Edisto Beach State Park

Very clean and lots of parking. The picnic tables were scattered under the trees and the beach was easy to get to just over the dunes.

If you love the beach, this is the campground for you. We parked our RV in a spot near the beach for a little more than one week and had a nice time. There’s another part of the same park that’s about a mile back inland where the campsites are mostly wooded. I suspect they’re not as interesting. You can basically stumble out of your camper (or roll out of your tent) onto the beach and have it all to yourself (or maybe four or five other people). That was the awesome part of this campground. The sites don’t have sewer, though, so you have to rely on their dated bathrooms/​showers which have no AC. They were also inconsistently cleaned. And there are no concrete pads, so be prepared for sand, sand, sand everywhere!!! It’s even messier if it rains, which it did a lot while we were there. I would return there, but not in the midst of summer — it’s just too hot and too humid to enjoy, unless you’re in the water ²⁴⁄₇ (which is also hot).

Great place to camp or spend the day. A turtle shell washed up on the beach just a before we arrived. Filled up the top of the pick nick table. That guy sure was lucky to find it.

I went here simply looking for a place to hike for the day. While it’s quite a drive from Charleston, I’m not entirely sure it was worth it if you’re just looking for the hiking aspect. Finding the trails was confusing as they are several separate parking areas– not all of which have trail access.
We ended up at the beach parking lot and couldn’t find any signs with maps. Eventually we went to ask the woman at the pay booth (it’s 5 dollars per person) and had to be redirected up the road to another parking lot where the trailheads were. But the woman was confusing in regards to distance– it was a bit farther up than she explained. Upon reaching the correct lot, park staff there were also a bit confusing in regards to where we should park.
Once you do find the trails, signs on the trails are great. The trails are pretty short though. The Spanish Monument trail ends in a very interesting mound created by shells discarded by natives. It doesn’t sound interesting but the sign and story are interesting and it makes the trail a bit more worth it.
Trails are well maintained, but nothing super remarkable. If you wanted to hiking go to the beach the combo would be worth it, but for hiking alone, this isn’t a terrible remarkable location from what we saw.
Though as I said before it’s all very well maintained, with wide, easily walkable trails and good signage once you get on the trail.
They do allow dogs as long as they are leashed and picked up after though– a plus in my book (I bought my dog) but I guess not for everyone.

This beach is very quiet and FAR off the beaten tourist path. Whoever said this place is not good for shells wasn’t at the same place. This beach has no sand, ONLY shells. This beach is NOT for the tender-​footed. The shell-​sand is about 1,000 degrees, so you run to the water to cool them off. Then about 10 ft into the water, there is about a 20 ft long oyster shell bed you have to cross to get out to the waves.

This is a great place for a beach vacation, especially for families. Since there are not a lot of bars in the area, there isn’t a college party atmosphere like you get at the Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach, or Hilton Head. There are beaches for everyone, from really good waves to really calm ones depending on where you go, ocean side or near the sound, and loads of great shelling. It’s also an awesome place to see wildlife. We saw dolphins on three of our days there and huge flocks of pelicans every day.

Lots going on here. A camping site with some cabins to rent, and trails that can be explored along the more inland Highway 174 entrance. Another entrance closer to the beach as 174 turns into Palmetto. There is a place to park and camp with RV’s, as well as a public beach. Endless amount of activities to do in this state park. More inland gets a little mosquito infested, but still enjoyable.
The public beach is much the same as the rest of the beach not part of the State park. Though what really sets this place apart from other public beaches is the amazing Jeremy Inlet. Just over a mile and a half walk along the beach from the Pavilion is this tiny little inlet with a ton of treasures for the picking at low tide. I fossil hunt there often. Lots of sharks teeth and other marine creatures from the past. As well as other land critters. I just found some ancient equestrian fossil parts. Also, even some possible early Indian/​Archaeology finds. Not to mention everything for the shell, and even sand dollar hunters. I have spent many days exploring this part of the beach.
Lots of wildlife up and down the beach as well. A preservation area for the loggerhead turtles, and a natural nesting area for many different birds.
Parking and admission use to be free for day visitors, with only a donation box. Now they charge a little to park, and of coarse to camp. Though not a big deal. Overall a great spot with a lot to do and see. Not as impressive as Botany Bay, but a little more accessible, and still plenty of fun to be had.

When I first called up this place to book, the lady at the other end was constantly laughing. Laughing so hard that she couldn’t even speak one whole sentence right and it made me wonder how good this place would be. I still went ahead and booked because we had plans, and we weren’t disappointed.
So location: They have two campsites, one right at the beach and one about half a mile away. We were at the one that was farther from the beach, but it’s just about half a mile so you can just walk to the beach. It is also pretty close from Piggly Wiggly so it was easy for us to buy things that we forgot to bring, like pancake mix and eggs. There are also a few cool places to eat around here.
The campground itself has a variety of camping sites and RV sites. We were at a car camping site but there are also sites where you cannot take your car and need to hike. Our site had a fire pit with a grill, running water, an electric outlet and a picnic table. The campsites are extremely clean and well maintained. There is a dumpster at the center of the campground, but none at individual sites. The sites are close together that you can see and hear people in the other sites, but they are still separated with ample vegetation.
Since this is camping by the beach, it does get a little more hot and humid than the mountains, so if the weather is 85+ this might not be the best place to camp at. Also, the proximity to water and all the trees around call for mosquitoes so be sure to carry a bug repellent spray. Also, save your food from critters and lock it up in your car or keep it inside the tent or find another way to save it so raccoons can’t get in.
The campground has hot showers, toilets, running water and firewood for sale. There are also a few really easy and scenic hiking trails that go over marshes. Apparently there are alligators there (not on the trails but down in the marshes), but we didn’t see any :(
The other part of the campground which is right on the beach has beach access and showers (not hot showers). They have free parking but you have to acquire a parking pass at the ranger station of your own campsite.
All in all, this is a really nice, clean, cute and scenic campsite and nothing beats camping near the beach! We will definitely be back.

Edisto has been our vacation spot for 25 years! My first time and most recent stay were at the State Park. The park was well-​maintained and clean. In fact
the restroom and shower facilities were the cleanest and nicest that I have seen at a campground! The beach as always was stunning! The staff was friendly and helpful. Within walking distance are a grocery store, ice cream and video store, pizza place, several restaurants, and souvenir shops! Most of the groups camping were families! We will reserve our same site for spring break next year!

Really nice facilities. Our visit was only for day use. Park staff not very friendly, nor are they knowledgable. I had to call Columbia office to get an answer on park passports that are listed on the state website. Ok, so here I go: When we arrived at the main day use entrance I requested to purchase the $ 50/​seven day passport which will allow me to visit beach & inland parks for a week. The booth staff and ranger on duty had never heard of this passport — told me I could only purchase a $ 30/​seven day pass for Edisto Beach SP– I told them we are planning on visiting a few other state parks and the state website list a $ ⁵⁰⁄₇ day statewide pass: they said no the state doesn’t offer that and that I would have to purchase $ 75 statewide annual passport. I showed them the SCDNR website on my iPhone listing the $ ⁵⁰⁄₇ day passport– their response was that the web was incorrect. So I called SCDNR main number off the website and talked with the director of field operations in Columbia, SC. He said I was correct about the $ ⁵⁰⁄₇ day passport, and would call the park. He called me back and let me know that he corrected the miss information the park staff had given me. He further offered an extra day on my passport, though I can’t use it due to the length of our vacation. This actually went on for about 35 minutes!!! You would think the park staff would know the different kind of entrance fees the parks offer!!! Moreover, they should spend some time on their own state website. Poor training & giving public miss information — truly sad. Thanks for the staff in the capital city to correct this issue. After a 12 hour drive from Delaware, what an absolute pain — my last advice: please train your field staff.

Edisto Island is one of my favorite places, and this park is icing on the cake. There are some really pretty walking/​biking trails, the salt marsh is stunning and full of life, the palmetto lined beach is fantastic, the water is great a good percentage of the year, and it’s also a fantastic area for shelling. Dolphins always seem to be around too.
The campground is nice and you are hardly forced to rough it — only a few minutes away is a Piggly Wiggly and a number of restaurants/​bars. Yup, it’s humid, and so when it’s hot, it’s really hot, but what do you expect in South Carolina?
Be sure to walk or bike out to the shell midden — it’s pretty interesting if sadly degraded now.
The whole island is extremely family friendly and low key — you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere that you wouldn’t feel comfortable in a clean t-​shirt and shorts.
As a final bonus, you are only 45 minutes from Charleston and about an hour and a half from Savannah, making them easy day trips if you can’t stand any more island relaxation!
As someone else mentioned, make your reservations in advance — some people come here every year and campsites fill up fast.

During a recent vacation to Edisto Beach, we stopped by the State Park for an afternoon to hike on a couple of the trails. It was pretty hot and humid that day (90’s), but luckily the trees kept most of the beating sun out.
The trails are by no means hard, but they are still quite fun. At the end of the long trail you find a rock wall embedded with all sorts of shells and oysters. Pretty cool. The entrance to the park is 5 bucks, and it’s a pretty good deal if you’re going to spend a few hours there. I can’t speak to the quality of the camping experience there, but the sites we drove by seem large enough and looked to be a good time.
If you’re at Edisto Beach and need to get out of the sun, but still want to be outside, this is your place to go!

This is one of the best campsites I’ve ever been to. My lady friend and I went camping there this weekend and life was good. The weather was beautiful, the waves were crashing and it wasn’t *too* crowded.
The sites come in various sizes and are kept very clean. The bath house is the nicest I’ve ever seen and cleaner than most hotel bathrooms!
The folks are nice and quiet there. Me and my «lady», had no problems. (wink, wink)
Some of the sites are out in the open. The beachfront sites are wonderful and are the same (open or private). All night you can hear the waves pounding the shore. It is a slice of heaven.
Make your reservations well in advance. They go quickly. It is a top camping spot in my book!

Every couple of years or so, we get out to Edisto Island. It’s not often, because it’s quite a hike, even from Charleston, and we don’t get to Charleston too often, but when we do, it’s nice. The last time we were there was on July 4^th, and the State Park was packed. This time we went and it was a couple of days prior to the 4^th, on a Wednesday, and it was perfect.
It costs a few bucks for adults, and seniors are cheaper if you are residents of SC, while kids are cheaper still. But once you’re in, you can park your car, and then you have access to bathrooms, picnic tables and a nice stretch of beach. Technically you can walk onto the beach even if you don’t park there, but you’re not supposed to, and if you get caught, you could probably be fined. Probably not a large issue, but something to think about.
The beach itself isn’t bad. Edisto used to have a bunch of shells — tiny shells, in fact — but lately it’s turned into mostly sand, with very few shells of any sort. It still slopes down quite a bit at the edge, but then it has a very mild slope into the water, so it works pretty well. If you’re not going to rent a house, then it makes for a nice way to enjoy the beach for a day.