Best Equestrian Camping near Pauline, SC

It was difficult for me to find Woods Ferry, but after talking with a park official, I finally got there. It is off the beaten path, so it is quiet. Apparently, there had been a lot of rain recently, and the area showed it. Woods Ferry is a campground mainly for campers who have horses. There are corrals at many of the campsites, so there are also a lot of horseflies. Horseflies and the actual site itself are my two main concerns. Selecting my campsite was my mistake. It was sloped, but there are a few others that were not sloped. There is running water and a pit toilet. Otherwise, you will have to take everything else in that you need. 

Since South Carolina is hot during this time of year, I was a bit uncomfortable, especially since I was on a slope.

There is a separate section for group camping. However, I think it caters to groups of horse campers, as there are corrals at the campsites. 

Overall, it’s not too bad for those who camp in an RV or a travel trailer, but it’s not ideal for tent campers.

I expected a little more from this campground. The reviews I read made me think they had a lot to offer, but not so much. Stayed here April, 2018 for a week with my grandson. We were very disappointed to hear that they had kayaks, but weren't renting them out yet, due to not having a rack built for them yet. I assume so they couldn't lock them up. I thought they rented horses, but I misread the info..they had horse trails if you brought your own horse. The campsites are extrememly close together. The trails were nice. The camp store wasn't stocked the way you'd think it should be. I probably won't visit this campground again.

This is a remote campground in the national forest, and it is close to equestrian camping as well. With that said, there will be horseflies. However, it is a quiet campground. A big disadvantage, as far as I am concerned, is that it does not have water access. With that said, plan to dry camp and bring your own water. There is a pit toilet, so that is one good thing I can say about this campground. 

Avoid campsite 4 if you are in a tent, unless you have a rake. There are a lot of sweetgum balls. Since I was there at the beginning of the week, there were only two or three other campers and they were in RVs. 

Overall, it’s not bad for camping if you are prepared and know that you will need to take everything in, including water.

This is a very nice state park. The sites are well spaced and wooded. (If you think they are too close together you haven’t been to many private campgrounds). Our site was level and spacious, although some were not as level. Our first site had an awkward incline. The guy at the trading post said they were working on them. We were there mid-week and the campground was very quiet. The only noise was from crows and other birds, and acorns falling in the woods. There is electric (some 50 amp) and water but no sewer. There are 2 dump stations. Several bathrooms/showers are available. There is a nice playground, hiking trails, a lake, canoe rental, and a trading post with some food, ice, camping supplies, firewood and souvenirs. There is also a separate Equestrian campground! The stare park is adjacent to Kings Mountain National Battlefield Park, with Revolutionary War history and more hiking.

I gave this campground four stars, but only for RVs and travel trailers. I would not give it four stars for tent campers. Tent campers would have a hard time finding a suitable site that would not be too rocky. When I checked in, the lady was nice enough to find a site with grass behind the gravel so I could set up my tent. She didn’t warn me that it was sloped. With that said, it is a campground in a beautiful setting. The lake and the sitting area beside the lake are both beautiful. There is a paved walkway down to the lake to a sitting area and a dock. The bath house was air conditioned, almost too much. It is a shock to the system moving from the intense South Carolina heat into the bath house. However, it was a nice break from the heat. Be aware that when you take a shower, you may have to wait a few minutes for the hot water to start. When I first turned it on, I wondered if there was any hot water. Eventually it came, and it was HOT, so I had to adjust it quickly. Also, take your own hand soap with you. There are paper towels but no soap. There are several trails, and you can rent boats, peddle boats, canoes, and kayaks. There is also a disc golf course. If I had known beforehand, I would have taken my own discs. That’s my fault for not doing the research. My favorite part of this camping experience was waking up early in the morning and sitting by the lake. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture a photo of the ducks taking off and flying in a perfect v-formation, but it was so peaceful there. Overall, this is a great campground to get away from civilization.

Long weekend stay at site #42. Nice level and large site. Some sites are smaller and closer but our site and those on both sides of us were large and level. Bathhouse by our site was kept clean and stocked well. Small lake for fishing and they rent canoes and kayaks. Lots of trails. Equestrian camping area on the other side which we had no reason to visit.
Update to this review ... second visit this time site 41 which again was a large site. Unfortunately we had a severe storm second night there, our side had no damage but there were trees down all over the rest of the park. Lost our electricity which means we lost water. They locked all of the restrooms because of this and didn’t bother putting up any signs or provide any alternative for those who were in tents, which there was a significant amount of people. since it was Memorial Day weekend the park was full. We had our bathroom in our trailer and water in our holding tank but we felt bad for the people in pop ups and tents. Still had no electricity the next day and still no bathrooms so we decided to call the electric company and was told the address of the park was never logged as having outage! Seriously?!!! Electric company sent workers out and later that day electricity was restored. This park is poorly managed, it should not take a call from a camper to the electric company. Following day they locked one of the bathrooms again because of a broken toilet until they could get it fixed, I understand that, but again no sign was posted ... just a locked door. Overall we were very disappointed with the way the rangers handled things and won’t be going back any time soon.