USFS · South Carolina

Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests

National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service in South Carolina, 1.4 million acres by the boundary data. No Wikipedia article matched the name closely enough to quote.

National Forest1.4 million acresUSFSSC36 campgrounds within 10 mi69 Forest Service sites73 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateSouth Carolina
Size1.4 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0812, region 08
Center point33.1815, -79.6623
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 →

21 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 15 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
USACE · Inside
Clarks Hill
Reservable10 sites
FS · Inside
Collins Creek Seasonal Campground
Reservable36 sites
Show 4 more

24 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, refreshed September 18, 2026. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

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

Explore

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?

21 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Brick House Campground, Buck Hall Recreation Area and Bussey Point Campground. 36 in all are within ten miles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites; check the forest page for closures.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests?

The Forest Service lists 69 recreation sites here, including 22 lake and pond fishings, 11 campground campgrounds and 9 target shootings. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

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

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

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 11 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

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?

381 National Register 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: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • 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.