A white Tacoma with a camper shell parked on a rise above a broad, empty basin under building cloud.

Forest Service campground

Woods Ferry Campground

Forest Service campground in Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests, Chester County, South Carolina. 371 feet. 6.6 miles from Lockhart.

Managed by
Forest Service Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests
Elevation
371 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
17 12 equestrian non-electric, 4 standard non-electric, 1 group equestrian
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

The rolling hills of Enoree Ranger District in Chester County are home to the Woods Ferry Recreation Area which includes the Woods Ferry Campground, Woods Ferry Picnic Area, Woods Ferry Boat Ramp. The Woods Ferry Recreation Area is situated in the piedmont of South Carolina along the east bank of the Broad River with elevation averaging around 350 feet and is approximately 40 miles southwest of Rock Hill and 57 miles southeast of Spartanburg.

The surrounding area is the rolling hills of upland pine and maturing hardwood forests. It offers a wonderful change is scenery from the area’s typical pine forests. The highlight of the area is the Broad River corridor. The many variety 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 you warmth in the winter.

Wander on the Woods Ferry Horse Trail and you’ll see wild azaleas clumped by the old homesites and dogwoods are scattered through-out the forest. Inhale fragrance of the honeysuckle in these peaceful surroundings.

The forest and river environment draw a variety of wildlife to the area. Visitors interested in nature watching have an opportunity to see birds such as red-shouldered hawks, great blue herons, osprey, wood ducks, barred owls and the American Bald Eagle.

Recreation

The Woods Ferry Recreation Area offers Woods Ferry Campground users access to a wide range of recreational activities such as picnicking, fishing, canoeing, wildlife viewing or trail riding. Its location on the Broad River makes fishing and boating easily accessible.

The Woods Ferry Day Use Picnic Area: picnic tables and grills, two group picnic shelters with group grills, 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 hardwood drains of the area. The trail is open to horses, hikers and mountain bikers.

Broad River- boating, canoeing and kayaking opportunities abound with current access south of the Neal Shoals Dam, 2 miles downstream from the Woods Ferry Campground.

The surrounding national forest lands are a great place for big game deer and turkey hunting along with other small game hunting. Hunting and fishing in South Carolina is regulated by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Visit www.dnr.sc.gov for more about the SCDNR.

Facilities

Woods Ferry Campground is open year-round and has 15 single campsites, one double campsite and one group campsite. All sites are available by reservation only. The campground road is gravel with gravel parking spurs. Campsite parking spurs 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. This campground also offers the opportunity to camp with horses in designated sites. 10 campsites have horse corrals. Other campsites offer a designated area where horses can be highlined or where portable corrals can be set up behind the white banded trees around the perimeter of the campground. Vault toilets are centrally located to both ends of the campground. There is “NO WATER OR ELECTRICAL HOOK-UPS” available. Water spigots are centrally located throughout the campground. Campers can access the 26 mile Woods Ferry Horse Trail from the campground. The trail allows for horses, hiking and mountain biking.

The Woods Ferry Campground is about a two tenths of a mile easy walk from the campground to the picnic area and Broad River. Great fishing and bird watching opportunities exists along the banks of the Broad River.

Natural Features

The Woods Ferry Recreation Area is situated in the piedmont of South Carolina, along the east bank of the Broad River and adjacent to the 26 mile Woods Ferry Horse Trail. It 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. For more information on Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests https://www.fs.usda.gov/scnfs

Nearby Attractions

Leeds Shooting Range , Enoree Ranger District, Sumter National Forest. Bring your own weapon, target and target holder to practice from designated shooting tables down range with at a maximum distance 100 yards. Click here for more information https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/scnfs/recreation/otheractivities.

Olde English Tourism District. https://www.oldeenglishdistrict.com/about/district. Find upcoming events, restaurants, artists, farmers markets surrounding the Woods Ferry Recreation Area.

Historic Brattonsville . https://www.visityorkcounty.com/things-to-do/history-culture/historic-brattonsville/

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • birding
  • boating
  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • horse camping
  • horseback riding
  • hunting
  • kayaking
  • picnicking
  • wildlife viewing

The land around Woods Ferry Campground

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.