Best views for a cheap campground. Campsite hots we had were knowledgable and helpful. Not far from downtown Charleston.
This campground is located directly adjacent to the Intercoastal Waterway, and there is a boat ramp located nearby but there is no access to go swimming here. There are lots of oyster beds lining the rocks that are serving as a perimeter to the waterway, so scrambling through can be hazardous if you go down there. The tent campsites have a good breeze, but once you get back into the trees the mosquitoes can be very bad.
We had a great week at Buck Hall! The campground isn't very large so I definitely recommend making a reservation. During shrimp baiting season (60 days starting the Friday nearest September 15) the campground is completely booked. Plan accordingly! There is really nice boat landing and fishing/crabbing pier in the campground. We had a blast kayaking around and had some awesome dolphin encounters. The historic town of McClellanville is super cute and I definitely recommend a seafood dinner at TW Graham's! Their key lime pie is amazing as well! The nearby Sewee Visitor Center has red wolves and is free to visit. They also have RV parking! We enjoyed this, but if you have kids I think it would be a must do! You can call ahead and find out when they will be feeding the wolves. The crabbing is great at the campground and we had a delicious crab boil as a result! The only reason I am not giving this campground 5 stars is that the bathrooms were pretty gross. They were working on them while we were there so maybe there is a brighter future for these run down bath houses. Our hotspots worked great here too!
This campground was perfection. There are docks, a boat ramp, fantastic bathroom\shower houses! The intercoastal waterway goes through the center of this campground giving us amazing views of dolphins playing at sun set. This campground is highly recommended and a short drive to the Angel oak tree is a must see while in the area!
Reservations during the main season are key if you have any hope of getting a campsite in this awesome Francis Marion National Forest campground which sits just along the gorgeous intercoastal waterway, about 40 minutes northeast of Charleston, SC! We pulled in without reservations and nearly every site was booked out. The campground host was super helpful, though, finding us an empty spot (due to a cancellation) for a couple nights, then moved us to a non-reservable site for the remainder of our time.
The majority of the sites are designed for very large RVs, with a few very nice waterfront sites designated for tents. Each site is spacious, complete with a picnic table, firepit, 2 lantern poles, and electrical hookups, with a dump station at the back of the campground. The bathrooms are equipped with flush toilets, sinks, and a shower and kept relatively clean.
The campground itself is dripping with live oaks and speckled with Palmetto trees, so lots of shade is available, especially in the tent areas. The boat launch is walking distance from the campground and has a nice picnic area adjacent to it. We watched a pods of pelicans and dolphins come through the area, as well as many other sea birds.
We kayaked along the intercoastal waterway and out into marshy sea grass areas and had one of the most amazing wildlife encounters to date (and we’ve been all over the country). We saw a pod of dolphins in the distance, which appeared to be feeding. We stopped about 150 away and just enjoyed watching them dance and dive in the morning light. Then, two of the dolphins peeled away from the pack and headed straight toward us. As they approached our kayaks, the larger one gave an extra tail fin flap and dove under our boats, coming up just a bit on the other side. As naturalists, our hearts were pounding with excitement! We also hiked and mountain-biked along the gorgeous Palmetto Trail (which is a mountains-to-sea trail across South Carolina, and this campground serves as its coastal terminus).
Also, don’t miss the famous Sewee Restaurant for some downeast coastal Carolina fare, as well as the Center for Birds of Prey just across the highway from this restaurant. This wildlife conservation and rehabilitation center is doing some amazing things for birds and in the region and doing a great job of public education. If you head up the coast, be sure to stop in Boats & Hoagies in McClellanville for a bite to eat. Cute place, great food, awesome service!
The $20 per night fee is a great price for the amenities this campground offers, especially with full hook-ups and showers, and a boat launch. Check out our blog on The Dyrt's Online Magazine about our experience on the coast of South Carolina.
This is a gorgeous spot on the water but can get buggy. Mostly RV spots with less than 10 tent spots. Shower and bathroom/water available.
