Cheraw State Park Campground Review
- Susan O'Hanlon
- Apr 17
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 20
Nightly Rate (April, 2025): $45/night (includes taxes and any fees)
Site: 6 (W/E) - Utilities Placement & Location: Good / Power: Clean (Dump Available)
Check-in: 2PM / Check-out: 12PM
Rig: 2018 Vista 31BHE Class A Motorhome, No Additional Vehicle
Connectivity: Our T-Mobile Hotspot was sufficient for internet connectivity and streaming with our WeBoost antenna system; Cell Service on Verizon was 1 bar without the booster.
THE PARK:
Cheraw State Park encompasses over 7,300 acres in north central South Carolina. It is one of our favorite parks, primarily because Lake Juniper is so incredibly scenic. We also love the fact that the campground is really small, so it feels you’re all alone out there in this little slice of heaven.
Cypress wetlands line Lake Juniper, a man-made lake abundant with fish, turtles, beavers, and bird life. There are also snakes and water moccasins, so use caution. An 18-hole championship golf course dominates one side of the park.
You’ll also find 8 cabins for rent and one large meeting / event facility. The day use area is a vast area where you can rent kayaks and peddle boats in season or swim in a small area of the lake. There’s also a playground, volleyball net, picnic pavilions and a small store in this area along the lakeshore area. The park also has a small, rustic group campground, hike-in sites, and a boat ramp.
THE CAMPGROUND:
Cheraw State Park Campground is tiny - only 17 campsites (three with full hook-ups, the remainder with water and electric only) and one bathhouse - all nestled under tall pines offering partial shade for most sites. The campground is on the shores of Lake Juniper, and waterfront sites in particular have a spectacular view of the sunset in the evenings, and a mist-shrouded lake on some mornings.
On two occasions, I’ve watched clouds forming on the mirror-like surface of the lake in the morning, and it was magical!
All sites have easy access to a walking path and the boat ramp, which both have excellent views of the lake, so don’t be disappointed if you don’t score one of the lakefront sites.
The central bath house is small and dated, but works just fine.There is plenty of hot water, decent water pressure, nice shower heads, and ample facilities to serve the small camping community, at least during our two visits here. While there are grab bars on one shower and in one of the bathroom stalls, I would not consider the bath house to be wheelchair friendly. If you have accessibility needs beyond a walker, this may not be the campground for you if you depend on park facilities.
The campground is maintained on shoulder seasons by a lovely host couple; they keep the bathrooms tidy and well-stocked, and offer firewood for sale from their campsite every evening between 5pm and 8pm.
There are a couple of hiking / biking trails, situated at western edge of the park. We walked to the hiking trails from the campground on a previous visit, and it’s a long walk - a beautiful one but several miles each way (not counting the trail itself). But there are plenty of other places to walk, explore and exercise the dogs. Our favorite walk is from the campground to the day use area. It’s a little under a mile walk via the campground road, a gravel trail, and a boardwalk (with a bridge over the man-made dam) to the day use area. There are several benches and a couple of swings to sit on and watch the lake as well. From the day use area, you can walk up past the golf clubhouse, or out the main campground road, or up by the picturesque cabins.
A FEW IMPORTANT NOTES:
At $45/night, in terms of value for money, Cheraw State Park Campground is $5 more than our nightly budget for camping. It is, however, one of the least expensive South Carolina State Parks. I feel like the tradeoff is worth it because we love the place.
The campground and park office have two separate entrances. All campers must register at the office, but (in my opinion) the office road is not something you’ll want to navigate in a vehicle taller than 12’ or longer than 35’ due to overhanging trees. If you’ve got a tow vehicle or are arriving before the office closes (between 6 and 9 PM depending on the season), I suggest going directly to your campsite and then walking or driving over to the office to register.
The separate entrance for the campground and boat ramp is a somewhat rough, packed sand/gravel road. Go slow, watch for erosion, and you’ll be fine. We saw some big rigs in the park during our stay who navigated without issue. A parking area for local residents who frequent the area for fishing is also off this road, just below the campground and boat ramp. There is no gate on the campground road, so it is easily accessible to anyone who cares to wander in. I never felt less than safe, but thought it was appropriate to mention that in case this is something that would make you uncomfortable.
This boat ramp is a busy area, with lots of day visitors coming in to enjoy the water. It’s no wonder - Lake Juniper is by far one of the prettiest lakes I’ve encountered on my travels. By kayak or motorboat (10HP or less), you can access the cypress wetlands and more at the mouth of the lake. They rent watercraft at the park office, but only in season when they are fully staffed. Watch for the water moccasins while in the water, especially up near the mouth of the lake. And be conscious of the waterfall at the dam end of the lake as well.
The dump station is located at the exit of the campground. It is serviceable, but your rig will tilt slightly to the passenger side when parked here so just be aware that you may not get a complete dump.
There is occasional road noise and a nearby train whistle in terms of noise pollution; mostly, I found them intrusive in the early mornings or late in the evenings, although occasional heavy trucks pass by the campground entrance road at high speeds throughout the day. I’d rate this noise intrusion at a 2/10 in terms of nuisance (10 being very intrusive).
OUR SITE - SITE 6
The site surface was stone on a partially raised platform with a railing, and was fairly level. We had a view of the lake, and if we had our kayak we could have put it into the water directly in front of our site or used the boat ramp directly behind us. Water and electric hook-ups were well placed, and the power was clean. We had a picnic table, a fire ring with cooking grate, and a lantern pole. Generally, sites are spacious and while there may not be trees separating you from your neighbors, you still feel like you’ve got your own space.
OUR SUMMARY & RATING
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ + 1/2 ⭐️’s
Cheraw State Park Campground is pretty much our idea of heaven in a campground! It’s $5 over our nightly budget for camping, but worth the extra expenditure for us. The park offers lots of open space to explore, nice sites with a view of the gorgeous lake, and shower facilities that serve their purpose well even if they’re not modern. There is no laundry in the campground, so plan your wardrobe accordingly. We deducted a combined 1/2 point due to several factors: lack of true accessibility for persons with disabilities, lack of security on the campground entrance, and the structural angle of the dump facility. None of these is significantly important for us, but we feel this gem of a campground could make improvements in any of these areas, so we can’t give it 5 stars (even though we really, really want to!). We are active snowbirds, and we rate campgrounds based on our preferences, which may be different from yours. We travel with two dogs who don’t always get along (sigh…), so we enjoy campgrounds with trails where we can exercise the pups and tucker them out. Cheraw offers that in abundance, in a serene setting that is everything we love about camping. We have camped at Cheraw twice; this last time was immediately after staying at an upscale resort-style campground, and being nestled among the pines with a lakefront site felt like coming home. We will be back, that’s for sure! Be sure to read my full review for helpful tips about entering the campground and registering.
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