Wilderness gateway · Sumter National Forest · est. 1936
Sumter NF — Ellicott Rock + Chattooga Wilderness
Two 28-ft dry-camp loops anchor the Sumter's wilderness gateway — no on-forest dump, dispersed legal along gravel ranger roads, Chattooga put-in permits required.
Max RV length
28 ft
Hookups
None (dry)
Dump station
No
Dispersed camping
Allowed per MVUM
RV season
April – October (developed loops) · Year-round dispersed
Access road
Paved trunk (SC 107) to gravel ranger-district roads
About this area
Three federally-designated wildernesses (Ellicott Rock, Chattooga River, Persimmon Mountain) frame the Andrew Pickens Ranger District in South Carolina's far-northwest corner. Developed camping is tight: Cherry Hill and Burrells Ford each cap rigs at 28 feet, and the gravel approaches to both shorten that ceiling in practice. There's no USFS-operated dump station in the Sumter — closest is the private campground at Long Creek. Dispersed camping is allowed along Forest Service roads under the Sumter MVUM with the standard 200-ft setback from streams (enforced strictly here because of the Chattooga's Wild and Scenic designation). The Chattooga itself is permit-required for kayaking and rafting; rig parking at the put-ins is overflow-only on summer weekends. Black bear activity at Cherry Hill triggers food-storage citations in shoulder months.
How to plan this area
Reservations and the Motor Vehicle Use Map
Developed loops book through recreation.gov; dispersed camping is legal only where the ranger district's MVUM allows it. Both links go straight to the official source.
Official sources
Every fact on this page traces back to these primary sources.
South Carolina rules · last verified 2026-05-10
- Rental tax
- 7.00%
- Min driver age
- 21+ std · 25+ Class A
- Gravel roads
- Allowed — disclosure required
- Generator quiet
- 22:00-07:00
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