Hard Labor Creek State Park

The terrain is very hilly and we were impressed that the park has carved out so many level sites that feel very private because of the changes in elevation. Site #20 has an enormous patio area and a great angle of entry from the campground loop. On the other hand, some of the campground loop roads are extremely narrow, even some that are supposed to have two-way traffic, and some of the sites would be extremely difficult to park in because of weird access angles. Pay close attention to the information on the reservation site. We also didn't love the dated, buggy shower house.

An unexpected surprise is that the park now has cable TV at the RV sites! It was also nice to have a few short hiking trails that connected directly to the campground. Our visit was short and we didn't explore the large amount of other amenities in the park, like the golf course, equestrian trails, or lake areas.

Google Maps gives bad directions for accessing the park. From the south, come up Old Mill Road to avoid a very awkward RR crossing where a trailer or RV might bottom out or drag a bumper. From the north, come down larger roads like US 441 and not the residential roads Google will recommend like Price Mill Road.

Internet service on AT&T was poor to nonexistent. We picked up one bar on our MyFi but it was virtually unusable after 9 am.

Overall a good stay. Has a beach, mini golf, hiking and mountain biking. Also has a full golf course if that's your thing. Nothing really outside the park to do at all. Everything is a bit of a drive to get to in the park. Very spread out.

The site was nice and pretty level. The roads are small even for a state park. They have two way roads wide enough to barely handle towing a trailer. You are pulling into the grass if someone is coming. Bath houses were nice and clean.

I'd come back in warmer weather. It was unusually cold for our stay so didn't do as much as we would have liked.

AT&T service was there, but not great. Came and went.

I wanted to leave this review because we never saw a mention of a big issue when traveling to this park- if you have a long camper with middle jacks or low ground clearance be careful of your route! DoNot Turn on Faiplay St in Rutledge- use Old Mill Rd to access the park! We busted our middle jacks on the track at the railroad crossing at FairPlay. There is no mention of this crossing on the state park website or the confirmation emAil directions. I will include a picture of the map a Ranger gave us for leaving.
The park was very nice with good hiking trails and some cute cottages. Our site #1 felt very separated from our neighbor in #2. Our 40’ 5er fit ok in the site but hung over the sitting area a bit. Terrible cell service with version but the WiFi is good at the camp store if you need access. The host, Donny and wife Terri, were very nice folks, we enjoyed talking to them! Great park and we would return but use caution if you have a large camper!

We love this park. Was very quiet and enjoyable. The facilities are very clean and new, and there are a lot of activities in the area, specifically hiking and mountain biking. Some of the campsites are small, so those with larger campers need to be selective when choosing a site. The sites are set up with a fire ring, picnic bench (below the main level) and the main level is the pad for your rig. We loved it here and are headed back again this October. Can’t wait.

Have waited six months into our RV life to start reviews for fair comparisons. Spent 7 nights. The weekend nights were so crowded with cars spilling into the camp roads, loads of large groups at each site. Felt very claustrophobic. On weekdays the park became a (lovely) ghost town. Very hilly within the campground but wide roads. Deer walking through the site. Good water views and hiking. Mountain biking a few miles down the road.

I spent three nights here, Nov 30th - Dec 3rd, on my maiden voyage to test the RV and tow dolly. I couldn't have asked for a nicer park. There are really good hiking trails nearby, and everything is well maintained. The view from my campsite was really nice, looking out over the lake. The park staff is friendly, and The site was a reasonable distance from my neighbors, and the few I had were friendly. Showers and laundry available, very clean and new, 30amp and 20amp electrical hookups at the site. I like the 20amp included so I can charge my Nissan Leaf at camp separate from the RV electrical system. I really enjoyed my stay here, and would definitely return.

We loved this state park! The sites are very spacious, level and several of them are long enough for big rigs. There are a couple of FHU sites, too. There are a couple of hiking trails that are marked very well, and a putt putt course. The restrooms were immaculate and they even had a washer/dryer. The camp hosts patrol regularly and they inspect each site after the camper leaves. The park rangers patrol regularly, as well. Since this park is 20 mins from my son's house, we will definitely stay here again. However, there are 2 cons with this park - 1) the roads are VERY narrow, and 2) very poor cell service and barely any internet service (and we have a booster). Streaming at night was impossible.

You can tell that this whole park recently went through a renovation. I can't speak to the bathrooms because we visited during COVID-19 restrictions. However, the trails had recently been upgraded and newly constructed bridges, and the sites were very level, wide, and longer than advertised. Sites 18 and 19 are right on the bend in the creek with flowing water and those sites had the best voice/data for us on Verizon. We tested with iPhone 6s+ phones, a Verizon 8800L jetpack both without and with a Netgear MIMO antenna. Comparable data speeds on both the Jetpack configurations around 25-30MBps UL and around 1MBps DL. Some sites are close together and some seem to be off by themselves. Kids can get on floats and drift down the creek and walk back many times before they get tired.