Visit to Barnwell State Park, South Carolina. Part Two: The Campground

Click here to access the first post in this series.

After checking in and chatting about the Park with a very helpful assistant park manager, I drove back over to set up the Aliner in the Campground.

Most, but not all, of South Carolina’s State Parks have RV camping facilities. These campgrounds vary widely in size and configuration. Some, like Calhoun Falls and Lake Wateree, have smooth concrete campsites. Others, like Barnwell here, have hard-packed earth and sand surfaces.

Bath house facilities too vary widely. Some quite old; some quite old but renovated; some quite new. Bath houses vary too in how well they are maintained. As you can see here, Barnwell State Park’s campground bath house is one of the older models. And the facilities inside are far from new.

However, I was surprised to discover how clean the shower areas and other facilities were. I mean! Not a speck of dust anywhere, even in the corners! That’s not easily accomplished with facilities this old. The condition of this bath house would have to please even Park Manager James Christie at Sadlers Creek!

I discovered the reason for the bath house’s cleanliness upon meeting the Camp Host. A lady about my age with strong beliefs about the importance of cleanliness, and the determination to Uphold Standards.

Speaking of the Camp Host, it was quite dark by the time I finally got around to setting up the Aliner on Site # 15. Although it was a nice pull-through site, I had some difficulty getting things arranged. Before long, the Camp Host aforementioned, and the Park Ranger on duty, were at my site, offering help. Two very competent ladies. Don’t know what I’d have done without them. Just another example of the welcome visitors receive here at Barnwell State Park.

A couple more points concerning this campground. As you may be able to see in the photo above, each of the 25 campsites is surrounded by beautiful woods. More on the woods at this Park in a moment. But the CCC folks who originally laid out these sites certainly had this in mind as they did their work.

The result of all this is that RV camping at Barnwell State Park is a delight. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and hope to return in the near future. There’s just too much to see and do here for only one five-day visit! 

Oh. One other important point. Sites 18 through 25 at Barnwell offer 50-amp electrical connections. You folks who travel with large motorhomes will be pleased to hear that. In addition, according to the Reserve America reservation site, sites 18, 22, 23, and 25 even have sewer connections.

Fifty-amp electrical service and sewer hookups are quite unusual within the South Carolina State Park system. Watch for it as you make your reservations. Now, the usual 30-amp service is fine for the Aliner, and I don’t need a sewer connection. But owners of larger motorhomes will be pleased.

So, there you have it. Another delightful place to RV camp in South Carolina. Stay tuned, next we’ll take a walk along the Park’s nature trail.

Click here for the next post in this series.

Click here to return to the CarolinaConsidered Project website.