Only two of our many state parks offer campsites that require you to utilize your boat to access a secluded boat-in campsite. Boat-in campsites are available at both Cheraw State Park along Lake Juniper in Cheraw, SC and also at Devils Fork State Park along Lake Jocassee near Salem, SC.
Devils Fork Boat In Site Tent Pad
Suggested items to bring with you at the boat-in campsites:
Tent(s), sleeping bags, tarp, bug spray, firewood, drinking water, rope (to tie boats up), lantern/flashlight, cooking equipment, and a first aid kit.
Here are the Boat-In Camping Facts:
Cheraw State Park:
There is one general boat-in campground area that may be used by one or more groups at a time. There is also one picnic shelter with a concrete platform, a picnic table, and a fire ring. There is a boat landing/ramp at this location. The distance from the main boat launch area to the boat-in campground is approximately one mile. The cost for camping at the Cheraw boat-in campsites is $4.00 per person per night plus tax, available seven days a week. Pets are allowed.
Small boats (Jon boats, canoes, sit on top kayaks) can be rented at Cheraw State Park. Boats with 10 HP or less gas and/or electric trolling motors are allowed on Lake Juniper at Cheraw State Park. Life Jackets and paddles are also supplied.
For more information contact Cheraw State Park at cheraw@scprt.com or (843) 537-9656. Devils Fork State Park:
View of Lake Jocassee at Devils Fork
There are a total of 13 boat-in campsites, all of which are located all in the same general area. Each site has either one, two or three tent pads. There is a fire ring located at each campsite. There is no dock or ramp at the boat-in campsites; boats must be anchored or beached at this area. The approximate distance from the main boat launch area to the boat-in campsites is two miles. The cost for camping at the boat-in campsites at Devils Fork is $18/night for a single pad (max 6 people), $28/night for a double pad (max 12 people), and $38/night for a triple pad (max 18 people). Pets are not allowed. Camping is not permitted along any other areas of shoreline or on any of the islands located on Lake Jocassee. Devils Fork State Park does not rent boats. All types of boats are allowed on Lake Jocassee, provided that all boats with any size motor must be registered with the S.C. Dept. of Natural Resources. Canoes/kayaks/jon boats that do not have a motor do not need to be registered. Please contact the S.C. Department of Natural Resources for further information on boating registration. Note: Lake Jocassee is a large 7500-acre reservoir in Oconee County, South Carolina. Persons registering for the boat-in campsites must be aware of the weather at the time of departure going to the boat-in campsites. Inclement weather can quickly cause dangerous conditions for boat travel on Lake Jocassee, and all boaters should be aware of possible bad weather conditions before attempting to access the boat-in campsites. Devils Fork State Park does not provide boater assistance in case of breakdowns or emergencies.
For more information contact Devils Fork State Park at devilsfork@scprt.com or (864) 944-2639.
Natural beauty and great golf come together at Cheraw State Park. An 18-hole championship course winds its way through the long-leaf pinelands of the traditional state park, a course that’s earned notice from the Aubudon Society for the way it’s managed to preserve and protect the habitat it shares with uncommon critters such as red-cockaded woodpeckers and fox squirrels. The park in South Carolina’s northeast corner also boasts Lake Juniper, a 300-acre impoundment built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression along with the park’s original cabins and picnic facilities. A boardwalk along the lake helps visitors enjoy the scenic setting, and kayakers particularly enjoy silently scooting into the cypress wetlands at the lake’s edge.
Check Lake Levels Spot a loon or a rambling black bear. Fish for trout in a deep, clear mountain lake. Hike through the glorious spring bloom of rhododendrons. And do it in South Carolina. Devils Fork State Park provides the only public access to Lake Jocassee, a largely undeveloped 7,500-acre reservoir tucked deep into the Blue Ridge. Devils Fork is easily reached from S.C. 11, the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway. The park is popular with families, fishermen, scuba divers and boaters, who enjoy Jocassee’s uncrowded setting and spectacular scenery, such as waterfalls cascading into the lake off steep, wooded slopes. Full campground amenities and modern villas also are highlights of the park. So are hiking and nature trails that provide the opportunity to appreciate sights ranging from rare Oconee bell spring flowers to the fall color show, while bald eagles and peregrine falcons patrol the mountain skies.