James Island County Campground in Charleston

When you are visiting Charleston, South Carolina, James Island County Campground needs to be on your itinerary for RV campgrounds.

James Island County Campground in Charleston South Carolina with a picture of a Class A Motorhome camping

James Island County Campground Features

The James Island County Campground is great for RV travelers.

The campground is Big Rig friendly (despite some tight road ways to get there). I had no problems with my 37 foot Class A RV. There were also several Prevosts in the campground while I was there.

With large, centrally located bath houses and laundry facilities, the campground is also great for tent campers.

This campground sees everything from tent campers to the largest of Big Rig RVs, with fifth wheels, pop-up campers, and travel trailers mixed in.

Class A RV at James Island County Campground in a back-in spot

Campground Sites

Many of the sites are shaded with old pine and oak trees surrounding the campground. For the most part, the limbs are trimmed and very few obstructions appear to be problems for even the largest of RVs.

The sites have full hook-ups, with water, sewer, and 50, 30, and 20 amp electrical hookups. Most sites are back-in, although there are quite a few sites that are pull-through.

Most sites are gravel. During periods of heavy rain, some sites may be flooded. After all, you are in the low-country. The good news is that the RV parking areas are mostly level and are spacious enough to extend all your slides.

One important feature to note about many of the sites is that they are tandem sites – they may share a drive way, which is great if you are traveling with other RVers. Not so great if you want to get away from your neighbors. So be on the look-out as you are making your reservations.

Campground Loops

There are two main loops in the campground. One surrounds a small lake while the other does not.

The lake, as noted, is small. With sites on all sides of the lake, you’ll be able to see across the lake to other sites on the other side. Don’t worry if you can’t get a spot looking at the lake – the other sites are great and well worth the stay!

The lake loop though has way more pull-through sites available for shorter term stays.

During the warm months, you may want to be aware that you’ll be able to hear the Splash Zone (the water park) if you are staying in sites along James Island Parkway, particularly sites in the 70s and 80s. It may not bother you, but it is additional noise to be aware of.

James Island County Park

James Island County Park is a large 643 acre park situated in the greater Charleston area. Four miles of paved trails are great for those looking to get some exercise.

A water park open during the warm months is across the street from the RV campground, great for kids looking to cool off in the hot summer months of a Charleston summer.

Meanwhile, there is a large lake near the front entrance that also has a dog beach – where your four legged family members can cool off and play with other friendly dogs.

See Also: The Ultimate Dogs’ Guide to RVing

Christmas at James Island County Park

Welcome to the Holiday Festival of Lights display at the James Island County Park

One of the best times at James Island County Park is during the Christmas season when they host a drive-thru Christmas lights showcase called the Festival of Lights.

While the light display is great, it does have some big impacts on those staying at the Campground inside the park.

First, you’ll have to deal with lots of traffic as people come to see the lights every night. The traffic backup can go all the way down Riverland Drive and onto Maybank Highway. That’s going to make it difficult to go out to eat at night and then deal with that getting back to the RV.


Second, there are restrictions on how long you can stay at the campground. Typically, you can stay up to 28 nights in the RV during a 30 day period. During the Festival of Lights, you can stay up to seven nights.


Where is the James Island County Campground

The James Island County Campground is part of the Charleston County Parks system and is located off Maybank Highway.

The Campground is about 20 minutes by car to downtown Charleston, which is across the Ashley River.

The campground is also just over the Sono River from Johns Island, which is how you’ll get to Kiawah Island for the world-class golf at the Ocean Course. It’s about a 40 minute drive from James Island to Kiawah Island.

And you will be about 20 minutes from Folly Beach.

Being in the middle of all these great attractions makes James Island County Campground convenient for a one or two week long stay in the Charleston area.

Coming in Late?

The campground is within the larger James Island County Park. And they close the main gate around dusk, close to the time that they close the park for daily use.

However, there is a callbox where you can call the park ranger to check in after 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

For those out exploring around Charleston after checking in, the staff will give you car passes with the gate code on it. It changes every Monday, so if you are staying over the weekend make sure that your passes have the new code on it as well.

Sunset at James Island County Park with geese in silhouette

Ready to stay at James Island County Campground? Reservations are available on Reserve America.

Charleston, South Carolina RV Campgrounds

Are you visiting Charleston, South Carolina? James Island County RV Campground is one of my favorite RV campgrounds in the area.

But there is so much more to the area too!

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