Free camping near Salem, SC
Within 25 straight-line miles of Salem, SC there are 47 camps: 39 free, 8 fee. The closest is Cherry Hill, 7.4 miles north-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite, 8.1 miles out. Today's season read covers 27 of them: 6 open, 0 closed, 21 worth a call. The circle crosses a state line: GA and NC and SC.
Who manages them: 23 on SCDNR; 18 on the Forest Service; 6 on NCWRC.
| 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 | — |
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.