The best DISPERSED camping near
Shadow Wood , SOUTH CAROLINA

We tent camped here back in March and absolutely LOVED IT. The trails were well maintained and accessible from the campsite. The bathrooms were clean and close by. The sites can be close together but I still felt like we had plenty of privacy. The visitors center is also close by! Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get floor permits due to weather-but the other hikes and wineries close by kept us busy. Each site has electrical hookups, fire pit, and a water pump. We can’t wait to go back!

…each season offers a different experience. We take kayaks in Spring and Summer.

We stayed at the campground over the 2020 Labor day week. It was a nice site. Bath houses were decent. Water was located through out the campgrounds. We stayed in the back loop which is more level. Note you do not need to pay the day use fee if you are camping. The camp host actually retrieved our money we put in the envelope when i mentioned it during check in. The trails in the area have been impacted by several storms in the last few years and many of them are blocked by fallen trees.

This is a typical Corp of Engineers campground, well kept with a variety of pull through and back-in sites.  Sites are 50/30/20 electric with water, picnic table and fire ring.  Many sites have a tent pad, are very level packed gravel/sand and well situated with very few having very close neighbors.  Shade is at a premium on some sites due to cutting of pine trees a couple of years ago but almost all are waterfront with an excellent view.  Some sites have direct access to the water allowing boats right at the site and swimming.  The swimming beach is very nice and well maintained as are the playgrounds.  Three bath houses are convenient to all loops, well maintained and clean.  Cell service is very good as is over the air TV with numerous channels available.  The dump station is easy in/out.  Sites 10 through 40 have awesome views of Lake Hartwell.

Although a nice campground several things turned me off about this campground.  Mainly the lack of enforcement of dogs running loose, owners not cleaning up after their dogs and enforcement of number of people on a site.  The roads into the campground loops are narrow in spots and not well marked at all.  Backing our 30' motorhome into our site required asking the neighbor to move his truck off our site and maneuvering around other vehicles parked in the road.  The site was fairly level and offered a picnic table and fire ring with quite a bit of grassy area. Unfortunately, the neighbor on that side decided it belonged to them and set up games in it, then near dark other people joined them and set up a third tent in that area. Sites are 30/20 electric and water, but there is a dump station.  This has the potential to be a very nice campground, and I'll go back sometime. Perhaps we just had one bad experience so we'll try it again sometime.

This campground sets on a peninsula into Lake Keowee and offers gorgeous views of the lake and mountains in the distance.  While possible for big rigs, it can be a challenge in some areas.  The sites are mostly in the 30-35 foot range and most are back in, fairly level and offer 30/20 electric and water.  Picnic tables and fire rings are on the sites, but unfortunately most of the sites do not offer a lot of usable area around the site.  A few sites near the boat ramp are unparalleled in their view of the lake and mountains and reservation planning is a must if these are wanted.  Being far out in the country the cell service isn't so good and according to where you are even over the air TV is spotty.  A nice boat ramp and swimming beach are available, as are bath houses centrally located.  The camp store was closed due to Covid when we stayed, but there are kayak and canoe rentals.  The dump station was easily accessed and very clean. There are cabins, but we did not look at them.  All in all, this is a very nice campground for families or couples wanting a getaway.

This is a well kept campground with all of the sites right on the water.  Many are pull through and while there are a few smaller sites most will handle a 40' rig.  There are three bathhouses with showers around the campground and one bathroom with flush toilets but no showers.  Roads are wide, well kept, and easy to navigate.  Sites have 50/30/20 amp electric service and water, pads are level packed gravel, each having a picnic table and fire ring.  Many sites offer direct water access right in front of the site and are kept clear so swimming next to site is outstanding.  Cell phone service is very good and over the air TV offers about 10-12 channels.  Most sites have nice shade, but some are full sun.  There is no camp store, however a Dollar General is about five miles away.  Accessible from I-85 via SC State Hwy 24, about 10 miles.  Excellent campground, our go to place since we live about 30 minutes away.  Best campsites are 3, 14, 57, 58, 69 & 70.

We stayed in campsite 71 for three nights in late January. The weather was chilly but calm. We loved the water views and the quiet setting. During the weekdays we were almost alone in our portion of the park, so we enjoyed taking the dog down to the little beach area (as there was no fishing). The weekend resulted in quite a bit of traffic as all the waterfront lots were filled. Decent separation between stalls, but lost the woody feel instantly.

We selected a site fairly close to the bathhouse, but those facilities were closed the entire time we were there. I didn’t observe any signage about why these where closed. This created a longer walk to the showers than desired in the 30-degree nights.

We arrived after hours and tried to check in the next morning. The office staff was very strict about observing their lunch hour. They were walking out as we were walking up and didn’t offer to assist us. There was no answering machine either as we tried to call a couple times once the lunch hour was over. Once we did make contact they were super friendly and helpful.

We had a good time

I like this place