Savannah River Scenic Highway is in western South Carolina. It begins near Augusta, Georgia at the South Carolina state line and travels north to Westminster. The byway is 110 miles long and follows SC 28, SC 81, SC 181, SC 187, and SC 24. All the roads are two-lane paved roads suitable for all types of vehicles. Savannah River Scenic Highway is open year-round.
Savannah River Scenic Highway is a pleasant drive through the uplands of western South Carolina. It travels alongside the Savannah River. Actually, three dams constructed on the river have created three beautiful lakes. Thurmond Lake is a 71,000-acre lake along the byway’s southern end. Near the middle is Richard B. Russell Lake, which has a surface area over 26,000 acres. On the northern end of the byway is Hartwell Lake, a beautiful 56,000-acre lake. Avid fishermen will want to spend some time on these lakes attempting to catch bass, bluegill, catfish, and crappie.
The byway provides access to a large number of campgrounds. Five are managed by the State of South Carolina. Sadlers Creek State Park is on Hartwell Lake and has 37 RV and tent sites with water and electric hookups. Calhoun Falls State Recreation Area is on Russell Lake. It has 100 sites for tents and RVs; some sites have hookups. Hickory Knob, Baker Creek, and Hamilton Branch State Parks are on Thurmond Lake and have a total of more than 300 RV and tent sites. Nearly all of the campsites have water and electric hookups.
There are seven Corps of Engineers campgrounds along or near the byway. Coneross and Twin Lakes are on Hartwell Lake. Coneross Campground has a total of 104 sites; 67 with water and electric hookups. Twin Lakes has a total of 102 sites; 73 have hookups. There are five Corps-managed campgrounds on Thurmond Lake: Mount Carmel, Leroy’s Ferry, Hawe Creek, Modoc, and Petersburg. Mount Carmel Campground is remote and quiet. It has 21 sites with hookups and 22 without. Leroy’s Ferry offers ten primitive campsites. Hawe Creek Campground has 28 sites with water and electric hookups. Modoc has 31 sites with hookups and 17 without. Petersburg is the largest Corps campground on Thurmond Lake and is about six miles west of Clarks Hill. It has 93 RV and tent campsites; most have water and electric hookups.