Campgrounds and RV parks near Barnwell, SC

Fishing is the headline activity at Barnwell State Park. The park has three small lakes filled with crappie, bream, bass and catfish. Visitors can take advantage of the SCDNR Tackle Loaner Program if they forget their gear, and boat rentals are available. The Dogwood Interpretive Trail is an easy 1.5 mile loop around one of the lakes. At Aiken State Park, water recreation dominates. Set along the South Edisto River, the park is a haven for fishing, canoeing and kayaking, with a 1.7-mile canoe and kayak trail on the south fork of the Edisto. Other features include an orienteering course, three artesian fountains that visitors can drink from, a swimming area, horseshoe pits and a playground. Broxton Bridge Plantation adds shooting sports, trail riding, and historic touring. The property offers a modern Helice range, 15-station sporting clays course, wing-shooting lessons, fishing, and trail riding across its 6,000-acre grounds, plus a Civil War battleground with breastworks intact on the southern end.

Spring and fall are the most comfortable windows for RV camping in the Barnwell area. Daytime highs are mild, humidity is manageable, and the state parks remain fully staffed. Weekends in April, May, October, and early November tend to book quickly at both Barnwell and Aiken State Parks. Summer is hot and humid, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Sites remain available, particularly midweek, and shaded pull-through spots at Broxton Bridge Plantation and lakeside sites at Barnwell State Park help take the edge off. Tropical storm and hurricane remnants can affect the region from June through November, so check forecasts before travel. Winters are short and mild by regional standards, and reservations are available year-round. Hunt seasons overlap with the cooler months at the plantation properties: Lakeview Plantation, now operating as King Creek Campground, offers long-term rates for RVs during South Carolina hunting seasons. Note that Barnwell State Park periodically lowers its lake to control water loss in the riser, which can affect fishing conditions.

Barnwell State Park runs a compact, gravel-surfaced campground. Each site is packed gravel and includes individual water and electrical hookups with 20 and 30 amp service. The campground is convenient to restrooms with hot showers. Some sites accommodate RVs up to 36 feet, others up to 28 feet, and eight full-hookup sites offer 50-amp service. A dump station is available for RVs. Aiken State Park is similarly sized but sandy underfoot. The main campground has 25 campsites, each with packed sand, water, electrical hook-ups with 30 and 50 amp service, a fire ring and picnic table. Sites 20-25 include sewer hookups, and some sites accommodate RVs up to 35 feet. Cell service can be spotty for some carriers. Broxton Bridge is the largest local option. The campground has 102 sites available along with primitive camping areas, all pull-thru style with plenty of room for large RVs and horse trailers, and includes 30-amp and 50-amp service, water, sewer, showers and a dump station.