Santee State Park

Very clean. Lots of woods for hiking and a Great Lake for fishing or boating. We made last reservations and got one of the last open sites. Site 55 was small for our 23 ft trailer but we could pull thru the trees into the site positioning ourselves lengthways in the site. This is probable the worst site there as far as size and level but once we got in and level it had great views. We do want to go back but will get another site. Most looked east to get into and had level areas large enough to fit most rv. Cell service is very limited

We were on the Cypress View Campground and had a very level W/E site. There is a dump station at the entrance/exit of the loops, which is convenient. We reserved online, so were able to go straight to our site with no check in process. The views of Lake Marion are nice and there is a nature trail + playground on site.

A couple tips: 1. Dont get a site on the inner ring of the loops, as you will likely have people cutting through your site to get to the bathhouses, which are in the center of each loop. 2. Don't come on the first day of duck hunting season! We didnt realize that when we booked and woke up at 6am to what sounded like artillery fire in a war zone.

A very nice large lake, which makes it a destination for the region and beyond. We booked in advance as we were travelling though. It happened to be the weekend, and they happened to have a big fishing tournament on the lake that month. It made for a full park. Our site was ok, but closer to neighbors than we anticipated from the site map. You can see the lake, across the road and through the trees. It was very clean and well kept. There is a short trail through the woods that we enjoyed.

If you enjoy fishing, boating, or just sitting around a good fire, Santee State Park might be the place for you. With over 100 sites, campers with all types of rigs can find a spot suitable to their taste. Large rigs might find it tight on some sights but small travel trailers and tent sites are plentiful. I found the bathrooms to be clean and accessible. Park staff was friendly and cooperative allowing me to drive through the campground, pick a site, and then call them with the site number. This isn’t luxury camping but it’s a great way to spend a 68 degree day.

We rolled into Santee sans reservation on a Thursday in January, and after an exasperated reaction for the park's office staff, we were able to choose from 4 sites in the Cypress loop to stay until Sunday.

There are two campground areas here - Cypress View and Lakeshore. Cypress View is smaller and more expensive. Lakeshore is further into the park and a bit cheaper - with older/less level sites.

Prices appear to have been raised from 2018 to 2019 - they were noted as $36/Lakeshore and $42/Cypress View

The sites in the Cypress loop have no privacy between - and are closer than one would enjoy, but most give you enough room to kind of enjoy a campfire, although our neighbors campfire was a little closer to our rig than we were super comfortable with.

Sites are level and long enough for big rigs - although some folks did have issues parking their rig and their car in the same spot - and rangers are not down with you parking on the grass (duh).

Weekends here are loud - the campground fills up (even in January) and people are here to enjoy sitting around a campfire and socializing - and burping really loudly and at great length. Seriously, the burping prowess of the people who were camping here during our stay was impressive.

The showers/bathrooms are older, but the water is hot and high-pressured (score!)

There is a dump station accessible on the way out of the campground.

A few trails run through park - one being a 7ish mile loop trail and another being a 1/2 mile trail. Both are nice. There is a playground, but it's not within the campground and you need to cross the campground road to get to it, so probably not great for exorcising yourself from your young children.

The cabins along the lake look really nice from the outside.

There is literally nothing to do other than be at this State Park in the general area. We visited Elloree and Santee, and while we tried to make this a 'trip', it was kind of painful to try and find something to do other than walk through the barren town of Ellorree and get sweet tea from a barren little cafe. There is a building in the shape of a teapot in Ellorree which is kind of cool, but like everything else in the area, it is permanently closed. Ellorree was still endearing, however, and the locals in the area will probably find you interesting and want to interrogate you, which I enjoyed.

Lake view through the trees. Sites were easy to back into. Level. Sites close together. Central location between Charleston and Columbia. Close to Congaree National Park. Great mountain bike trail our bikes are more street bikes but ride was great. Amazing sunrise and sunsets. Baths need updating. Camp hosts were nice. Cell service ok.

Overall, we really liked it here. We stayed at Cypress View campground which was recently redone. Lake View campground is tougher to find and has not been redone. I would choose Cypress View again if we came back. It was super peaceful after the Thanksgiving weekend crowds left and the rangers, camp host, and people in the office were all very nice.

PROS: The views of the lake and lake access via a small beach area were great! We also loved that they had wifi access at the camp store and office. We had good cell reception, particularly with AT&T which is always a plus for us since we work on the road. You can rent kayaks or fish off the pier.

CONS: Bathrooms weren't the best, they smelled of a really strong cleaner (not the worst smell) and could use some TLC. The ticks in the brushy sections of the woods are terrible. There are lots of them and they embed deep. We battled these with our dogs. Washing machine was broken but not labeled as such, so it stole my quarters.