South Carolina Public Lands
4.7% of South Carolina is federal land: 911,150 of its 19,374,080 acres (2024 data). The largest federal land manager in South Carolina is the U.S. Forest Service, with 639,394 acres, 3.3% of the state. This guide covers 51 state parks, 7 National Park Service units, 1 national forest, 7 wilderness areas, and 7 national wildlife refuges.
Explore South Carolina public lands by type
- South Carolina state parks 51 parks, 32 with camping, 17 with swimming
- South Carolina national parks 7 National Park Service units, 1 with developed campgrounds
- South Carolina national forests Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests: free dispersed camping allowed
- South Carolina wilderness areas 7 areas
- South Carolina national wildlife refuges 7 national wildlife refuges
South Carolina public land map
- National forests
- National parks, recreation areas and monuments (NPS)
- National wildlife refuges (FWS)
- State parks
- Wilderness areas (dashed)
Land managed by (switch layers on or off)
Land ownership: USGS PAD-US 4.1, dissolved by manager and simplified (parcels under about 2 square km not shown). Unit boundaries simplified. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
List of all 73 places on this map
State parks (51)
- Aiken State Park
- Andrew Jackson State Park
- Baker Creek State Park
- Barnwell State Park
- Caesars Head State Park
- Calhoun Falls State Park
- Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site
- Cheraw State Park
- Chester State Park
- Colleton State Park
- Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site
- Croft State Park
- Devils Fork State Park
- Dreher Island State Park
- Dreher Island State Recreation Area
- Edisto Beach State Park
- Givhans Ferry State Park
- Goodale State Park
- Hamilton Branch State Park
- Hampton Plantation State Historic Site
- Hunting Island State Park
- Huntington Beach State Park
- Jones Gap State Park
- Keowee-Toxaway State Natural Area
- Keowee-Toxaway State Park
- Kings Mountain State Park
- Lake Greenwood State Park
- Lake Greenwood State Recreation Area
- Lake Hartwell State Park
- Lake Hartwell State Recreation Area
- Lake Warren State Park
- Lake Wateree State Park
- Lake Wateree State Recreation Area
- Landsford Canal State Park
- Lee State Natural Area
- Lee State Park
- Little Pee Dee State Park
- Musgrove Mill State Historic Site
- Myrtle Beach State Park
- Oconee State Park
- Oconee Station State Historic Site
- Paris Mountain State Park
- Poinsett State Park
- Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site
- Rivers Bridge State Historic Site
- Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site
- Sadlers Creek State Park
- Santee State Park
- Sesquicentennial State Park
- Table Rock State Park (South Carolina)
- Woods Bay State Park
National parks, recreation areas and monuments (NPS) (7)
National forests (1)
Wilderness areas (7)
National wildlife refuges (FWS) (7)
Who manages South Carolina's land
| Agency | Acres | Share of South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Bureau of Land Management | 0 | 0% |
| U.S. Forest Service | 639,394 | 3.3% |
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 133,990 | 0.7% |
| National Park Service | 32,556 | 0.2% |
| Department of Defense | 105,210 | 0.5% |
| All federal land | 911,150 | 4.7% |
Source: Congressional Research Service, Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), 2024 data, checked 2026-09-30.
Camping on South Carolina public land
Free dispersed camping is also allowed on Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests .
National Park Service land has its own camping rules, set by each park unit: see Congaree National Park for campgrounds, fees, and backcountry permits.
32 of South Carolina's state parks have developed campgrounds on record; compare them in the South Carolina state parks table.
Common questions
- 4.7% of South Carolina is federal land: 911,150 of its 19,374,080 acres (2024 data).
- The largest federal land manager in South Carolina is the U.S. Forest Service, with 639,394 acres, 3.3% of the state.
- This guide lists 51 South Carolina state parks and recreation areas, 32 of them with camping on record.
- congress.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
The sentences on this page are generated by software from the sourced records above, not written by hand. How this content is made.