Poinsett State Park Campground

Poinsett State Park Campground, near Wedgefield, South Carolina, is a solid choice for those looking to enjoy the great outdoors year-round. With a mix of tent sites, RV spots, and cozy cabins, it caters to a variety of camping styles, making it easy to find the right fit for your group.

The campground is known for its clean facilities, including well-maintained bathrooms and showers, which visitors appreciate after a day of hiking or exploring. Many campers have enjoyed the spacious sites, complete with picnic tables and fire rings, perfect for evening gatherings. One visitor noted, “The campsite was perfect! Had a picnic table, fire ring, and plenty of space.”

For those who love to hike, the park offers numerous trails that wind through scenic landscapes, and there’s a lovely lake right by the visitor center where you can rent paddleboats. Wildlife sightings, including cranes and turtles, add to the charm of the area. Just be prepared for some pesky bugs, especially in the warmer months.

While the campground provides a peaceful retreat, some campers have mentioned that the roads leading in could use some work, and cell service is spotty. However, the friendly staff and the chance to disconnect from the hustle and bustle make Poinsett State Park Campground a worthwhile destination for a weekend escape or a longer stay.

General Overview

In the High Hills of Santee, where the South Carolina Sandhills of the Midlands region meet the coastal plain region, you’ll find Poinsett State Park. Called the "mountains of the midlands," this mixed ecosystem yields a high degree of biodiversity and some of the most unique natural sightings in the park system, especially along the Palmetto trail which winds through the Manchester State Forest.

The High Hills of Santee are dotted with the hiking and biking trails that wind through the park–some of which connect to the Palmetto Trail that leads hikers through the Manchester State Forest. Poinsett’s 10-acre lake makes for a serene setting, and can be used for fishing and johnboat rentals. The park also offers campsites, a fishing pond, a coquina bathhouse built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, pre-revolutionary grist mill ruins and rustic cabins.

Location

Poinsett State Park Campground is located in South Carolina

Directions

From I-95: Take exit 119 (Manning exit) onto Hwy 261 towards Columbia until you see signs for Poinsett. From Columbia: Take Hwy 378/76 toward Sumter. After crossing over the Wateree River proceed to the top of the hill and turn right onto Hwy 261 toward Wedgefield. Continue on Hwy 261 until you see signs for Poinsett. Park will be on the right. From I-20: Take exit 98 (Camden exit) onto Hwy 521 South toward Sumter. Go 2 mi on Hwy 521 to Hwy 261, bear right and follow the road for approximately 35 miles.

Address

6660 Poinsett Park Rd
Wedgefield , SC 29168

Coordinates

33.80469659642133 N
80.54794623221206 W

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Reviews

4.0

Scout

Great camp site!

We stayed here for our son’s first birthday, in campsite 30! It was beautiful and we felt like we had plenty of privacy. Our site had a trail attached to the back of it which was really nice for hiking and it was perfect distance from the bathroom! On the topic of the bathroom, the toilets were CLEAN! And I mean we were there for 24 hours and the bathroom was cleaned at least twice. Really nice, they might look a little scary on the outside though but don’t mind that any bit.

For people that love hammocks, site 29 (right next to ours) has a bunch of perfect hammock trees. If we go again we will try to stay in that spot! Great place to stay.

Guide

Short stop on our drive

Picked this park to add a stop on our drive to NC, we didn’t hit the trails so I can’t review those. Site 45 was great, right by a clearing so we got the view of the gorgeous night sky. Some tree branches from two sites down came crashing on our first night and an entire tree split on a different area/ day. I didn’t feel very comfortable staying in a site under so many trees after that. (site 28) Park was cute but a lot of mosquitos, ants, bugs etc. and an Air Force training area nearby graced us the sound of heavy artillery late at night, a little disconcerting when you’re camping out in the woods. We cut the trip short. Staff was friendly and they sell firewood and a few other things at the store but not a lot, so stock up on necessities there’s nothing nearby. Roads were really heavy with potholes, so not the friendliest for rvs.

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Traveler

Great stay!

Stayed here for a few nights with a friend for spring break. The staff were very friendly and answered all the questions that we had. We were tent camping and the campsite was perfect! Had a picnic table, fire ring, plenty of space to pull the car in, level ground for the tent, and trees for hammocking. The bathroom facilities were very clean, and were right by the campsites. In terms of activities, there are plenty of hiking trails and a beautiful lake right in front of the visitor center. We rented a paddleboat and got to see some wildlife on the water (cranes, turtles, and even a couple little gators). Overall, this was a perfect state park, great for a quiet getaway.

(Side note: the bugs were practically nonexistent in March when we visited, but we were told that they can get bad in the summer months)

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Guide

Great for Activities, Camping is lacking.

Large. Multiple trails. Secluded. Scenic. Rental/Activities. Waterways. Picnic areas. Kid playground. ***BUT. if you are camping. there's no wifi or cell service in camping section!! Whether 'primitive' or tent/rv with power, it ALL seems a little primitive. Only difference is power connection sites and a bathhouse. I'm truly ok with semi-primitive, but no cell service or Wi-Fi (in camping area), as a female. this needs to be addressed for safety, at minimum. It was beautiful, but we had to leave, as safety is #1. *oh. SITE 17. is the worse, if you wanted a little seclusion. It's the only rv/tent site that is "in" the 'activity field' (there was a group of teens playing loud and rough football right next to us, even my daughter did NOT like it). Highly suggest day visits, not so much camping.

Traveler

Nice state park

We tent camped for the weekend in mid October. The park was probably 80% full, but didn’t seem crowded. All the spaces were spread out and the sites were level. We stayed at site 30, so it was a close walk to the bathhouse, with plenty of space, picnic table, and fire ring. The bathhouse was in fair condition, but the hot water was limited. The mens bathroom definitely needed to be cleaned. There were lots of trails, a pond, and a park for thing to do. T-mobile service barely worked. Check out our review https://youtu.be/pL1zgad0rN0

Scout

Piece of mind

Lotta really nice people, two brothers were there I have been traveling for a few months and really nice back in his room really clean.

Guide

Horrible roads, sites in need of repairs

Getting to the campground was a challenge with roads that are in desperate need of repair. They are starting to work on adding gravel to the sites but have a long way to go. It’s a quiet campground but zero amenities. You have to drive to the camp office and they’re only open a few hours a day. Groceries/gas are about a 20 minute drive.

Scout

Well maintained; not crowded

II really like this park. It is very well maintained, showers are immaculate and the trails are very well marked. Since this park doesn't have a huge boating lake or the ocean I don't think it is as popular as other parks. I visited the park in mid June and it was less than 25% occupied. I chose this park because of the huge number of trails in the park and its proximity to the swamps on the Santee for kayaking. Other people come here because it's reasonably close to Congaree National Park which has few campsites. The small man-made lake also has a small swimming area which was nice also. It's also worth noting that this region is known for being a little cooler then the surrounding areas in the summer because of its slightly higher elevation than the surrounding area. Great Park. I'll be back.

Guide

Charming Cabin

The one bedroom cabins were secluded, rustic and completely charming. There is some hiking and a nice playground in this state park.

Legend

Little privacy, lots of bugs

This campground is very remote. I believe it has a camp store, but they close very early and were never open. Many of the sites do not have much privacy. We had to deal with neighbors coming in and setting up camp 12 feet from us at 3:30 in the morning with no regards to other campers. The bugs were pretty intense, even in late April. Little red spider looking bugs were everywhere in our car for days after we left there. There were caterpillar cocoons stuck to our tablecloth and tent that had to be picked off. Trying to play cards or eat after dark was near impossible with the mosquitos, flies, and gnats. The bathrooms are dated but functional. They were clean in the evening but when used in the morning, they were coated in bugs. Highlight of the stay here was seeing an armadillo driving into the park.

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Guide

Great park

This park is great having large sites and great trails for mountain biking.

Scout

Nice Spot In the Midlands

Camped here mid-April and had a blast. The hiking trails are well marked, and feature some interesting views and slightly more challenging climbs. We rented a canoe and a kayak and paddled around on the pond. Lots of other campers over the weekend, but thinned out by Sunday evening.

The camp sites seemed to vary a bit in size/shape and were fairly close together. Ours was a pretty good size and we had a nice open area next to the sand to set up our tent. Lots of trees to hang your hammocks.

This probably varies with the time of year but beware of the bugs. We had some ant issues at first, and ended up with redbugs all over our tent, and there were SO MANY CATERPILLARS.

Bath house was clean, but try to get your showers in early because the hot water can get a bit scarce on nights when lots of people are camping.

Guide

Just Okay

Crowded. The camp ground is definitely crowded. We got lucky and had no one to our left and a very quiet and considerate neighbor to our right. You don't always get lucky like that though! We also didnt realize our site backed against an open field. It appeared to be maybe a gathering spot, had a giant fire pit. We were at site 45. All the sites on that side of the loop back against it, which wouldnt be so bad in the winter BUT makes for a super hot camp during the warmer weather.

Bathrooms were clean, a little older but clean. The camp host was no where to be found so you either show up betweeb 11-12 or 4-5 if you want to get wood. We always scrounge the ground for firewood but like to purchase as well because it goes back into the park. We were lucky in that everything was really dry but on a wet weekend or trip this would be beyond annoying and venture into frustrating and just plain angry.

The "road" up to the camp ground in one lane with nowhere to really pull off if someone is coming in the opposite direction. It was very tricky to navigate the couple of times we ended up coming up on other drivers.

The trails are okay but overall, the park was a little so so. Still had a good time with a lot of hammock swinging. Dont forget to go up to the lookout. That is really pretty and you dont want to miss it.

Ranger

Site 37

We stayed here April 2-4. We mainly stayed here because it’s only an hour and a half from Charleston, and read some good reviews.

If you are coming from the south, be advised that once you are off I-95, you will see zero stores or gas stations, so plan accordingly.

The road going into the campground is pretty bad, but doable. We tent camp, but saw quite a few bigger rigs camped there. I did hear some of the other campers with trailers saying they had trouble backing into their sites do to the trees.

If you’re getting there after dark, I imagine that it would be difficult to find your site.

Site 37 was super small, but we did manage to get our tent set up as well as our screen for the picnic table. The water spigot was in a weird spot and got in the way.

There are many spots that are bigger and in better spots, so choose wisely. There was no privacy at 37 and it was way to close to the site next to us.

There seems to be many trails for hiking and/or mountain biking and we did see people with kayaks.

There are two bathrooms that were fairly clean, although one was closed Saturday afternoon for a plumbing issue.

We were surprised at the amount of people camping, because the first night we were there, it got down to 27 degrees.

If you are not bringing wood with you, the office will deliver to your site if you call between 4 and 5 pm.

Overall, a decent place, and we will go back, just into a different site.

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Scout

4 Nights at Site 36

This camp site was a wonderful little base camp for our 4 night trip in the region to visit Congaree. Our site was clean and large. 36 was recommended and I can see why, good privacy while also some close to everything. Loved that every site had their own water pump but really wished they had a wash station. The lack of a wash station made doing dishes for 8 a nightmare at times. Bathrooms where C+ on our scale. They where not the cleanest bathrooms I have ever seen but they where good enough. Park was quiet at night and the trails in the park where more plentiful than Congaree for us!

Scout

Pretty Park & Great Hiking but Poor Roads & Rude Camp Host

Poinsett State Park is absolutely beautiful and a true hidden gem. We recently visited South Carolina and after spending the weekend visiting nearby Congaree National Park, we opted to stay at Poinsett State Park for 4 nights in our Mercedes Sprinter campervan. As we had read online, the roads into and around the park are truly in desperate need of repair, but once in the campground, the sites are very nice. Site 24 was perfect as it is the last one with hookups and that allows RVs. The hiking is fantastic- I was able to easily hike several miles each day with my dogs and most of the hiking trails are very peaceful and pretty. Even though we were there in early February, we did encounter some gnats/mosquitos and we had to be incredibly vigilant about picking ticks off of our dogs. The only negative is that the park host was incredibly rude to us. We travel with our two well behaved dogs and ALWAYS keep them on a leash. I spent several hours a day hiking with them and walked through the campground with them on several occasions, which I know the host saw since we walked past him multiple times. On the third day of our stay, as I was bringing one of our dogs back and we were switching leashes and harnesses, our other dog jumped out and got away from us for a minute. We immediately ran after her, and after calling her name, she turned around and came back. She was out for less than a minute, and we were actively pursuing her with leash in hand the entire time. My husband was literally running after her without shoes on. The camp host came and yelled at us claiming that our dog"almost attacked his dog." She's a 9 year old Golden Retriever that is literally the most friendly dog on the planet. She was in our view the entire time and never barked or growled, only went up somewhat near them(several feet away) to say hello. It was clearly a mistake that she got out and something we rectified immediately. He kept yelling at us well after she was in our control. While I 100% understand and agree that all dogs should be on leash, it was clearly a mistake and absolutely nothing happened. It made us feel really awkward and uncomfortable. Then, on top of that, the next day, we couldn't even walk our dogs because there were 2 loose dogs running all over the campground with literal bells on- the camp host of course didn't address what was actually a flagrant violation of the rules by a neighboring camper. Other than that, our 4 day stay was perfect, but this really negatively impacted our stay.

Guide

Pleasant Surprise

Clean bathrooms. Nice setting. Great hiking and Mtn biking on site. It is kind of off the beaten path but we did stop at a gas station fairly close by with a little restaurant in the back that was all a retro backwoods trippy kind of place. The sites are semi private, we especially liked the ones that back up to a large field.

Traveler

Remote and natural setting

Poinsett State Park near Wedgefield, SC. is a bit remote, but worth the effort. This is a good base to visit Congaree National Park which is a little less than an hour away. Most of the sites are dirt but are fairly level. As others have mentioned, the state road getting back to this Park is pretty rough, but nothing that will break your rig on the way in. We stayed two nights in December and enjoyed our stay while we visited Congaree. Everything seemed to be clean and maintained. The hiking trails are very nice. The main attractions here are relaxing, camping, and hiking.

Guide

A great stay near Congaree!

We stayed here for our visit to Congaree (about 45 min away). The road getting in is a little rough and it’s surprisingly far into the park, and I would highly recommend getting there in daylight hours, but it was still pretty easy to find our spot and set up quickly. The sites are covered in moss-dripping trees and the park is really beautiful. The bathrooms were clean and well kept and our camp hosts David and Beth were so kind and helpful. Remember your firewood! It’s a bit hard to get a hold of the Rangers to purchase any. We loved our stay!

Legend

Trails abound! Drive carefully.

The pros: Poinsett State Park has some of the best hiking and biking trails in the Palmetto State. You could spend multiple days camping here and have a chance to hike different trails every day.

The cons: It's not easy to get in here with anything bigger than a full size pickup. The park road is very narrow and uneven with lots of large pot holes. The road to the campground is a little better, but also very narrow. It would be difficult to pull off to let another vehicle pass without fear of ending up off the road or hitting a tree.

We enjoyed the variety of hiking options here. It would be great if the state parks service could direct some funding to repairing and widening the roads and repairing some of the trails that were damaged in the 2015 flood that are now impassible.

Scout

A mirage

It looks nothing like South Carolina as you enter the gates. After half a dozen ups and downs and right turns you find yourself in a clearing and a large parking lot, a lake and a ranger station. Around the clearing are more than a dozen trails for hiking or MTB. It's a "mountain" in the low country.

Traveler

Secluded.

Entry road very rough. This is an older campground that needs work. Shower house very clean. Campground host nice. Not many campers because of a cold weather which is why we did not check out the park.

Scout

South Carolina fun.

Lots of nice, well marked trails. Be careful; there are also unmarked trails. Great showers.

Guide

Timely Escape!

This was a timely escape for us just as COVID was spreading in the states. Unfortunately this prevented us from being able to rent kayaks. But the hiking was great! The camp sites were on the smaller side but opened up to a large field area where the kids and dog could run around and play. Shower and bathrooms were tidy and spacious too.

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Traveler

Great Park

I stayed at this park because the one in Congaree was full and I’m very glad I did! It took a good 45 minutes to get to Congaree but it was a pleasant drive. I walked on some of the trails in the campground but didn’t touch most of them. I definitely need to come back with a bike! I stayed at tent site 36 and felt like I still had enough privacy from the sites beside me. The bathrooms were well taken care of.

Scout

We loved it!

Our family of five was able to do hiking, boating, and geocaching! We love this place so much :-)

Traveler

Great camping in Sumter

Stayed at site # 36, this is the best one. There are 2 loops, first loop for the RVs and the second loop for tent and small pop ups. Tables, fire ring, water at each site. There is a bath house, very clean.

The hiking trails are very well marked, get map at ranger station.

Scout

Poinsett

It was great, the lake was warm and beautiful, and it was right next to devils fork state park so we could go there as well.

Scout

Gorgeous

This park is stunning and perfect for pups to come along!

Legend

great hiking

nice trails, our site was really tight but was reserved sight unseen. enjoyed the paddle boats.

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