santee state park

Me and my friends go camping \ "cabining" twice a year been to a bunch of state parks this park is great with cabins and fishing and nature trails. There was lots of wild life for the nature lovers we saw deer harens ducks and even a gator and armadillo. Fishing was good to we caught brim catfish and bass and striper. We even got a surprise eel. We will definitely go again it was close to restaurants and bait shops.

This town is all about the golf. There are at least two golf courses close by. But f you don't care for golf, there is fishing in the two lakes nearby (one in the state park). But even if you don't care for either, this is a nice place to stay and just look at the lake. Nearby is the Santee Wildlife Refuge, as well as an Indian Mound. 80 miles north of Charleston. A couple of warnings: Not too many restaurants. If you rent a cabin, be prepared to rent them for two days minimum in the winter and seven days in the summer. The land cabins are cheaper than the pier cabins. The cabins have dishes and you can bring your own food or buy some at the Food Lion or IGA.

boat ramp, cabins, fishing etc. Nice place to hang out with family. Look up Fisheagle Tours. Gives you a great overview of Lake Marion

Even though this was the end of February and it was cold, we really enjoyed the lake and the rangers and just walking on the trails. Want to go back in the spring.

Take the boat tour. It is fun and informative.There are cabins and a camp ground.Stayed at the campground it was ok. Had a few biting bugs be prepaired.

There was a place to pay to enter ($2/car), but then no map and on the one side of the park there was no where to park a car, so we made our own parking space which is not good for the environment. We went there to get some geochaches (spelling?). We found 2 easily and another was much harder to find (my friend enjoys doing this). There was a great view at the loading dock. Nice for short hikes.

We paid the $4 admission fee which you place into an envelope, and then place the card onto the rear view mirror. There are several trails' and we had a heck of a time finding some of them. The 7.5 mile bike trail is great. Beautiful woods, a great several hour family experience.

We rented 5 of the pier cabins with 4 other couples for 2 nights and had a wonderful time. The park is clean and staff is friendly. The accomodations were great as well. The sunset view in the evenings was spectacular!

A quiet get away. Lovely lake views, cabins or camping available. Fishing piers, lake tours, golf and local boat rentals. Several good restaurants near by.

My wife and I stopped in to the park for a brief hike before we continued our trip home. The park is located on beautiful Lake Marion and offers lodging through camping or rental of their 2 bedroom lodges. On our next trip through we will probably try one of the lodges in lieu of a hotel. The park and lake are beautiful

The park has good views of Lake Marion. Great place to go fishing, hiking, or biking. Nice playgroud equipment for the kiddos. Nice staff working in the gift shop & registration hut.

I have been here before; once solo at an individual camping site and another time when taking a graduate credit course “Discover Carolina” for teacher recertification credit. I am here now for our annual “Fall Sprawl” with the Palmetto State Hangers. We are hammock campers using the entire group camping area. Here we are approximately eighty guests and members, and there are ample trees for all to hang their hammocks. Provided is a central restroom with toilets, cold water faucet and sink, but no shower. One potable water spigot is available at each of the five group sites. The “Scout Camping” (group camping area) sits in an open area up on a bluff looking out over Lake Marion. There are numerous shade trees (ideal for hanging hammocks), and a more dense forest surrounds the area. There is a treeless open field in the center for ball games, frisbee throwing, group pictures, etc.... Fire pits or fire circles are provided throughout the area. Parking is available just outside the group area on the grassy shoulder next to the wooden perimeter fence with several open spaces between two posts to enter and exit. No vehicles are allowed inside the fence. Burning down wood is suggested, and wood harvested in South Carolina should only be burned. But watch out for that down wood with Spanish Moss attached for it is full of “chiggers” (red bugs) and you will take them home with you if unlucky (applying Deet beforehand will help guard against them). If you are lucky, you will see an alligator sunning along the shoreline and view deer at sunrise or sunset. Also, do not leave any food out at night for your sleep will be broken by raccoons and feral cats feeding. Noisy dogs will be a problem if yours or your neighbor’s is skittish and burst into barking and whining at the slightest provocation. Here is a boat ramp next to the group camping area. The roads are paved throughout the park. Two separate camping areas with individual sites (electrical hookups and water) with bathhouse/restrooms at convenient locations are away from group camping. The main office, lobby camp store and gift shop, and a sitting area with couches and tables with chairs and free WiFi just a few minutes drive from the group area. In this main office area, there is a boat ramp and fishing pier. I talk with some fishermen on the pier who stated, “We’ve been coming here for years, but no bites today.” There are several restaurants and stores in Santee about a ten minute drive from the park. Also, the small town of Elloree has a few offerings about the same driving time away from the park. Closer to the park is the Lone Star Barbecue & Mercantile about five minutes away on State Park Road and heading towards Elloree is Stumphole Landing for fresh fried catfish. The Park Rangers and other staff are all friendly, helpful, and informative. Our group has a wonderful three days hammock camping at Santee State Park. We plan to be here again next fall.

While we didn't spend much time as we always get there late in the day, we will always drive to the State Park. It's a beautiful area, located on the shores of Lake Marion. There are fishing piers, a boat launch and a tackle store. We also discovered that there are very nice looking octagonal cabins, 10 of which are located on piers on the lake. Camping sites are also available. We may look into the cabins for next year. Bike and hiking trails are numerous.All in all, a perfect place to go and relax after a long day behind the wheel! It also looks as if it would be a wonderful place to spend a vacation!!

There is no need for such poor roads inside the campgrounds. The lake looks great, cabins are available, close to the interstates but it's really lacking updated bath houses and really poor washed out non paved roads in the camping area. The water was hot in the showers but it really needed improvement. Go real slow on the road while looking for a campsite. Not much privacy either. This is my option of the camping area only and not the cabins or other parts of the park. Huge lake!! 110k acres.

On our way to Charleston and stopped here to kayak. Lovely location. They have boat ramps to help facilitate launching. We kayaked for about 2 hours, and had lunch at one of their picnic tables. Would recommend using google maps to find them, as the directions on the website were a bit sketchy. Easy to get back on the highway as you continue around the lake to 95 and then onto your final destination.