USFS · South Carolina

Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests

National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service in South Carolina.

National Forest1.4 million acresUSFSSC28 campgrounds within 10 mi69 Forest Service sites73 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
2 fires
active
C-163 Fm Rx (prescribed burn) · 4 mi from the center · 222 acres
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateSouth Carolina
Size1.4 million acres
Forest Service code0812, region 08
Center point33.18° N, 79.66° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

Boundary map

4 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests40°50°60°70°80°90°January: 3.45 inches of precipitationFebruary: 3.27 inches of precipitationMarch: 3.75 inches of precipitationApril: 3.32 inches of precipitationMay: 3.29 inches of precipitationJune: 5.48 inches of precipitationJuly: 5.97 inches of precipitationAugust: 6.46 inches of precipitationSeptember: 5.28 inches of precipitationOctober: 4.63 inches of precipitationNovember: 3.26 inches of precipitationDecember: 3.69 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 47.2°F averageFebruary: 49.6°F averageMarch: 55.8°F averageApril: 63.9°F averageMay: 71.6°F averageJune: 78.6°F averageJuly: 81.8°F averageAugust: 80.6°F averageSeptember: 75.5°F averageOctober: 65.8°F averageNovember: 55.7°F averageDecember: 49.6°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Jamestown, 7 miles from the center point at 35 feet, station USC00384449 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 52 inches a year.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

19 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 9 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Brick House Campground
Reservable24 sites
FS · Inside
Buck Hall Recreation Area
Reservable20 sites
USACE · Inside
Bussey Point Campground
Reservable14 sites
FS · Inside
Cassidy Bridge Hunt Camp
ReservableSC
FS · Inside
Cassidy Bridge Primitive Camp
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Cherry Hill Campground
Reservable29 sites
FS · Inside
Collins Creek Seasonal Campground
Reservable36 sites
FS · Inside
Elmwood Recreation Area
First-comeSC
Show 4 more

16 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 69

The Forest Service lists 69 recreation sites in this forest, among them 22 fishings, 11 campgrounds, 9 shooting ranges, 6 viewpoints. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 9 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 73 named trails in this forest, 589 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Swamp Fox/Palmetto Trail ↗48.3
Enoree River Canoe Trail ↗37.3
Palmetto Trail (En) ↗36.9
Wambaw Cycle Trail ↗35.6
Buncombe Horse Trail ↗34.2
Forks Trail ↗32.8
Tyger River Canoe Trail ↗30.6
Chattooga River Canoe Trail ↗27.3
Woods Ferry Horse Trail ↗25.9
Enoree OHV Trail ↗22.3

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 73 trails in Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    C-163 Fm Rx

    4 mi from the center point · 222 acres

  • Wildfire
    Hewitt Lane Fire

    21 mi from the center point · 109 acres · 90% contained

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historic Site · 5 mi
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site
National Historic Site · 6 mi
Ninety Six National Historic Site
National Historical Park · 12 mi
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park
National Military Park · 25 mi
Kings Mountain National Military Park
National Historic Trail · 25 mi
Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
National Historic Site · 29 mi
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
National Register listings within 15 miles · 388 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for South Carolina

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Five-Star Trails: South Carolina Upstate
    Sherry Jackson, 2023
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Dog Hikes South Carolina
    Melissa Watson, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Easy Day Hikes Charleston, South Carolina
    Johnny Molloy, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests?

1.4 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests in?

South Carolina.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests?

Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests?

A point inside the boundary is at 33.181° N, 79.662° W. Charles Pinckney National Historic Site is 5 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests right now?

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest C-163 Fm Rx at 4 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests?

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site (5 mi), Ninety Six National Historic Site (6 mi) and Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park (12 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests?

The National Register has 388 listings within 15 miles, including St. James Episcopal Church, Santee and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.