kayaking, SUPs, rudderless sailing. There are playgrounds, ball fields, picnic areas, short hikes, and cabins for rent. Birdwatching hikes are available nearby at the Swamp Fox Nature Preserve that also offers historical and natural history information.The washrooms/showers are older, but cleaned daily. A camp store and information center are onsite.

My favorite activity was a guided kayak tour into an adjacent swamp. Birds, small mammals and alligators watch as the boats glide by. But make sure to go with a guide, especially if children will be on board.

Weather is changeable. The park is busy 3 seasons a year so make reservations early. Midsummer is hot, humid, and buggy. Spring and fall are lovely times to visit.

This one one of the cutest, most well-maintained State Park Campgrounds we’ve been to. The groundskeeper Larry is the nicest man and was so welcoming from booking to departure. You can tell he takes pride in caring for his site. There’s a nice big field for the dogs to play in and we were able to rent kayaks from the outfitter across the creek to explore the Edisto River. There’s a good burger place 3 miles down the road (Lee’s) too. The cell and WiFi worked great for full time remote work and locationally Colleton is about 1 hour between Charleston, Savannah, and Congaree National Park. I think this is also the smallest state park in South Carolina.

BE CAREFUL EROSION IS SEVERE IN SECTIONS OF THE PARK. We stayed here for a week to take care of some medical issues. VA healthcare is difficult on the road. Anyway the campground is ok, nothing amazing. The location is nice. They have a boat dock. Cabins and 2 RV camping areas. The bugs are plentiful. The shoreline is difficult to reach from the campground. I see the lots are mowed after the campers leave. The grass gets mowed and anything left on the ground gets chopped up, small trash included. When we arrived with our RV we were neve directed to check in. We found our site and on the pole was a small tag with our name and a checkout date. We have been here 5 of the 7 days and we have yet to see the camp host unless he IS the "Mad Mower" even so we didnt get as much as a wave. My wife did venture over to the restroom / showers and refuses to return. She said they were not clean and had bugs everywhere and it was disgusting.  I figured she was exaggerating so I checked the men's room. It really needs some help. I would be happy to spray down a bath house or 2 but since I haven't seen a camp host I will leave it be. It's amazing how much fellow campers will help out if they have the opportunity,  I was ready to help and even have everything needed to help out. Maybe I will see him this weekend before I get busy with other things. Anyways this came was not a bad experience so far but I think they really need some better hosts and maybe set up some kind of activities. They have nothing going on here other than the lake. UPDATE: Before we left our week stay in santee we were able to visit the other campground connect to the same park to get to this side you must turn right. They were collecting a $2 fee. At 1st everything seemed ok. Minor road damage, downed trees here and there, nothing that 2ould keepme away. It seemed like the permanent camps were here. Some of the camps appear to have been set up for a very long time. As we went back the roads got worse and worse. I would not take my rig into the back 2 loops without locking in 4 wheel drive and riding on the "grass" to go around. The road in the back has some major road erosion going on. I suggest you walk back before taking a rig of any size back there. With the leaves on the ground it does not look bad. I saw drops of at least 12" BE VERY CAREFUL, THE ROAD EROSION IS SEVERE.

This State Park has a lot to offer from plenty of campsites with all of the traditional amenities(water, electric hookups), decent (OK, not great) restroom facilities and excellent grounds running adjacent to Lake Marion that offers sweeping views of this incredibly beautiful, massive lake. 

There's EZ access to the lake with a great boat launching area. The only downside is the foliage isn't terribly dense at the campground, so you'll basically be seeing all of your neighbors (and I mean all of them - from the far side to the near front) for as far as the eye can see, so if the lack of privacy and seclusion doesn't bother you, then you should be alright. 

Insider's Tip?  If I was to book a campsite here at Santee SP, it would be this one -#100 (nice and private, further away from the other campsites) with direct lake access, plus, it's got some really great trees and shrubs all the way around it.

Lots to explore, see and do here at Santee State Park. Happy Camping!

We stayed at Santee Lake in a 37' travel trailer. Sites were tight for a rig that big but we made it work. Our site was level, others were definitely not. Nice dock for fishing. Great playground along the shore. If it wasn't near freezing, there was a nice spot for swimming. Ordered pizza and had it delivered to the campsite! Nice touch!

There are quite a variety of things to do at this state park, and the camp sites are spacious. There is a little store where you can buy any of the little things you may have forgotten. There were not too many people camping during our visit, but it could be that not many people want to stand the South Carolina heat! Either way, it made the visit quiet. There are also plenty of geocaches around, if you're into that. There are 2 places to shower in the campground, so I imagine that once it fills up, you may have to wait to shower. It was pretty clean and the water was clear, so I guess you could just go for a swim! I wish we had brought our tubes and some rope to float out on the water!

We stayed in the Lakeshore side, and after viewing the Cypress View campground, we made the right choice.

Cypress view is nice, and closer to the camp store, but is geared more toward RV campers, and we are tent campers.

The drive in is mostly paved. The road in is bumpy in spots, but easy to navigate in any vehicle.

The sites are spacious and not right on top of each other. Our site had a good view of the lake. We have Verizon, and had no issues with service here.

The town of Santee is close by, about 10-15 mins away. We did go into town to purchase firewood at the Santee General Store. A bundle was about $6, stored under cover, and dry.

Some of the neighbors were loud at the campground, but we consider this more of an inconvenience of rude people and not the parks fault. When camping at state parks, the noise levels are hit and miss depending on the people camping.

We would have given this park 5 ⭐️ if it weren’t for the bathrooms. They did have plenty of hot water, and were kept clean, they were just dated. Old facilities, no mirrors, etc. but clean.

There is a boat ramp close by and trails to explore, although we did neither. We just relaxed, enjoyed the weather, and decided we would definitely come back since it is only a little over an hour from our home.