Mike creek is one of several parks located on Lake Keowee. We were really disappointed that they had closed off the primitive campsites to build new cabins, but the new cabins are very nice! They were built October 2018 so they are brand new- They are pretty small but clean, air conditioned, and have a kitchen with stove and fridge as well as a screened in porch. They have 2 sizes- They house 4 or 8 people and are a little over $100/night. As of right now they don’t allow pets if you stay in the cabins so keep that in mind! The park ranger said they are planning to build some primitive sites again in the next year or so and we are looking forward to that. Overall, the cabins are clean even if they are small and the weekdays usually have openings. Mike creek has a lot of amenities such as a beach area, lots of parking, docks, and playgrounds. I highly recommend this park!

First time at Uwharrie and we drove about 5 hours to get there but it was worth it! It’s a huge area with several campgrounds. We stayed in 2 different dispersed primitive sites and they were both great. Plenty of space and trees and privacy! There are a 6 different stores/gas stations that have the overnight passes available for purchase. We got our passes from Eldorado outpost and the attendants there were very knowledgeable and helpful! We also took our Jeep on the OHV trails and had a blast. There are several places you can take a canoe or kayak on and the scenery on the lake was beautiful as well. They also have several hiking trails throughout. Canebrake horse camp is located in Uwharrie and has horse trails throughout. We didn’t come across a park store but they did have showers and bathrooms in the actual campgrounds. There’s a store/gas station (Eldorado Outpost) right down the road and they also have an air compressor for inflating tires (which is handy for off-roading). It was definitely a long drive but we will definitely be making the trip again. We really liked the secluded primitive campsites and the various trails we were able to take our Jeep on.

This small primitive campsite is located near the NC side of Jocassee. A lot of people hike in to these campsites via the foothills trail but it’s a very long hike so we carefully boated in from the Devil’s fork side. There’s no water spigots, bathrooms, or amenities other than a fire ring, and cell service is spotty so this is truly a down-to-basics getaway. It’s one of the most beautiful areas and we love Jocassee for its amazing scenery- very little houses, it’s a deep cold lake and the cleanest lake in SC. There are so many gorgeous waterfalls on the lake! They have a bridge crossing over the river, but you can also fish in the river. They also allow hunting. It’s a very quiet area right along the foothills trail and I highly recommend camping here, or even just staying the day!

Keowee-Toxaway has a regular RV/tent campground as well as a cabin you can rent and 4 hike-in campsites. We stayed in the hike-in sites. Site #3 is closest to the water. It’s about a 2-mile hike to the campsites, or you can boat in. It’s about a 5 minute paddle from the non-motorized landing. It’s a very pretty area but be careful as there are many boats and jet skis in the area as well. You can also walk a little ways down and there’s a rock that many people jump off of. There are many houses and boats so it can get a little loud but overall it’s a nice area.

The bathrooms and showers in the main campground are clean, and they put in a new dumpster. The park rangers come through the campground to check on things, and they lock the main gates at night (which they give you the code when you check in so you can leave if you want to). Overall it’s a small but clean park, and we love coming here!

Calhoun Falls is one of 2 campgrounds on Lake Russell. There are over 80 campsites plus 14 tent sites which were all right on the lake. We were on tent site 8, and it looked like tent sites 0-5 had a little more privacy but a longer walk (The tent sites had a bathroom and an outdoor shower). We had a friendly little black snake that lived by our campsite but he didn’t bother us and we didn’t bother him 😊 Also, if you hear rustling around in the middle of the night, it’ll probably turn out to be an armadillo! The state park had a lot of amenities which were great for fishing-plenty of docks, boat ramps, a green-light fishing dock, a tackle loan program and even a fish cleaning area! We saw some nice sized bass by the green light dock. There were bathrooms and showers in almost every area, and a nice sandy beach swimming area. You have to drive or use a golf cart to get to other parts of the state park, otherwise it would be a very long walk. They do have 2 trails you can hike though. This was our first time camping at Calhoun Falls but we will definitely be coming back!

Very clean campground right on the beach. It’s hard to get a spot so I recommend booking months in advance! Everything is within walking distance-gas station, liquor store, bi-lo grocery store, and restaurants. We spent most of our time at Botany Bay plantation heritage preserve (WMA land) which is right down the road. A short half-mile walk leads to an amazing untouched portion of Edisto Beach. I highly recommend Edisto!