SC State Park Sadlers Creek

First time we camped here although we have visited Sadlers Creek State Park a lot of the years since it is in the county we live in, Anderson County in South Carolina. Even though we had been in the park, we weren't sure what to expect, meaning we didn't which brand of SC redneck would be camping here. It turns an okay bunch of people so we will definitely go back sometime.

This park is on Lake Hartwell which is a large man made lake with over 900 miles of shoreline. You are pretty close to the dam itself and are on what is known the "Big Water" since you are near the open waters after the Seneca and Tugaloo Rivers have merged. The Savannah River starts here. If you are bass fishermen, this lake hosted the BAssmasters Classic for third time in early March 2018. Big Water Marina is nearby if you would like to rent a boat to check it out.

The campground is divided into 3 loops. Loop 1 is separated from the other two. All of the sites there are on the water but are pretty close to each other with little privacy or shade. Loop 1 they are back in except for one. The last 2 or 3 would have some shade. Loop 2 has about 14 or so sites on it that share a restroom and they are all back in. Three or four back up to the lake, Sites 32-35. There are 2 handicapped sites on this loop too. Loop 3 is where we stayed on Site 58. This loop has the most sites with 17 RV sites an another 7 Tent only sites. This loop has 2 restrooms and if you stayed in Sites 43-46 you would probably would not share a bathroom with many sites. There are 4-5 pullthrough sites on the loop including Site 58 that we were on. About 10 of the site are on the water and several have good views. The loop is on a peninsula that narrows to a point. The three at the end and sites 58 and 59 get a good bit of wind part of the day. The back in ones are pretty spacious. Avoid the ones next to the bathroom as two of the site back up to each other. The only way I would want those is if I knew and liked the person in the other one. Site 60 has a lot of room behind it and several hammock spots to watch the lake from. The sites have water and electric. They also have a fire ring with grill attached and a picnic table. They do a good job of keeping the bathrooms clean. The park attracts a lot of people who are interested in the fishing and while we saw several Snow birds who were beginning to make their way back north from Florida.

The rest of the park has offers a short walking trail, 6 mile long mountain biking trail, 2 playgrounds, horseshoe pits, and a fishing pier near the boat ramp. The park is a mixture of hardwoods and pines. You are near both Anderson, SC and Hartwell, GA. Anderson is the bigger of the two, but you are a little closer to Hartwell. Nearby places to eat include Stone Creek Cove restaurant called The Local, Sadlers Creek BBQ, The Galley and Nami both at Portman Marina. Go down and see the dam. you can walk out on to it but do not leave a purse or any valuable on your seat especially on the SC side. After crossing into Georgia make the first right and you can get down to the Savannah River below the dam. There is a picnic area there and a small campground too with some fishing platforms. You can catch trout here as they stock the river in the tailrace of the dam since the water is cold enough for them. This is Corps of Engineers lake so there are lot of other facilities all over it as well as several other state parks on both side of the border.

If you are there in May, you can do the Dam Run, 5K and 10K. The 5K is all flat as the whole the thing is on the dam. The 10K has one long downhill and one long uphill with the final 5K being flat. Hartwell, GA is worth the drive over. There are several nice restaurants there and a couple of grocery stores to stock up on. Buy your gas in SC as our gas taxes are cheaper.
Sadlers Creek | South Carolina Parks Official Site

 

This past weekend was our 5th time camping here. It's the state park that is closest to the house and good place to start/end the season for us. We've camped in both Campground 2 & 3. The last 2 times we've been in Campground 2 and we've decided we like it a little better. Campground has 3 has better sunset views if you are out near the point of the peninsula, but it gets pretty windy as the day goes on. The park is near the dam for Lake Hartwell and it's 2 miles across the lake to Georgia. Campground 3 is a loop while Campground 2 is a dead end road sort of like a cul-du-sac so not many people come down it unless they are camping there.

Campground 2 has less sites so it is quiet although noise has never been a problem for us in Campground 3. A lot of people camp here with idea of fishing the lake & even more so since the Bassmaster Classic has been here 4-5 times over the last 15 years. They are early risers and you sometimes hear them going out early. Campground 2 does not have as many spits to park a boat trailer so they don't use it much.

Site 33 is the best in Campground 2. It is the largest and you are pretty far from your neighbors plus you have a great view of the lake. Easy entry into the lake if you have kayaks as well. And if you look there is a fisherman's trail that will really get you away from the other campers with some great hammock sites and a couple of sandy beaches too. With all of the red clay here, a sandy beach is nice.

Avoid Campground 1 for the most part. It is on the other side of the park and the sites are completely in the open and it is like a parking lot. You will have a good view of the water but also your neighbors on either side. It is also attracts the folks with Bass Boats because the boat ramps are nearby.

Also, look up Forx Farm. It's close by and owned by a Dutch couple who specialize in Goudas. Really good and they'll show you the cave of aging cheeses if you ask.

 

The park keeps getting better. The Ranger in his short time there has done more for this place than any the other 50 years it has existed. A lot of the improvements have been to campground making sites better. Cool for me, he was student at a school where I was an Assistant Principal.

 

He still call you Mr/Mrs Ellen ?

I ran into an old school tacher years ago and I just coulnd't bring me self to calling him by his first name even though he insisted

Mr White come to mind? LOL!!!!

 

I didn’t have a beard or gray hair then. We had talked several times before I heard his name to realize I knew him. Neither one of us recognized the other, although as Assistant Principal, you don’t know the kids who stay out of the office. Lol.

MY first 10 years I at my alma mater and it took a while before I could call people who taught me by first name. And some I still can’t. At 56, I’m old enough to have had a former student be my supervisor too. And next week, we have a track meet against a team coached by a former athlete of mine.

Mary Ellen & I are both waiting on someone to say to us, You taught my grandparents. Then it will be time to retire for good.