Elephant Rock Campground

According to the people at the park’s main office and on the phone, the park is relatively empty and quiet during the week. However, we found Elephant Rock, Cedar Cove and other campgrounds by the lake to be very crowded, with most sites occupied by the time we arrived around noon. Most sites offer little to absolutely no privacy (especially if you want a lakeside site), with very few exceptions. We had very noisy, inconsiderate neighbors (loud music, drinking, unmuffled motorcycles), and we were lucky to find a much quieter, more secluded campsite within the same loop the next day.

The camp loops themselves are very tight. We have a 30' travel trailer and had to be very cautious navigating not only the trees in the loops themselves, but the numerous cars, trucks and water toys people brought and parked in the street in front of their camp areas.

The upside is this is a very big park and is in a beautiful area with rolling hills and trees, and very clear lake water. The lake is at capacity due to all the recent Spring rains, and we had great weather during our entire trip. The camp hosts and state park officials were friendly and cordial. They patrol frequently until about 7 p.m. Instead of paying at the office, visitors select their site and park; a camp host will visit later to collect fees, which we found convenient.

Finally, AT&T and Verizon were marginal here. We used a booster which helped greatly, making both carriers more than adequate for work internet access and streaming TV.

Overall however, the sites are too closely spaced together and don't offer much, if any, privacy. Cleanliness was marginal, but adequate. We sampled each RV camp area here after settling into our site, and found most to be the same as where we started off - crowded together with most private sites taken - on a Tuesday.

We will not camp here in the future unless for an overnight stay en route to elsewhere.

This is a very nice state park. This quiet campground overlooks Lake Murray. There is an abundance of pull through sites long enough for the biggest rigs and a good number of back in sites that offer a lot of privacy via trees. Premium sites on the lake are available for an extra charge (water and electric only...but a dump station close by). Sites have level concrete pads wide enough for your rig and some extra width to use as a patio.

In early May, the place was packed on the weekend, but by Sunday afternoon the park was almost deserted. There are also a boat ramp and a picnic area in the campground. There is a paved hiking/biking trail to the east of the campground. Lake levels are low right now, so boat at your own risk Excellent playground for the kids. Sites include a fire ring, elevated charcoal grill, concrete picnic table and lantern stand. Laundry and showers (both for a fee) are available.

Verizon cell was between 3G 2 bars and 4G 1 bar. But with a booster, connectivity was not an issue with 4G 3 bars. OTA Television signal was good with all the local channels coming in.

Camp hosts are very friendly and helpful. When arriving, just pick a site and then pay the camp host. Reservations are not taken. We will definitely be back if in the area!