Camper submitted image from Buck Hall Recreation Area - 1

View Photos

Camper submitted image from Buck Hall Recreation Area - 2
Facilities
Camper submitted image from Buck Hall Recreation Area - 3
Roads
Camper submitted image from Buck Hall Recreation Area - 4
Camping
Camper submitted image from Buck Hall Recreation Area - 5
Nature
Unlock Planning Tools in App

Established Camping

Buck Hall Recreation Area

Warning 1 Alert is In Effect

There is 1 alert for this campground. Camp safely!

Buck Hall Recreation Area will soon be undergoing a major renovation. During construction, which is anticipated to start in 2025, the entire recreation area will be closed for public and contractor safety. Pending available funding, the renovation will affect the following amenities: campground, dump station, day use area, boat ramp and floating docks, roadways, infrastructure systems (electrical, water and wastewater), and the seawall. More information on the timeline for construction will be posted when available. If you have questions or would like additional information you can send an email to: SM.FS.fmrd@usda.gov.

CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

Buck Hall Recreation Area, near Huger, South Carolina, is a solid choice for those looking to enjoy the great outdoors with a touch of convenience. This campground offers a mix of tent and RV sites, complete with electric hookups, making it easy to set up camp and relax.

The area is known for its beautiful views along the Intracoastal Waterway, where you can catch glimpses of boats cruising by. Many visitors have praised the spacious sites and the peaceful ambiance, perfect for unwinding after a day of fishing or hiking. One camper noted, “Beautiful spot on the intercostal waterway. Well maintained and lots of room between campsites.”

While the campground doesn’t have showers, it does provide clean restrooms and a dump station for RVs. If you’re into kayaking or fishing, you’ll find plenty of opportunities right at your doorstep. The nearby Palmetto Trail offers great hiking options, and the local wildlife, including dolphins, adds a special touch to your outdoor experience.

Buck Hall is conveniently located just a short drive from Charleston, so you can easily explore the city’s attractions or grab a bite to eat after a day in nature. Whether you’re here for a weekend or a longer stay, this campground has a lot to offer for a memorable getaway.

Suggest an Edit

Location

Buck Hall Recreation Area is located in South Carolina

Detail location of campground

Directions

From Charleston, South Carolina, take U.S. Highway 17 north ( 32.0 mi.) to Buck Hall Landing Road (Forest Road 242 /1099). Turn right into the recreation area. From Georgetown, South Carolina, take U.S. Highway 17 South/South Fraser Street (29.0 mi.) to Buck Hall Landing Road (Forest Road 242 /1099). Turn left into the recreation area.

Address

Francis Marion National Forest<br>2967 Steed Creek Road
Huger, SC 29450

Coordinates

33.0375 N
79.5627778 W

Open in Google Maps

Connectivity

Presented byT-Mobile SatelliteT-Mobile is introducing T-Satellite to extend coverage in the outdoorsLearn More
  • signal strength bars
    T-Mobile5G
    Excellent Coverage
    Verified by 2 users
  • signal strength bars
    Verizon5G
    Excellent Coverage
    Verified by 4 users
  • signal strength bars
    AT&TLTE
    Some Coverage

Is Buck Hall Recreation Area sold out?

Quickly grab cancellations!

Learn More

Drive Time

Presented byToyota Trucks

Connectivity

Presented byT-Mobile SatelliteT-Mobile is introducing T-Satellite to extend coverage in the outdoorsLearn More
  • signal strength bars
    T-Mobile5G
    Excellent Coverage
    Verified by 2 users
  • signal strength bars
    Verizon5G
    Excellent Coverage
    Verified by 4 users
  • signal strength bars
    AT&TLTE
    Some Coverage

Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Boat-In
    Sites accessible by watercraft.

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group
  • Tent Cabin

Features

For Campers

  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Drinking Water
  • Electric Hookups
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Sanitary Dump
  • 30 Amp Hookups
  • 50 Amp Hookups
  • Big Rig Friendly

2025 Detourist Giveaway

Presented byToyota Trucks

Review Campgrounds. Win Prizes.

Enter to Win

Reviews

Add Review

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

38%
25%
38%
0%
0%

4.0

out of 5

16 Reviews

Reviewed Sep. 21, 2025

Tidy campground near the river

We spent three nights here as a base for our trips into Charleston. With our America the beautiful senior pass. I think it was only like $50 for three nights. Park did have a boat ramp. There were only about 20 or so spaces so the campground was not huge. All the spaces had water and electric. The showers were nice and tidy and the water pressure in the showers was great. Nice hiking through the forest as well on some trails.

Site6
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Lisa M., September 21, 2025
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Lisa M., September 21, 2025
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Lisa M., September 21, 2025
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Sep. 1, 2025

Good for boating and fishing

Calm campground, with good ramp for boating and a pier for fishing. Don't forget your bug-spray, mosquitos are aggressive here.

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Werner S., September 1, 2025
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Werner S., September 1, 2025
Reviewed Feb. 18, 2025

In by 7:00 PM???

Carolina Beach in Wilmington is a great public beach but the campground isn’t great. Or at least a bit deceiving. It is not on or near the beach. You can’t see the beach and the trail there doesn’t go to the beach. But the worst was that they lock you in at 7:00 every night (in February ). The restrooms were clean and neat, and they had a trash bin by the gate.

Site#25
Month of VisitFebruary
Reviewed Mar. 22, 2024

Fine campground

This place is fine, really just a circle of sites with hookups in an open field. Pretty trees and sunsets!

Site20
Month of VisitFebruary
Reviewed Dec. 31, 2021

Great site on Intracoastal

Met with host Don (there till end of Feb.) Very personable. Answered all my questions. Well kept quiet campsites right on the Intracoastal. Can just see the Atlantic in the distance. Clean.

SiteA1
Month of VisitDecember
Reviewed Dec. 12, 2021

Okay camping experience

Stayed for three nights before heading to OBX. A very limited camping area. Good if your only interest is camping, fishing and hiking. Nothing else to do. Little disappointed with level of maintenance especially with bathhouse. Never saw a ranger or camp host. Don't expect to stay again.

Site08
Month of VisitDecember
Reviewed Dec. 1, 2021

Great spot in the National Forrest

Great spot! Saving this to my list for if I ever travel back this way.

Nice open spots right next to a river! Water and Electric Hookups on site and a dump station off site.

Pretty hard getting spots here but we many to get one!

Site01
Month of VisitDecember
  • Play button icon
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Nicholas S., December 1, 2021
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Nicholas S., December 1, 2021
Reviewed Apr. 22, 2021

Great site!

We spent April 17-19 here. Beautiful spot on the intercostal waterway. Well maintained and lots of room between campsites. They have a couple of nature walks. Close to Charleston, SC.

Site5
Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Buist L., April 22, 2021
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Buist L., April 22, 2021
Reviewed Apr. 30, 2020

A boat dock means boaters.

The campsite itself is pretty wonderful. Many of the sites are right along the waterway. There's plenty of room for kids to play and there's a trail head to the Palmetto Trail.

 Our tent site was 3rd to the last, closet to the wood. A decent walk to the bathhouse, but not unreasonable at all, although we did have to cut thru some occupied RV sites.

 Unfortunately, a bit further down, a couple of RV sites joined forces and partied, loudly, well into the night. We were far enough away they didn't keep us awake, but you could easily hear them if you did awaken There were multiple sites close to the party that must have been awake all night. I'm not sure if the camp host was ever notified or concerned.

 All in all though, its  decent place.

Reviewed Jul. 31, 2019

Peaceful setting, great location

I’ve been to Buck Hall several times. Excellent place to trailer your boat, cook over a campfire, and have a shower to wash the salt off at the end of the day. Views of the Intracoastal waterway are nice, watching the variety of boats pass by. The majority of the area is cleared grass, cutting down on bugs. Don’t forget to bring the frisbee! Since this isn’t a state park, they are tolerant to crackin a couple of cold ones. Boat landing is deep enough to drop a large boat into the drink, and cruising up Bulls Bay or heading south towards Dewees. Hiking a section of the Palmetto Trail is a good option for a day out of the sun due to the heavy maritime forest canopy. Best time of the year is Fall, Spring, and Winter. Trailering your boat will force you to pay for an RV site.

  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Eric K., July 31, 2019
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Eric K., July 31, 2019
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Eric K., July 31, 2019
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Oct. 10, 2018

No Swimming!

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.

Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Sep. 6, 2018

Awesome spot right on the Intercoastal Waterway!

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!

Site9
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Bounding Around , September 6, 2018
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Bounding Around , September 6, 2018
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Bounding Around , September 6, 2018
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Jun. 25, 2018

Right on the intercoastal water, Great for sunsets and fishing

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!

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Hilary B., June 25, 2018
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Hilary B., June 25, 2018
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Hilary B., June 25, 2018
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Mar. 26, 2018

Intercoastal Camping: Watch Wildlife from the Campground

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.

SiteVarious
Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Shari  G., March 26, 2018
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Shari  G., March 26, 2018
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Shari  G., March 26, 2018
  • (13) View All
Reviewed Jul. 15, 2017

Rv city

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.

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Natalie B., July 15, 2017
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Natalie B., July 15, 2017
  • Review photo of Buck Hall Recreation Area by Natalie B., July 15, 2017
  • (4) View All

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I access the boat landing at Buck Hall Recreation Area?

Buck Hall Recreation Area features a well-maintained boat ramp that provides direct access to the Intracoastal Waterway. The boat landing is located within the recreation area and is easily accessible from the campground. This is a popular launch point, particularly during shrimp baiting season (starting mid-September for approximately 60 days), when the facility experiences heavy use. The landing accommodates various watercraft and includes docks for temporary mooring while loading and unloading your boat.

What activities can you do near Buck Hall Recreation Area in South Carolina?

Buck Hall Recreation Area offers numerous recreational opportunities centered around the Intracoastal Waterway. Boating, fishing, and crabbing are popular activities directly from the campground. Nature enthusiasts can spot dolphins playing at sunset in the waterway and access hiking via the Palmetto Trail, which has a trailhead within the recreation area. The campground's location in Francis Marion National Forest provides additional outdoor exploration opportunities. Buck Hall serves as a convenient base for day trips to Charleston (about 40 minutes away) and visits to iconic attractions like the Angel Oak tree. Wildlife viewing, nature walks, and enjoying waterfront sunsets are other favorite activities.

What amenities are available at Buck Hall Recreation Area campground in McClellanville?

Buck Hall Recreation Area offers water and electric hookups at the campsites, with a dump station available off-site. The campground features clean shower and bathroom facilities with running water, though maintenance can vary seasonally. Most sites are designed for RVs, with a limited number of tent camping spots (less than 10). The campground provides spacious sites with room between them, fire rings for campfires, and grassy open areas ideal for recreation. The facility includes docks overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and is well-maintained with camp hosts typically available to assist visitors.

What are the camping fees at Buck Hall Recreation Area?

Buck Hall Recreation Area offers affordable camping options within Francis Marion National Forest. The exact fee structure isn't specified, but campers consistently describe it as reasonably priced, especially considering the waterfront location and amenities provided. Reservations are strongly recommended, particularly during peak seasons and special events like shrimp baiting season (mid-September for approximately 60 days), when the campground fills completely. For current and exact pricing information, contact the Francis Marion National Forest recreation office or check the official USFS reservation system.