- Date: June 20, 2007, July 21, 2007
- Lenght of stay: One night each
The first time at Santee State Park we were blown away by the beauty of the park, the price, and everything it had to offer. Just of Rte 95, follow the signs off exit 98. The park sits on Lake Marion and from the shore you can see the Cyprus trees growing out of the water. Very cool. There are 2 docks, a boat launch, and a small marina. There are bathhouses sprinkled throughout. They are not the cleanest, but again, you are camping. What do you want? The sites themselves are very spacious. There are dirt roads throughout and all of the sites are mostly shaded. There are also trails for hiking. They offer full hook up with water and electric. No sewer but there is a dump staion. There is a great playground for the kids to run around on and plenty of room for the dogs to run around.
The second time at the park we were not as excited. We were on put on another loop that was far from the playground, dock, and office. In addition, there was a campground host staying in this area who drove around yelling at people for no reason. We weren't really sure what his deal was, but according to the girl working in the office they have had a lot of complaints about him.
So here is what you need to know... there are two camping areas; Cypress View and Lake Shore. The first night we stayed at Cypress View. It is near everything and still gave you a sense of privacy. We stayed at Lake Shore the second time and it was far from everything and you felt like everyone was on top of each other. You literally need to unhook and drive to get to the playground and dock area. When checking in or out you need to go back to Cypress View and we are talking probably two or three miles on a very bumpy dirt road out of your way before you can leave the park. The other thing to keep in mind is that rates are different on weekends and during the week. We paid $18.91 total on June 21 which was a Wednesday night and paid $21.07 total on July 22 which was a Saturday night.
We would definitely go to Santee again, however it will be the Cypress View area and it will be during the week. We also enjoyed the fact that it is a state park so the rates are going to be less than at a private park and there is the added bonus of no full-timers. State parks typically have a one to two week maximum that you can stay. There are still quiet hours (10 pm-7 am), but they are not as strict as at a private park.
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