Woods Ferry Campground (SC)

The rolling hills of the Enoree Ranger District in Chester County are home to the Woods Ferry Recreation Area, which includes the Woods Ferry Campground, picnic area and boat ramp. The area sits in the piedmont of South Carolina along the east bank of the Broad River, at an elevation averaging around 350 feet, approximately 40 miles southwest of Rock Hill and 57 miles southeast of Spartanburg. The surrounding area is rolling hills of upland pine and maturing hardwood forests, a wonderful change of scenery from the area's typical pine forests. The highlight of the area is the Broad River corridor. The many varieties of hardwood trees create an umbrella with their leaves in the summer, keeping you cool during your trail ride or hike; thatches of pine are mingled in, and the sun shines through them providing warmth in the winter. Wander on the Woods Ferry Horse Trail and you'll see wild azaleas clumped by the old homesites and dogwoods scattered throughout the forest, and you can inhale the fragrance of the honeysuckle in these peaceful surroundings. The forest and river environment draw a variety of wildlife: visitors interested in nature watching have an opportunity to see red-shouldered hawks, great blue herons, osprey, wood ducks, barred owls and the American bald eagle. The recreation area offers picnicking, fishing, canoeing, wildlife viewing and trail riding. The day-use picnic area has picnic tables and grills, two group picnic shelters with group grills, and three fishing platforms to fish or view wildlife from; a valid South Carolina fishing license is required to fish on the national forests. The Woods Ferry Horse Trail is a 26-mile trail system that traverses along the Broad River and the hardwood drains of the area, open to horses, hikers and mountain bikers and accessible directly from the campground. Boating, canoeing and kayaking opportunities abound on the Broad River, with current access south of the Neal Shoals Dam, 2 miles downstream from the campground. The surrounding national forest lands are a great place for big game deer and turkey hunting along with other small game hunting, regulated by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Woods Ferry Campground is open year-round and has 15 single campsites, one double campsite and one group campsite. The campground road is gravel with gravel parking spurs that vary in size and grade; not all sites can accommodate all sizes of campers and camper vehicles. Sites have a picnic table and rock fire ring, and some have a lantern post. The campground also offers the opportunity to camp with horses: 10 campsites have horse corrals, and other campsites offer a designated area where horses can be highlined or portable corrals set up behind the white banded trees around the perimeter. Vault toilets are centrally located at both ends of the campground. There are no water or electrical hook-ups, though water spigots are centrally located throughout the campground. It is about a two-tenths of a mile easy walk from the campground to the picnic area and the Broad River, where there are great fishing and bird watching opportunities along the banks. The recreation area lies within a beautiful wooded floodplain surrounded by upland pine woods and maturing hardwood forests. The Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests encompass more than 629,000 acres in four districts throughout South Carolina, from the low country Atlantic Coast to the western foothills along the Georgia border. Nearby are the Leeds Shooting Range on the Enoree Ranger District, where you bring your own weapon, target and target holder to practice from designated shooting tables at a maximum distance of 100 yards; Historic Brattonsville; and the Olde English Tourism District, with events, restaurants, artists and farmers markets around the Woods Ferry area.