The best HIKE IN camping near
Walker , SOUTH CAROLINA

Hopefully one off!!!

We were lounging about, reading in my car, when a truck with two male NPS staff pulled in right next to us. One staff proceeded to give the other staff a blowjob. Hopefully not realizing we were there. As two solo women we were nervous about the lewd behavior and just left.

Just left Aiken State Park in SC. We will not be returning because it didn’t meet our requirements, but it is not a bad park if it’s what you’re looking for, so here’s the pros and cons:

Pros - super affordable, nice location, very peaceful/quiet, nature trails, kayak rentals available, clean, nice staff

Cons - sand/uneven pads, very tight to drive through and get parked, the dump station is inconvenient to get out of when leaving the campground, absolutely no cell service at campsite (we have Verizon, att, and tmobile)

One other big negative for us, which I hope no one else has to encounter is there was a seemingly, stray dog running around. Super sweet and timid around people, but we have our dog with us (boxer) and the stray attacked our dog. Just warning if you’re there or going soon.

This is an ok campground. Small (25 sites) and quiet. Kudos to the park staff for calling the day before to see if we needed firewood, and give us the gate code in case we were going to be late.

As I said before, it is quiet (except for our neighbors ac kicking on and off all day and night). Site 23 is spacious, and although it backs to the road, there is minimal traffic on it.

The bath house is in the middle of the loop and easily accessible. It is a little outdated, but was always clean. The showers are newer than the rest of the bathroom.

There is a canoe/kayak launch close enough to walk to and we saw many people with kayaks and canoes.

We are tent campers and slept with no rain fly, looking at the stars and listening to coyotes howl at night.

A good park overall and a quiet peaceful weekend.

Had to hike in about .5 miles to a HUGE primitive camping area right near the edisto river. Really wonderful spot since we had 4 people in our group. Perfect wilderness getaway that wasn't too far ( less than 15/20 mins) from civilization.

So worth the trip! Beautiful hour long paddle from Aiken St Park.

Stayed here in late April 2017 and loved the experience. The "drive up" campground still requires a small hike from the lot to the individual camping location. The primitive campground can be quite possibly one of the quietest places you ever camp depending on the season. Going in the spring, the bugs were practically non-existent, and we stayed out all night taking pictures of the night sky and talking around the camp fire. The experience is every bit what camping should be. We also met some great people at the campsites near the parking lot. Campgrounds are right off of the hiking trails, and there are no RV or camper sites. A backpacker's paradise!

Had the opportunity to stop by for one night as we returned from Hunting Island State Park.  This is a hidden little gem that is on my list to spend a couple of nights at.  They coyotes howling at night were insane but to me that adds to the camping experience.

Pristine, but organized trails near the Consgree river and Swamp. Lots of wildlife and ancient trees on the trails. Small campsite to include group camping. 40 miles from downtown Columbia SC. A rare treat to go back in time like this.

About 300 feet from the parking lot so easy to walk into and make trips back to the car or motorcycle in my case. It’s lowlands so it floods easily in heavy rains…learned this the hard way! Picnic table available at each site.

There are two campgrounds at Congaree.  You park at Longleaf parking lot, where there are walk-in sites and vault toilets (clean but terrifying to squat over the abyss). We then walked 1 mile to our campsite at Bluff, where there are 6 sites available.  The sites are situated around a large, grassy area, and there isn't much privacy. (From what I saw, Longleaf sites offer more privacy.)  But you can't beat $5/night.

The walk to Bluff is not difficult but there are lots of tree roots.  We brought a beach cart to help tote our stuff, and we had to navigate those roots.  You will be packing light!

The very nice and air-conditioned Harry Hampton Visitors Center has a water fountain for filling bottles.  You will need lots of water if you are camping during the summer months.  It's also 1 mile to the visitors center.

The trails are well-marked, which is great when you're trying to find your way back to your site in the dark.

There is lots of hiking (easy and difficult) and good fishing in Weston Lake.  Canoeing and kayaking are completely dependent on the water levels at the time, which fluctuate greatly.

There is nothing in the way of swimming, which is a bummer in the summer.