Tent Camping near Williston, SC

Tent Camping Reviews near Williston, SC

184 Reviews of 7 Williston Campgrounds

• C

  Charles H.

  Guide

  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.

• 

  SwitchbackKids

  Legend

  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)

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• 

  Joseph J.

  Traveler

  Mar. 2, 2026

  Steel Creek River Ramp

  Primitive clearing with boat ramp

  It is very much just an abandoned boat ramp on the river. It’s quiet, secluded and I was the only person here. There’s signs of other campers and fires but I can’t say what’s allowed. Fish and wildlife stopped by because they saw me from the water. He said he would like to see it used more often. It’s practically abandoned. The city mows it. As long as people leave no trace. There’s some trash around, but I can only fit what I brought in.

• 

  Maria Mercedes M.

  Legend

  Sep. 27, 2025

  Dreher Island State Park Campground

  Family Adventures on Lake Murray

  I loved how Dreher Island State Park in South Carolina gave our family the best of both safety and fun, with shaded, roomy sites that included picnic tables, fire rings and well-kept bathhouses that made camping easy with kids. The campground sits right on Lake Murray, so the kids spent hours swimming, skipping rocks and spotting herons, while short hiking trails gave them just enough adventure without wearing them out. With boat ramps, fishing spots and wide-open lake views, it felt like a true escape, yet I had peace of mind knowing everything was family-friendly and close by when we needed it. Evenings ended around the campfire with tired, happy kids and a beautiful lakeside sunset.  I would highly recommend this place!

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• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  Jul. 1, 2023

  Dreher Island State Park Campground

  Lakeside Island Camping Paradise

  In my never-ending quest to discover the most perfect campground haven, after a rather intense amount of research, I landed on Dreher Island smack dab in the very center of South Carolina, where my daughter and I spent this past Labor Day weekend – our annual daughter & daddy camping trip – along with another very good family friends of ours. And while we’ve camped out in South Carolina before – and have been very pleasantly delighted by what the great Palmetto State has been able to offer us, we were in store for a real treat here at Dreher Island. 

  To begin with, Dreher sets amongst a number of islands in the midst of one of South Carolina’s most pristine and largest (50,000 acres) natural waterparks – Lake Murray. If you are looking for a campground destination that has a tremendous amount to offer, than look no further than Dreher Island. First of all, you’re on a proper island, so here’s what that means – nearly every single campsite here has either direct lake access or, at a minimum, a brilliant lakeview. One bit of warning would be that while the view is impeccable, the winds can be strong, and as we found out one hard, rainy and windy night, if you are camping here with a tent, you’ll want to stake your abode down with as many lines as you quite possibly can. Ultimately, we tied our cabin tent down with more than 20 lines around our makeshift abode and we still felt a howling wind each night that had us think at times that we were reshooting the tornado scene in ‘The Wizard of Oz!’ 

  As for amenities, there’s a ton: from the marina that this SP manages, where there’s a solid mini-mart (that has you covered on just about every front, from snacks and firewood to boat rentals (book WAY in advance if you want to rent anything!), ice, T-shirts and bait ... but you will want to note that there is NOT much in the way of actual groceries here) to picnic shelters and recreation pavilions, both hiking and biking trails as well as some of the most amazing water to canoe and kayak on as well as an amazing tackle loaner program – that’s right! You don’t even have to bring your own fishing pole and gear– the State of SC has this amazing program where they’ll lend you whatever you need. 

  Of course, all of the campsites come equipped with a fire ring and pull-down BBQ grill, nice level back-in paved sites (unfortunately, despite being tent campers, we only had a single slot to choose from, which was an RV site, so we pitched directly on top of the pavement – not ideal, but not the end of the world either). Each campsite has solid space, although there’s not a ton of privacy offered between campsites (really the only downside to our whole experience). The bathroom / shower facilities were just OK, but fairly clean and just a short hike from our campsite. 

  The greatest point to highlight about Dreher Island is the impeccable way in which the good rangers here take spartan great care of this magnificent campground jewel. But of course, Murray Lake itself is the real draw and she does not disappoint. My daughter and I, as well as the family who joined us, spent 90% of our time on the lake swimming, paddle-boarding, kayaking and enjoying one of the best lakes we’ve ever experienced. 

  Other amenities that you’ll appreciate: tons of shoreline for boat fishing opportunities  and what you will normally catch will include: largemouth and stripers, catfish, bream, crappie and yellow perch.  You should note however that you will need a proper SC state fishing license to catch any fish.  Other plus-ups include: playgrounds for the kids, complimentary WiFi (only near the park store though). 

  A couple insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you need anything at all, it’s just a 15 minute drive to the nearby quaint town of Chapin, where there’s a Lowes, Publix, Food Lion and Walgreen’s, Dollar General, Ace, etc.;(2) When/ if you get tired of cooking campside, then there’s a few great options (also in Chapin), where we dined at Chophouse, which was supremely awesome (side note: we were incredibly welcomed to this smart, upmarket restaurant despite showing up in our camping gear); (3) Looking for a nice spot for some late night suds? Lazy Creek Taphouse has you covered and has an outstanding outdoor vibe that will be sure to leave you with a memorable ‘Low Country’ backyard memory; and (4) if you are wanting to know the absolute best camping spot while at Dreher Island, while there are only 15 sites for tent campers, I recommend one of two places: the lakefront views of T-4 through T-7, where there’s 4 platforms perfectly set-up for large tents and that have easy access to the restrooms and showers just behind them … and T-11 through T-14, which are nothing except ‘pure tent camping bliss’ with simply fantastic, unobstructed views of Lake Murray. 

  Happy Camping!

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• M

  Michelle A.

  Guide

  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.

• S

  Sara W.

  Traveler

  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.

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• H

  Hannah K.

  Scout

  Oct. 20, 2021

  Longleaf Campground — Congaree National Park

  gorgeous location

  It’s a great location and very quiet. Walk in campsites and pretty secluded. You can see you neighbor, but a decent amount of space in between and not many campers overall. No electricity, but there’s LTE connection. Also only one pit toilet for each gender and no running water at the site.

• 

  Michelle P.

  Scout

  Jan. 19, 2021

  Sweetwater Lake Campground

  One Star is Too Much

  I would like to give an honest review of this campground because I rely on other peoples’ reviews to choose campgrounds that I have not been to before. I cannot in good faith recommend this campground to anyone. I called the week ahead to confirm that reservations were not required. I spoke with a lovely lady who shared reservations were not required and that their campground never fills up. (However I will have to say the night that I arrived, there were very few spaces left.) I told her I had read good reviews and that we were local and were excited to come.
  My first impression - I would prefer to camp under the stars. Instead, at this campground you camp under a light pole at each campsite. We also like to have a fire ring to have a fire going to cook our food, but not at this campground. There’s a community fire, and no fire rings at the campsites. But the most deplorable part of our short stay was the treatment received from the owner. We arrived after dark, in the fog and after setting up our camper, we went to plug it in only to find that there was no wiring in the electrical box. Unfortunately we did not notice the small, paper sign, wet and faded stating that the electric box was out of order. When we spoke to the owner, he had no professional courtesy at all. He was the rudest person I have ever met. He blamed us for not reading his wet, faded sign that could not be seen in the dark. He did not offer to help, but instead raged on and noticed that we had South Carolina plates. He then said we weren’t even supposed to be there, that their campground is for out of state campers. I have never heard of such a thing and not to mention, the lady I spoke to earlier in the week knew I had said we were local and did not mention this policy on the phone. If I I am paying to camp, I expect a working campsite. If it does not have working electricity or sewer, it should be roped off so that people know not to park there. We packed up and left because of the unprofessional behavior of this campground owner. If you are looking for a place to camp, I would highly recommend skipping Sweetwater Lake Campground and checking out one of our State Park campgrounds instead. They have working campsites under the stars with electricity, water, fire rings, and park rangers that care about your camping experience.

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