Sumter National Forest Hunt Camp Road System

Deep in Sumter National Forest’s Andrew Pickens Ranger District, a spider web of old hunting camp roads winds through hardwood hollows where wild turkey calls echo off granite outcrops. These forgotten forest service roads once served Depression-era CCC camps and later hunting clubs, leaving behind a maze of technical routes that cross Chattooga River tributaries like Crane Creek and wind past crumbling stone foundations of mountain homesteads. The main artery follows an old logging grade that dead-ends at Burrell’s Ford, where the Chattooga runs wild and clear.

This is moderate terrain demanding high-clearance 4WD for the creek crossings and muddy bottoms after rain. Tires get tested on loose shale climbs, and low-hanging branches will find every antenna and light bar. Spring through fall works best when water levels stay manageable. No permits needed, but dispersed camping opportunities abound along ridgelines. Come for solitude and the kind of woods driving that reminds you why South Carolina’s mountains still hide secrets worth finding.