Free camping near Salem, SC
Yes. 39 of the 47 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Salem, SC are listed as free; 8 charge a fee. The closest free one is Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite, 8.1 miles north. The closest camp of any kind is Cherry Hill, 7.4 miles northwest, a fee campground.
The circle crosses a state line: GA and NC and SC.
All 47 camps near Salem, SC
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Hill | 7.4 | Fee | — | 6.0 mi to Tamassee | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 8.1 | Free | Wright Creek (stream) | 4.8 mi to Bohaynee | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 8.1 | Free | Cane Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Eastatoe | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 9.5 | Free | Mill Creek (stream) | 4.2 mi to Bohaynee | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 9.5 | Free | Bully Branch (stream) | 3.2 mi to Nimmons | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 9.6 | Free | — | 9.1 mi to Cashiers | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 9.6 | Free | — | 9.6 mi to Salem | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 9.7 | Free | Mill Creek (stream) | 4.5 mi to Bohaynee | Check |
| Burrells Ford | 9.8 | Free | King Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Moody Cove | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 10 | Free | Devils Hole Creek (stream) | 3.4 mi to Nimmons | Check |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #1 | 11 | Free | — | — | Open |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 11 | Free | Bearcamp Creek (stream) | 3.6 mi to Bohaynee | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 11 | Free | Laurel Fork Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Nimmons | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 11 | Free | Laurel Fork Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Cane Brake | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 11 | Free | Bear Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Cane Brake | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 11 | Free | Toxaway River (river) | 3.1 mi to Cane Brake | Check |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #2 | 12 | Free | — | — | Open |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #3 | 12 | Free | — | 8.2 mi to Cashiers | Open |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 12 | Free | Long Branch (stream) | 2.8 mi to Nimmons | Check |
| Long Bottom Ford | 12 | Free | Adline Branch (stream) | 0.1 mi to Long Bottom Ford | — |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #4 | 12 | Free | — | 9.1 mi to Cashiers | Open |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #6 | 12 | Free | — | 8.2 mi to Rosman | Open |
| Grapevine | 12 | Free | — | 5.1 mi to Longcreek | — |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #5 | 13 | Free | — | — | Open |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 13 | Free | Laurel Branch (stream) | 2.4 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 13 | Free | Side-of-Mountain Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 13 | Free | — | 7.2 mi to Rosman | Check |
| Ammons Branch Camp | 13 | Free | — | 3.7 mi to Highlands | — |
| Eastatoe Creek Heritage Preserve Eastatoe Gorge Campsite | 13 | Free | Eastatoe Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to Rocky Bottom | — |
| West Fork Campground | 13 | Fee | — | 7.3 mi to Highlands | — |
| Willis Knob Horse Camp | 14 | Fee | — | 8.2 mi to Longcreek | — |
| Whetstone | 14 | Fee | — | 5.7 mi to Longcreek | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 14 | Free | Eastatoe Creek (stream) | 1.1 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 14 | Free | Eastatoe Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Cassidy Bridge | 15 | Fee | — | 2.7 mi to Longcreek | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 16 | Free | Emory Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 16 | Free | Abner Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Sarah'S Creek Campground | 17 | Fee | — | 5.6 mi to Sky Valley | — |
| Blue Valley Camp | 17 | Free | Brooks Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Satolah | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — Macon County, NC | 17 | Free | Brooks Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Highlands | — |
| Panthertown Shelter | 20 | Free | Panthertown Creek (stream) | 2.1 mi to Canaan | — |
| Van Hook Glade Campground | 20 | Fee | — | 3.0 mi to Highlands | — |
| Van Hook Glade Campground | 20 | Fee | Long Branch (stream) | 2.8 mi to Lickskillet | — |
| Tanasee Lake Dispersed Campsites | 22 | Free | Tuckaseigee River (river) | 0.8 mi to Wolf Mountain | — |
| Watson-Cooper Heritage Preserve primitive camping (entrance) | 23 | Free | Matthews Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to Happy Acres | — |
| Bear Creek Lake Dispersed Campsite | 24 | Free | Neddie Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Island Ford | — |
| Wolf Creek Lake Dispersed Campsites | 24 | Free | Wolf Creek Lake (water) | 1.1 mi to Wolf Mountain | — |
Who manages the camps near Salem, SC
Who manages them: 23 on SCDNR; 18 on the Forest Service; 6 on NCWRC.
- SCDNR — 18 camps: 18 free
- National Forests in North Carolina — 15 camps: 13 free, 2 fee
- Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests — 11 camps: 8 free, 3 fee
- Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests — 3 camps: 3 fee
Season read for these camps, today
Today's season read covers 27 of the 47: 6 open, 0 closed, 21 worth a call. It comes from each camp's own record, so a camp with no season word is not counted either way.
Forecast near Salem, SC
This is the Weather Service forecast for the town, fetched when the page opens. It is not a forecast for any camp in the table; ground higher up or in a canyon can run colder or windier. It needs JavaScript; without it, see weather.gov.
Camping near other towns close by
The nearest towns that have their own page, with the straight-line miles between the towns.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Salem, SC, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.