This park is so much bigger than I anticipated! It was well maintained as well. I went to Limestone trail and parked along the road so I could sit by the water. There were a few families fishing. I walked to the campground area and that seemed really nice as well. The park is pet friendly. We did not see any alligators, but we were warned they had a lot so I kept my dogs away from the water. I would definitely make sure you have bug spray when you visit! read more

Santee State Park - Parks Near Me - Santee, South Carolina

Conveniently located 10 minutes off I-95 so great ease of use! You don't feel near I-95. Easy hiking trails at the campgrounds. Lake views and nice restrooms! Enjoyed local restaurants and history nearby. read more

Santee State Park - Trail - Parks Near Me - Santee, South Carolina

See all

We love Lake Marion and the abundance of trees in this park, which we discovered on the internet. CoVid had kept us home in FL since March, and we were looking for a dark place to see stars and autumn leaves within a day's drive last month. This seemed like the perfect place, since we could rent a cabin for a minimum of two nights at a reasonable price (less than a chain hotel without the bright lights and road noise) with a queen bed, cable TV and WiFi. We stayed in Cabin 29 last month and Cabin 5 this month. Cabin 29 was almost at at the end of the road of all 30 cabins, surrounded by trees, with a view of the lake. Cabin 5 was the fifth cabin on one of two docks housing 5 cabins over the lake, with a view of the trees behind. We had direct access to our car in #29 and the parking lot with #5 (warning sign about vultures damaging cars in the lot had us worried, but we had no damage). For star gazing and darkness, #29 was perfect. If we fished or went out on a boat, #5 would have been perfect. But we don't and it wasn't. When we return, we'll request Cabin 30 (darkest of them all & away from everyone). Both cabins were perfect for relaxing - comfortable beds, equipped kitchens for cooking in (29 better equipped than 5), and quiet (but #5 had more foot traffic). Our first cabin was dark; second cabin had a lot of ambient light with lights on the pier, and outside the individual cabins (during our stay the occupants did not turn off their lights after 10PM as requested on note on the switches inside). That's why it wasn't perfect this time - light and noise. While visiting in October, we hiked some of the trails, saw the sinkhole on one hike, saw deers at night when returning to our cabin after dinner, and relaxed. We did more relaxing on our second stay in November, and saw more deer. We have nothing but praise for the Rangers. Every one of the Rangers with whom we interacted on both stats was friendly and helpful. This is a great place to stay if you love communing with nature, but want your TV and WiFi! read more

See all

This was my third time returning here, and I still need to come back for a couple things (see an alligator, stay in one of the round cabins on the lake)! I'm drawn to this place, not sure if it's the Spanish Moss covered trees, the cypress swamps, the sinkholes, the gorgeous lakes, or just the quiet town vibe. My boyfriend is a fan of all the golf courses around, too, so it is definitely an option to stay in a cabin with a water view rather than a hotel with a McDonalds view. I usually stay in a pet friendly cabin and the dog gets a cot, so he really seemed to like having his bed on top of that! The park staff was friendly and accommodating, the rangers very pleasant, and the trails are lovely! We had rainy conditions, but still had a lovely time, and it wasn't so bad that we were stuck, but honestly even a storm out of the picture windows of the cabin would have been a pleasant vacation! read more

See all

I was here this weekend for a camping trip with Troop 63G in the primitive campsite along Lake Marion. We set up early on Saturday and immediately began our hike along the Santee Trail to start our day before the heat kicked in. Our girls hiked from the campsite to the pier with the gift shop and back again. A total of about 9 miles according to my phones trail hike tracker. The campsites were all clean free of trash, as that is the Scout way, prior to arrival and after we departed. Restrooms were available on site with running water. We also stopped by the limestone sinkhole for a quick view of a big hole in the ground. Overall, a great weekend experience and overnight camping trip. read more

See all

Having grown up spending summers a stone's throw from the park, like many locals I tend to take it for granted. However, it's a hidden gem and is far enough off the beaten path not to be overrun with tourists. You'll need to book camping spaces months in advance but for day trippers or if you're staying elsewhere, it's accessible and worth the trip. Easy and more challenging hiking and biking trails, clean lakefront, swimming areas and a nice public rock. Easy to access boat launches. Only c. 7 minutes off of I-95. read more

See all

The state park was nicely laid out. Long roads that were a lil rough take you right up to the lakes edge. I'm glad we had an interior camp site. The wind from the lake was a constant. The biggest detractors were the bad bathroom conditions. The bathroom by us had no shower and was chilly. The main shower house has hot water and was heated but a good walk to get to from our site. Otherwise there were no amenities. It's rustic which is what we liked. It's a quick 15 minute drive to town. Would likely camp closer to Manning next time. We were here for golf and those were the choice courses. read more

My family in South Carolina had the our family reunion BBQ here. And being from Atlanta. I was amazed at how far through the woods you have to go before coming to the actual picnic area. But once you get there you will come upon a beautiful scenery of Lake Marion. The side we where on it's really nothing to do, so make sure you bring out door games. They do have a small playground area. The park is so serene with all the tall trees and butterflies the panoramic view of Lake Marion. Also they a reserve for fishing which the park ranger told us that back in the day you could swim in it. But! It's closed for swimming do to alligators.... WHAAATT!!!! But you can still fish. Heck I'll pass. But other than the man eating alligators, the park is great. read more

See all

Enjoyed our stay... the only reason it's not 5 stars is because the cabins needs a lot of updating! There was no where to fish off of the cabins, it was all overgrown. The beds were rock hard and the walls were very thin. On a positive note the host at check-in was extremely nice and helpful! Maybe will be back in the future. read more

See all

A beautiful state park to visit. We have been here several times for Girl Scouts and the park never disappoints. We went up for a friend's birthday to hang out and enjoy each other's company. The campground was packed as it was Mother's Day Weekend, it was still nice. We made a fire, cooked food, kids went swimming in the lake and we had a dance party. It was a great evening at a great location! read more

See all

Four of us on a water view site. A trailer and a tent. A fun spot to spend a weekend. The lake is so serine and clean. Put in a small sailboat and sailed most of the lake. Not a lot of traffic. Facilities at this campground could stand to be updated but they are maintained well and kept clean. We all had fun and certainly will be back. read more

Beautiful state park to go camping, hiking, biking, or kayaking. Surrounded by nature and there sounds is so relaxing read more

Stayed in Lakeshore Campground for five nights. Enjoyed our stay and the boat tour. Photos and info on the link. https://imaginecamper.com/2019/04/13/santee-state-park-sc/ read more

Cool little state park. It's convenient because it's pretty close to the highway. Unfortunately, the time that saved us was wasted when we had to drive all around to find the main office to pay. We arrived after the booth closed and one of main campsites is very far away from the office. A couple of miles. And it's not easy to find. We almost left without paying, but finally found it. But we enjoyed our time here. It was pretty empty, so we had the run of the place a picked a really cool spot right on the lake. Beware: camping right on the lake is an invitation for the wind to blow you away. It got so bad that at about 2:30am we moved our car in front of the tent in order to block the wind. Sounds like I'm complaining a lot, but camping is about the experience. We had a good time here. It was really great that the place was deserted. Great scenery, high winds, wooded campsites, fires, sleeping on the ground. It's all good and I'm glad we stayed here. read more

We stayed overnight in our travel trailer on 11/16/19. Until this park makes major improvements, we have to give it a very poor rating. The park itself is very pretty and on the lake. However, we were simply looking for a place to rest our heads for the night while traveling down I-95. The roads, RV pads, and tree limb conditions are deplorable, and frankly, very dangerous. Enter this park at your own risk, especially during the evening hours. The potholes are huge; and there are a great number of them, on both dirt and asphalt roads. None of the RV sites are paved, many are not level, and the ones at the Lakeshore campground are not even rocked. They are just dirt; and ours was mud when we arrived. There are also no full hookups. Tree limbs are dangerously low and need to be trimmed. The prices are very high considering the conditions. They wanted over $20 for the Lakeshore campground and over $40 for the Cypress View campground. Prices vary greatly according to site location, day of the week, and season and time of year. Park personnel were very friendly, but notably unhelpful since they would not flex; they are apparently bound to the South Carolina State Park protocol. I'm hoping that by posting these pictures, South Carolina government officials will provide the necessary funding to make major improvements to this and other parks . Also please note: The sign at the fork in the road does not indicate the name and direction of each park; it only says "campground" for each direction. Turn right for the Lakeshore campground and left for the Cypress View campground. The office is located near the Cypress View campground. read more

See all

Santee state park is run down. Sites Re unlevel with big ruts. No Rea for children to swim. Bath hoses old and nasty. This park needs help bad Where is the revenue going . I have camp there for thirty years and it gets worse every year. read more

we camped here in April in a popup camper and liked it a lot. Rangers and hosts were friendly, campground was clean (except for the bathroom - kind of ucky). There are various short trails you can take to see the sinkholes and so on. The campground is close to the expressway, but there's surprisingly little noise from it. The signage is terrible, good luck finding where to register. Pick your site carefully. We saw some RVs that had problems because their site was narrow or had low-hanging trees. They had no wiggle room at all. I can highly recommend the Ellaree Heritage Museum in nearby Ellaree. Very, very professional and well done. Kids will like the street of shops and display of farm equipment. Upstairs there's an amazing display of Indian artifacts. read more

Loved how clean the campground is and how friendly the staff and other campers were . Definitely a great place to bring the family

State park was good overall, but the only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is because of the cleanliness of the cabin. The wood floors were covered in some kind of sticky tar like substance. enough were if you walk around for 5 minutes, the bottom of your feet would be black. So if you are going to be in one of the cabins, i suggest bringing a pair of socks you don't mind wearing around inside. The pans supplied with the cabins were horrendous. Between being unable to cook eggs because it would stick, or having a weird fish taste on anything; making it hard to eat. I suggest bringing your own pans, or even buying some cheap pans wouldn't hurt. Other than that, there were small things like the walls being paper thin, beds being rock hard, and the shower head feeling like needles. Everything else about the state park was great. Great location on the lake, with an awesome view. Staff is friendly and welcoming. We stayed for 3 nights, and had a blast. read more

Nice campground. Once they complete the updates this fall, it will even be better.

I love this park it amazing it is beautiful and is unique I have been there multiple times I recommend it

Cabins are ok, but not very well maintained. Not filthy but not quite clean either. Overall you should stay in a hotel if you need overnight accommodations. The park itself is nice. There is enough activity for kids and adults. read more