South Carolina RV & Camping: Time, Dates & Rules (With Examples)

South Carolina is particularly well known for its historic districts, gorgeous coastal regions, golf courses, and tourist destinations.

You will likely be close to stunning lakes, beautiful sandy beaches, blackwater rivers, or mountain landscapes, depending on the part of South Carolina you choose to visit.

To help you save time, we have found a few South Carolina campgrounds worth visiting:

2 South Carolina Campgrounds With Times, Dates, And Rules

With the many attractions and activities on offer, there are just as many campgrounds awaiting visitors.

Filtering through hundreds of locations in the hopes of finding the best one can be exhausting, time-consuming, and the opposite of fun. That’s why we have found two of the best South Carolina campgrounds.

To ensure you have a pleasant experience regardless of the one you choose, we have included the times, dates, and rules associated with each campground.

We have also briefly spoken of what you can expect from each campground in terms of facilities, amenities, and activities:

1. Lakewood Camping Resort

One of the best campgrounds to book a holiday at if you are looking for many amenities and activities is the Lakewood Camping Resort.

In total, the resort has more than 2,000 campsites on more than 200 acres of land that include oceanfront sites, open sunny sites, lakefront sites, and shaded sites for both motorhome and tent campers. Additionally, many fully equipped 30 and 50 amp campsites can accommodate rigs up to 50 feet in length.

Arguably the two biggest attractions of the Lakewood Camping Resort are the incredible waterpark and the year-round campground ministry. The waterpark features 530 feet of slides that include open and closed slides, speed slides, body slides, tube slides, and a lazy river.

The year-round ministry includes weekly worship services, gospel concerts, and bible studies.

Yet, there are many other notable amenities and activities worth mentioning. Some of the numerous popular amenities this resort offer guests include a coffee house, a trading post, RV storage, a beachfront amphitheater, and fishing in one of the fully stocked lakes.

Times:

Check-in starts at 15:00, and check-out is at 11:00 am.

Dates:

The Lakewood Camping Resort is open throughout the year.

Rules:

• Campfires are only permitted at campsites and are not allowed on the beach.
• Guests are allowed to bring their motorcycles throughout the year but only on the 20 designated campsites.
• This resort’s quiet hours are from 11:00 pm until 07:00 am.
• All campsites are based on a family of up to seven people only.
• No ATVs, NEVs, utility vehicles, dune buggies, mini bikes, slingshot trikes, and hoverboards are allowed at this resort.

2. The Hilton Head Harbor RV Resort And Marina

Should you be looking for a luxury camping experience, you may want to consider the Hilton Head Harbor RV Resort and Marina.

This resort and campground are located in the northern part of Hilton Head in South Carolina. It has many amazing amenities on offer, with many activities available to keep you and those you are camping with entertained.

At the Hilton Head Harbor RV Resort and Marina, approximately 200 fully landscaped spacious concrete pads are equipped with 30 and 50 amp hookups.

When you are camping, you likely want to have access to what is happening globally, which is why it’s fortunate that this resort has free WiFi and cable television.

Unlike other RV resorts, you will have access to a spectacular five-star on-site restaurant, where you will undoubtedly enjoy many memorable picture-worthy meals. Excitingly, you will also be able to participate in one of the inspiring dolphin tours and the wide array of water sports such as kayaking and jet skiing.

Additionally, a few of the amenities you can look forward to including two swimming pools, saunas, hot tubs, two bathhouses, a sun deck, an RV store, a tennis court, a fishing pier, a playground, and 24-hour laundry facilities.

Times:

The office can be contacted between 08:00 am until 05:00 pm to find out check-in times.

Dates:

The Hilton Head Harbor RV Resort and Marina are open year-round, with peak season from the 15th of March to the 15th of September and non-peak season from the 16th of September to the 14th March.

Rules:

• A 50 percent deposit is required when reserving a site to confirm your booking.
• Motorhomes that are longer than 35 feet and wider than 8 feet are not allowed due to the size of sites and POA covenants.
• All truck camper shells have to stay on a truck’s body at all times while guests are at the resort.
• Park models, tents, and destinations trailers are not allowed at this resort.

Can You Go RVing In South Carolina Outside These Dates?

The campgrounds we spoke of above are open year-round, but not every campground and RV resort is open all year in South Carolina.

If you look on the websites of a campground or the park websites of State and National Parks, you will know for sure when a campground is open.

Many of the places you can pitch a tent or park your motorhome have the ability to set their own times, dates, and rules. You don’t want to embark on a camping excursion only to find out at the last minute that they are closed for the season.

While planning your trip, be sure to check with the campground or resort to confirm their open dates and availability if you want to avoid disappointment.

Fortunately, many of the campgrounds in South Carolina are open throughout the year. Choosing a campground that doesn’t close will ensure you are not limited to when you can travel, which is handy if you can only take off work during certain times of the year.

Below we have listed the popular all-year campgrounds you should consider:

• Little Pee Dee State Park.
• Rainbow RV Park KOA.
• Calhoun Falls State Recreation Area.
• Pine Acres Campground.
• River Bottom Farms Family Campground.

Where Can You Camp For Free In South Carolina?

Throughout most of South Carolina, you will find paid campgrounds, but there are a few notable free camping sports you should be aware of when next planning a trip to this state.

Most of the free campgrounds available are located near the coast, but a few are further inland.

We know that sometimes you want to travel and explore a new state, but you don’t have much money to spend on all the costs often involved. Finding a free campground will eliminate one of the biggest costs associated with camping.

If you don’t have to pay for camping, you will have more money to spend on activities, attractions, local cuisine, and shopping experiences.

Have a quick look below to find out where you can camp for free in South Carolina:

• Francis Marion National Forest.
• Elmwood Recreation Area.
• Santee Coastal Reserve Wildlife Management Area.
• Halfway Creek Trail Campground.

Are You Permitted To Camp On Public Hunting Land In South Carolina?

A common question asked by those considering camping in South Carolina is if they are allowed to camp on public hunting land.

The answer to this question is yes. However, those wishing to camp on public hunting land in this state can only do so at designated camping areas.

Fortunately, quite a few of these areas are allocated for hunters and campers by the South Carolina Department for Natural Resources.

Yet, all campers need to be aware that camping in one designated area for more than four nights is strictly prohibited unless the camper has a valid permit from the department.

South Carolina’s Important Camping And RV Rules For Local State Parks And National Parks

As with all states, South Carolina has many important camping rules and regulations at State and National Parks that need to be followed.

Although the list is quite exhaustive, we have managed to find the most important rules you need to know and have simplified them so they are easy to understand.

When you are aware of the various important rules, you are far less likely to encounter problems.

Therefore you should try and remember the rules we have listed below:

• Disorderly conduct and creating noise or being an annoyance to other guests at the parks is prohibited.
• Mutilating, destroying, cutting, defacing, and breaking trees, shrubs, and plants in the parks are not allowed.
• Guests cannot dump grey water in the parks unless it is at a designated grey water dump station.
• Speeding in the parks and recklessly operating a vehicle is prohibited.
• Campers have to check-in at 2:00 pm and check out at noon.
• All campers are only allowed to stay at a site for 14 consecutive days.
• Campers are allowed one trailer or RV and one tent or two tents per campsite.
• All open fires need to be confined to a grill or a within a designated park area.
• No campers are allowed to change sites without the permission of the park they are visiting.
• All golf carts need to have a valid permit and are only allowed to be driven by licensed drivers.

Citations:

South Carolina State Park Camping Rules and Regulations