America’s Camping Report Card
South Carolina
#18 of 43 for camping
Better than 60% of graded states · overall grade B+ — campers like it.
Graded on 7,492 written reviews from South Carolina - no star ratings, just what people wrote.
The breakdown
Letter grades reflect how campers actually felt about each topic - A means they loved it, not that it beat other states.
What campers praised
- beautiful park73
- beautiful place63
- beautiful lake53
- beautiful campground49
- lake views48
What campers warned about
- windy conditions3
- no shade all day2
- rain and cold winds2
- beach area is muddy1
- beach area needs to be broadened1
- Praised by
- 44.8%
- Warned by
- 1.0%
- Rank
- Better than 50% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.438 (±0.012, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- spacious sites64
- large sites55
- great campsites23
- nice sites23
- large campsites21
What campers warned about
- sites too close together11
- sites very close together7
- tight sites5
- site not level4
- sites close together4
- Praised by
- 42.0%
- Warned by
- 9.4%
- Rank
- Better than 79% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.326 (±0.014, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- good fishing13
- hiking trails12
- nice trails12
- walking trails11
- camping and fishing10
What campers warned about
- fishing was poor3
- limited things to do3
- not much to do3
- limited hiking options2
- no swimming allowed2
- Praised by
- 31.4%
- Warned by
- 1.9%
- Rank
- Better than 62% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.294 (±0.011, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- very clean119
- well maintained109
- clean106
- clean bathrooms65
- clean restrooms55
What campers warned about
- grass overgrown3
- poorly maintained3
- ants in tent and gear2
- bath houses need thorough cleaning2
- bath houses not clean2
- Praised by
- 30.9%
- Warned by
- 7.0%
- Rank
- Better than 43% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.239 (±0.013, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- friendly staff136
- very friendly staff43
- friendly and helpful staff37
- great staff33
- friendly people19
What campers warned about
- no camp host present5
- no ranger available3
- attendant unhelpful2
- check-in personnel unfriendly/unhelpful2
- new hosts less helpful/nice2
- Praised by
- 25.8%
- Warned by
- 3.0%
- Rank
- Better than 55% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.229 (±0.011, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- bathrooms21
- restrooms18
- restrooms and showers17
- hot showers16
- clean restrooms15
What campers warned about
- bathrooms need updating9
- bath house4
- bathhouse distance4
- no potable water4
- no sewer hookups4
- Praised by
- 22.6%
- Warned by
- 11.1%
- Rank
- Better than 67% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.115 (±0.013, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- quiet135
- very quiet91
- quiet campground63
- quiet and peaceful43
- quiet atmosphere40
What campers warned about
- sites very close together10
- sites too close together4
- drive-through traffic3
- sites close together3
- barking dog disturbance2
- Praised by
- 15.8%
- Warned by
- 5.2%
- Rank
- Better than 83% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.106 (±0.010, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- family friendly15
- dog friendly8
- friendly people8
- friendly campers6
- family oriented5
What campers warned about
- not kid friendly2
- didn't feel welcome1
- didn't feel welcomed1
- feels singled out1
- feels singled out repeatedly1
- Praised by
- 3.1%
- Warned by
- 0.3%
- Rank
- Better than 67% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.028 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- free camping10
- reasonably priced8
- great price7
- reasonable price5
- affordable4
What campers warned about
- very expensive3
- overpriced2
- price felt high2
- refund not received2
- $16 to drive through1
- Praised by
- 4.2%
- Warned by
- 1.8%
- Rank
- Better than 83% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.024 (±0.005, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- close to charleston10
- easy to get to9
- easy access8
- easy to find8
- paved roads7
What campers warned about
- narrow roads for big rigs3
- hard turns2
- long walk to bathroom2
- no cell service2
- poor internet/phone service2
- Praised by
- 6.8%
- Warned by
- 6.1%
- Rank
- Better than 48% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.007 (±0.008, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- felt very safe7
- safe5
- felt safe4
- feels safe2
- felt safe and comfortable alone2
What campers warned about
- emergency access concern3
- emergency exit concern2
- gates not locked at night2
- theft of fishing rods2
- 911 for emergency exit1
- Praised by
- 1.2%
- Warned by
- 2.2%
- Rank
- Better than 52% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.010 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- easy check-in process2
- easy to reserve2
- made another reservation2
- made reservations to return2
- online reservations available2
What campers warned about
- hard to get a site4
- book far ahead2
- cancellation difficulty2
- everything booked out, hard to get a date2
- hard to get a reservation2
- Praised by
- 1.5%
- Warned by
- 2.5%
- Rank
- Better than 88% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.010 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- pet friendly9
- dog friendly7
- dog-friendliness5
- dog-friendly2
- dogs allowed2
What campers warned about
- not open year-round6
- rules not enforced4
- 14-day limit enforcement2
- closes early in fall2
- dog leash rules not enforced2
- Praised by
- 0.9%
- Warned by
- 4.0%
- Rank
- Better than 60% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.030 (±0.005, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- ant problem gone2
- ants less bad than before2
- no ants2
- no ants at site2
- wildlife2
What campers warned about
- ants everywhere7
- mosquitoes5
- ants infestation4
- lots of mosquitoes4
- rainy weather4
- Praised by
- 0.6%
- Warned by
- 5.7%
- Rank
- Better than 50% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.050 (±0.006, 95% CI) from 7,492 written reviews, 40% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
We read every written review of a campground in South Carolina and used AI to label what each camper praised or complained about, across 14 topics. A topic’s score is the share who praised it minus the share who complained, and the letter is absolute: A means campers loved it, F means they were frustrated — on a fixed scale, not a curve. So a topic isn’t marked down just because another state scored higher. Switch to Raw numbers to see the share who praised vs. warned behind every grade.
The rank (South Carolina vs. other states) is shown separately, because most states are genuinely good overall — the ranking is what tells them apart. The overall grade is the average of the topic grades, weighted by how often campers raise each one.
Only states with at least 2,000 reviews are graded, and every topic carries a 95% confidence interval from its sample size.
Topic weights
- Scenery15%
- Campsites15%
- Cleanliness13%
- Facilities12%
- Staff & hosts10%
- Things to do9%
- Crowds & noise8%
- Getting there6%
- Bugs & weather3%
- Booking2%
- Value2%
- Rules & policies2%
- Safety2%
- Welcoming1%
Methodology v3-absolute-grade-plus-rank | 43 states graded | updated June 2026.