Weston Lake Recreation Area and RV Park

The campground is very quiet and clean. All hook ups worked perfectly. Plenty of room for our 40' Class A. Lot of green space near the water. The lake level is still low do to dam work. A couple things to be aware of~ Gate 5 to enter Fort Jackson was closed the week we were there. When pulling into the campground you need to take that 1st or 2nd roads to be positioned to back into your site. The 3rd dirt road is by far the largest, but you will be heading the wrong way to back in. While we were there, EVERY single RV entering went to the last. largest road and had to exit and come back in. There needs to be a large sign showing where to enter. The other sort of bizarre thing is the bugle calls from the speakers in the campground. We have stayed in military campgrounds in almost every state. We are used to Reveille, Call to Quarters, Taps. Here there seemed to be a very strange schedule. We were normally gone all day, but this was the calls from today (same as other days). 5:45 am, 6am, 6:15am,7am, Then we were gone for the day. Upon Return, 4:50pm. 4:55pm,5pm 5:07 pm,5:10pm, 7pm 7:15pm,8pm.10pm. Other days were similar, but different times. Not an issues, just curious to what these calls were. The only thing I would suggest is WiFi in the park. Most all military campgrounds at this price point offer WiFi and cable. If this campground offered those basic amenities I would have given it 5*. All in all we were very happy with our stay and found it convenient for exploring Columbia.

Called the “Army Travel Camp” - a fairly “new” CG (newly developed sites in an older Rec Area), felt like sort of an “afterthought” for campers. You wouldn’t know that this was associated with a military base, if not for the blaring bugles heard from the loudspeakers several times a day & night starting at 5:45am, so they even violate their own rule of “quiet” hours between 2300 and 0800! Also, there is NO gate nor a gate “shack”, even though this shack is noted on the CG map. The CG host, James said the shack was removed for some reason. This rec area is completely UNsecured, so anyone can just wander into this Rec Area. When turning into the Rec Area at the big sign off of SR 262, go directly to the Travel Camp and set up at your site. Unhook and drive to the office to check in. We arrived close to the office closing time of 5pm, so they called and gave us the CG host’s phone number. We were instructed to call the CG host after we got settled in, which we did. James came promptly to greet us and check us in, asking for the military ID. He was very friendly and helpful. Campground has 33 sites. We were in Site 32, with a fairly level concrete pad, enough room for MH and back tires of Truck. Concrete patio with metal table, firepit and grill. The firepits all had trash and burnt wood/ashes inside them, and the grills also needed attention. According to the CG Host James, the bathrooms are cleaned Mon-Friday only. James mentioned that they actually PAY someone to maintain the CG, and he told us he’s notified the leadership that this CG needs improvements in many ways, but no success so far. The lake was too low for boating and kayaking, as they were repairing the dam and had to drain the lake. According to James, it would be finished beginning of April and lake will be back to normal levels. There is one comfort station with toilets and showers. No laundry facilities, though. At the office area, there is a really nice, small beach where you can rent kayaks/canoes, or relax on the patio. Several playgrounds and a frisbee-golf course are on the grounds. 30-minute drive to Congaree NP, which is FREE to enter. Took a nice walk on the boardwalk through the Cypress Swamp and learned about the swamp flora and fauna. We wanted to kayak on the creek, but the water level was too low and muddy to easily launch the kayaks. Near Columbia, SC. About a 20-minute drive to the base to get to the Commissary/Class 6/Exchange, via I-77 from Exit 12 onto Strom Thurmond Dr through the Main Gate. It wouldn’t be such a bad park, but at $35/night, it was way over-priced for the slim amenities, and it was hard to tolerate those blaring bugles. This CG would be more fairly priced at $20-$22/night.

I love this quiet RV park and want to stay there again. I am writing today 1/28/2022 because their reservation system is abominable. I have been trying to call for days and all I get is a busy signal and after writing to ICE I was given an additional number and both are always busy.

Campground location is fine, it's a campground! Nice RV Pads, about 40’. Hookups are in left rear corner, so we had to buy extra sewer hose. Staff is nice. Nice picnic table, fire ring and grill at each site. Restroom/shower house at campsites appears to be being refurbished. It was closed for our 44 day stay, and no one has worked on it at all. There is a restroom within walking distance at the boat ramp, but the heater does not work, and the place has not been cleaned for a long time, the toilet was clean thou. Main restroom/shower house is next to the office, which is not within reasonable walking distant to go shower. It is nice, but not once was the floor sweep and mopped during our stay, and it needs it. Half the sites lights on the power pedestal don’t work. Cable hookup doesn’t work, but you can get the main TV networks over a good digital antenna. No Internet. Golf Carts are allowed. CAUTION: LOW AC Power which can damage your RV’s equipment. Staying from Jan. 1, 2015 to Feb. 13, 2015. Had site manager turn in Work order on Jan. 6th. For a week I tried to get status by making numerous phone calls. The Next week I turned in an ICE evaluation. About 4 days later, campground employee meter’s AC at sites. They are showing 109vac on one leg, and 111vac on the other leg, and tell me 108vac is satisfactory (wrong). I show him at that time, with just a 2 amp load on L-1, we have 104vac. And a 14 amp load on L-2 indicated 107vac. Power is worse on colder days and nights. Around Feb. 4th I get in contact with the Electrician. Only answer I am still getting from anyone, is the issue is known about. I had to run my refrigerator on LP Gas the whole time so the low power didn’t damage it. Buying all the extra LP just added to the cost of staying here. I am normally at the campsite most every day and offered to help show the problem to an electrician, but no contact. The Coax cable service has not been repaired for months, and around Jan. 9th, they have suspended all internet service that was offered.

This is our 2nd stay at this campground, the last time was 2014. The staff was very engaged and helpful, both at check in and the campground host. The sites are spaced well apart in most cases, though the higher numbered sites are closer together. Full hook ups no issues and worked great, but as others note are at back of pad. Pads are nice and level with a wide patio area. Fire ring and picnic table as well as Charcoal grill. we did not check to see if there was WiFi and did not hook up the cable. TV reception was good on our digital antenna. TMobile cell reception was good enough. The setting is great, wide sweeping lawns lead down to the lake, which has a boat ramp. The Lake is currently being drained by the Corps of Engineers so you can not go out on it or swim, but you may fish from the shore. All facilities were very clean and well taken care of. It is a bit out of the way, which is why we liked it, but it is close enough to Colombia that we went there for Church and breakfast on Sunday. Also this was our base to explore the Congaree National Park which was a spectacular setting. Will definitely camp here again.

Nice, level, concrete FHU sites. The hookups and sewer are all the way to the back of the site, which was a bit of a stretch for us. It depends on where the hookups are on your rig. There is plenty of space between sites, with a decent amount of shade. The bathhouse was clean and neat. Each shower had a curtained area for changing. The lake is currently very low, as they are doing work on the dam. We paid $32.50 per night, a $2.50 per night discount for having a national parks pass, which is free for military and veterans so there is no reason not to have one. A nice campground, and we would return.

Making a reservation here was painful. None of the posted phone numbers were answered and no one called me back until I climbed up the chain of command. Pretty straightforward reservation process once I got someone on the line. Arrival - Very easy to navigate to aside from the atrocious SC roadways. Wide open parking lot to park the rig and register. Four (4) people in the office and at the desk on a Tuesday with the phone ringing off the hook; the work ethic here leaves something to be desired. Site - Very long, ~ 60', back-in with a couple of trees to contend with but, very nice, concrete, and level. Good electricity and water pressure 45 - 50 psi; water quality was also very good. Well maintained area but the black and yellow bumblebee looking bees were everywhere and the DO STING; they're in the pine trees and on the ground in nests. Location - Out in the sticks approximately 10 miles from Fort Jackson. Nice crescent shaped lake with several cabins, pavilions, and a community center. Nice playground for the littles. Approximately 25 minutes to Congaree National Park. Negatives - Already touched on the reservation and bee issues. Everywhere is saturated with the rains so, expect a little standing water. The only other thing I found to be a negative is the need for a SC and Fort Jackson fishing license to fish on the lake; $16 total so not a deal breaker. Good place to be if you have someone graduating from Fort Jackson or if you want to go to Columbia, SC, or Congaree National Park. Good value @ $32.50/night.

If we are ever in the area again we will definitely stay here. The sites are spread out which we love! They all have nice level concrete pads, nice picnic table, grill and fire ring. It's very quiet and relaxing. Only a couple of issues for me...there isn't an internet service. We thought is was going to be a problem however it was really nice disconnecting for the week. The cable at our site wasn't the best. We probably should have let the office know but as long as I had 1 local station to check the news and weather that was fine. One of the main reasons we chose Weston Lake was for the lake. However because there wasn't a life guard on Tuesday and Wednesday we weren't allowed to use it. We are grown adults that were staying with no children. That was the only thing the campground offered. It should have been available to us to use. We also rented a big cabin. Which are wonderful and the decks are overlooking the lake...awesome views. They do need a little upgrading but all in all very nice. We did catch a little mouse in the kitchen LOL. It just really bothered me that we didn't have use of the lake when that was one of the main reasons we wanted to stay there.

I am so mad at the commander of Fort Jackson. This could be such a jewel in the MWR campground system. Once again people in charge have been allowed to break every rule and there is no oversight. They had people who were living at the campgrounds or who had permanent vacation sites. One camper has a green house with fully grown plants in it. The staff was pleasant but who knows if they care, or told to go along. The bathrooms are cleaned by young people who do a quick job. Their job leaves alot to be desired. The roads in the campground are lousy and should be fixed. The sites aren't level or paved. When you look at the campground it feels and looks like no one has fixed anything in along time. MWR states that they care for our soldiers. This means current, retired, or disabled well shame on you MWR.

Stayed here 2 weeks. Very quite and relaxing, near the water. Has a small beach for swimming in the lake, fishing, & walking trails. Had water, electric, & sewer hookups at our site. Direct TV, Verizon cell & Internet worked great. Paid $ 11.00 per night. Campground in not on base, but not. Also not far from other shopping and dining out. No laundry at campground, but near by down Rt. 262. I'm not a numbers rater, either I like a FamCamp or not. Well I like this FamCamp. Will stay here again.

Good military RV park stay. Our spot was very spacious (#5)—the first 20 spaces are great for having no near neighbors. Check in was easy and the ladies in the office were friendly and welcoming. There were no laundry facilities and we didn’t use the bathrooms. I was very disappointed about the amount of trash around the dumpster (strewn for many yards in each direction). The dog bag/trash station near the campground was disgustingly full/overflowing with bags of dog waste. I know the camp host was out doing something because every time they were gone in the golf cart, her dog (puppy?) would whine, cry, whimper and bark the whole time. A little attention to a few items would make a big difference in this camper’s experience; however, I would still return to this campground as the good outweighed the bad and the bad could easily be fixed.