Agency-listedUSFSFree
Willow Oak
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · SC · 34.38793, -81.51835
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Willow Oak
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 437 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Willow OakNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Willow Oak · Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests · SC
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- @Mail7 mi
- MMechanic8 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- LLaundry8 mi
- RxPharmacy8 mi
- +Urgent care8 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- WWater11 mi
- DDump21 mi
- OOutfitter24 mi
- ShShower33 mi
- AAir-up48 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Willow Oak
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
437 ft
State
SC
Coordinates
34.38793, -81.51835
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Willow Oak · Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests · SC (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureFosters Branch (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townBrowns Crossroads · ~1.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelShell · ~6.1 mi
- Propane / LPGSouthern Prop · ~20.6 mi
- Dump station~21.0 mi
- GroceriesShell · ~6.1 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~8.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicNewberry County Memorial Hospital · ~8.4 mi
- HardwareNewberry Hardware · ~8.1 mi
EV charging — from Willow Oak · Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests · SC — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger10.7 mi straight-line S — Pilot Travel Center 4580, Prosperity, SC · eVgo Network · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 63 within 50 · 251 within 100 · 491 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)27.8 mi — Irmo, SC Rechargery Relay @ Circle K - Broad River Rd, Irmo
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO27.0 mi — Spinx, Irmo
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)9.9 mi — Newberry County Library System (at a library) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-11-13 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 388806 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Willow Oak · Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests · SC — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMollys Rock · ~1.4 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCollins Creek · ~5.8 mi N · USFS
- Highway rest areaNewberry Rest Area · ~10.8 mi W
- Highway rest areaNewberry Rest Area · ~10.9 mi W
Open Willow Oak elsewhere
Other camps near Willow Oak
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Collins Creek~5.8 mi · fee
- Rocky Branch~11.2 mi
- Brick House~11.6 mi · fee
- Herbert~13.2 mi
The unit that manages Willow Oak
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Willow Oak are set by Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Willow Oak
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Willow Oak
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Willow Oak
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Camping with a dog →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →