Petersburg
- Right now
- Closedrecreation.gov lists every site closed this weekend, read 14:51 UTC
- A night
- $18–$26When it reopens, per site
- Sites
- 93In the agency’s record
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 15 notices
In the agency’s own words
Petersburg Campground is located on J. Strom Thurmond Lake, only four miles away from the Lake Thurmond Visitor Center and Dam and only 25 miles from Augusta, Georgia. Camping at Petersburg is ripe with many different opportunities for relaxation, skill-building, family bonding, and nature appreciation. The 70,000 acre lake and 1,000+ miles of shoreline are prime for activities that facilitate such opportunities such as boating, water skiing, swimming, fishing, kayaking, hiking, biking, and bird watching, and so much more of course! Just outside the entrance the largest trailhead for the Bartram Trail which is a designated National Recreation Trail prime for hiking and mountain biking. Keep reading
Recreation
Thurmond Lake provides some of the best fishing, hunting, and water sports in the southeastern United States. Anglers fish for largemouth bass, bream, crappie, catfish and striped bass. The large lake offers great conditions for exciting activities such as boating, water skiing, jet skiing, canoeing and swimming. The Bartram Trail, a designated National Recreation Trail, hosts it's largest trailhead just outside the entrance to the campground. This trail winds around the campground and shares beautiful views of the lake. This trail is favored by mountain bikers and hikers as a convenient option to get out and experience nature. Hikers have access to many miles of trails in the immediate area. The 1.8-mile Lake Springs Loop and the 27-mile Bartram Trail, which meanders along the scenic shoreline and through Wildwood Park, are both nearby. Shorter sections can be hiked from several intersecting trailheads. When recreating at Thurmond Lake, we hope to give our visitors opportunities to bond, appreciate nature, relive stress, improve skills, and improve physical fitness.
Facilities
Petersburg Campground has many facilities that every camper can enjoy! The gatehouse has friendly Gate Attendants and information about the campground and local area. There are four bathhouses spread throughout the campground that have flush toilets and showers. The boat ramp and courtesy dock are conveniently placed with circle drives. For the fishers who don't use the boat ramp, there is a large fishing pier to make land fishing easy. There is a playground on the first loop adjacent to one of the two swimming beaches, a first come first served/ reservable pavilion making it the perfect spot for birthday parties or any celebration, and to top it all off the bathhouse is only a short walk away. For campers of all ages, there is a shaded hiking and biking trail that winds through the campground showcasing the beautiful pine and hardwood trees. For camper convenience, there are two dump stations and dumpsters located in the campground.
Natural Features
Water/ Land: Petersburg Campground is on the shoreline of the J Strom Thurmond lake that is over 70,000 acres, and surrounded with a mix of pine and hardwood trees which offer shade and visual interest. Wildlife: Wildlife is abundant around the lake. Visitors regularly see southern bald eagles, migratory waterfowl, neo-tropical birds, wild turkeys and whitetail deer. Weather/ Climate: Average temperatures during the camping season starts out at 76 degrees Fahrenheit and peaks in July at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. May receives the least amount of rainfall on average, but increased rainfall for June, July, and August.
Nearby Attractions
Numerous parks and recreation areas lie around Thurmond Lake, providing additional settings for outdoor activities such as, boating, swimming, hunting, and hiking. There are many USACE managed day-use areas within six miles where registered campers may enter for free by displaying their campground hangtag pass. Within four miles, campers may visit the dam, Visitor Center, and various USACE trails. Nearby cities house museums, art galleries, zoos, restaurants, and shopping areas. The Augusta National Golf Club hosts the Masters Golf Tournament annually the first week of April.
What the agency tells you
Gates open at 7:00am and close at 10:00pm. Combination lock codes will be issued to registered campers at check-in. If you need to leave due to an emergency and have trouble opening the gate, please notify the on-duty camp host.Gates open at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. Gate are locked during these hours but a gate combination is issued to campers. In case of an emergency dial 911.
Check-out time is 1 p.m. Check-in time is 3 p.m. Please call ahead to confirm early check-in.
No more than 12 campers allowed per site, and 4 vehicles per site if space allows. If vehicles do not fit, vehicles must be parked at the overflow lot.
Everything else this campground posts · 12
One wheeled camping unit (RV, Camper, Camper van/truck, etc) per single site and must be parked on impact pad. Tents are restricted to impact pad.
Scooters, UTVs, and ATVs are prohibited; however, golf carts are allowed per campground rules. See Park Attendant at the campground gatehouse for more information.
Maximum stay is 14-days within 30 day period. Changing names on a reservation, changing campsites, or making multiple reservations in order to stay over 14-days is prohibited and applicable across USACE campgrounds. Violaters may have reservations cancelled.
Alcohol, fireworks, and firearms is prohibited
Keep your campsite and campground clean. Keep your trash contained and frequently remove trash from campsite (dumpsters located within campground). Do not leave litter in fire ring or on campsite upon check out.
Gray water (any wastewater from sinks, dishwashing, bathing, etc) or other waste water such as black water must be disposed of properly at campground dump station.
All pets must be penned, caged, or on a leash no longer than 6 feet; pets are prohibited on swim beaches, playgrounds, and in restrooms. You MUST clean up after your pet!
All shorelines adjacent to campsites are public property.
There are alligators in the fishing pond at this campground. Please do not feed or interact with the alligators if you see them.
For current lake conditions, call 1-800-533-3478 ext. 1147.
Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.
For a complete set of rules and regulations concerning, please refer to Title 36, Chapter III, Part 327 - Rules and Regulations Governing Public Use of Corps of Engineers Water Resources Development Projects.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 93
- Hookups
- 82 electric, 85 water
- Longest rig
- 45 ft
- Accessible sites
- 3
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets
- “…throughout the campground that have flush toilets and showers. The boat ramp and courtesy dock are…”
- Dump station
- Yes
- recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
- Boat ramp
- Yes
- Playground
- Yes
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, Beach
- Biking
- Birding
- Boating
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Kayaking
- Swimming
- Water access
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 76th darkest of 96 in GA
- Bortle 4
Nothing to book until it reopensread 14:51 UTC
recreation.gov lists every site closed this weekend
OpenBookedClosed
Tell me when it reopens
Watch for it to come back
One email when the agency reopens it, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check the agency’s own record once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time it stops saying closed.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Every line of the receipt · 14
What you actually pay
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 4
Why this page can’t say why
recreation.gov lists every site at Petersburg closed this Friday and Saturday night. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has published no closure notice we hold, so this page can’t say why, and it won’t fill the gap with a guess. A closed night isn’t a sold-out one: the reservations its record still carries were taken before the sites were closed.
There’s no notice to quote and no reason to argue with, so this page offers you the watch and the list below, and no letter.
Open within 60 miles · 1
The agency’s own word that these are open, not our reading of a season.
- Lick Fork Lake Recreation AreaSumter National Forest · 14 mi
recreation.gov availability, read 14:51 UTC · rules read Oct 1, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
94 records · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 90 mapped sitesAll 94 records
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 90 of the 94 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.
| A | 01 | type not stated | 30 ft | 50 amp | 177 ft | |||
| A | 02 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 142 ft | 188 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 03 | standard electric | 45 ft | 50 amp | yes | 127 ft | 128 ft | $24–$26 |
| A | 04 | standard electric | 45 ft | 50 amp | 81 ft | 120 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 05 | standard electric | 40 ft | 50 amp | 81 ft | 48 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 06 | standard electric | 40 ft | 50 amp | 77 ft | under 10 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 07 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 65 ft | 28 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 08 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 57 ft | 74 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 09 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 57 ft | 76 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 10 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 83 ft | 72 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 11 | standard electric | 20 ft | 50 amp | 72 ft | 55 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 12 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 72 ft | 79 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 13 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 76 ft | 76 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 14 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 76 ft | 36 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 15 | standard electric | 20 ft | 50 amp | yes | 85 ft | 44 ft | $24–$26 |
| A | 16 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 156 ft | 56 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 17 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | yes | 167 ft | 114 ft | $24–$26 |
| A | 18 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 133 ft | 97 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 19 | standard electric | 45 ft | 50 amp | 133 ft | 104 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 20 | type not stated | 30 ft | 50 amp | 115 ft | |||
| A | 21 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 155 ft | 299 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 22 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 155 ft | 211 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 23 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 160 ft | 113 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 24 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 142 ft | 116 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 25 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 102 ft | 159 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 26 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 102 ft | 142 ft | $24–$26 | |
| A | 27 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 123 ft | 147 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 28 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 123 ft | 159 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 29 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 143 ft | 70 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 30 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 250 ft | 102 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 31 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 246 ft | 64 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 32 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 144 ft | 66 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 33 | standard electric | 40 ft | 50 amp | 144 ft | 84 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 34 | standard electric | 36 ft | 50 amp | 186 ft | 85 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 35 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 186 ft | 104 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 36 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 199 ft | 125 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 37 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 158 ft | 163 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 38 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 158 ft | 111 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 39 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 160 ft | 83 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 40 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 160 ft | 44 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 41 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 178 ft | 76 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 42 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 199 ft | 105 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 43 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 148 ft | 120 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 44 | standard electric | 40 ft | 50 amp | 148 ft | 52 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 45 | standard electric | 45 ft | 50 amp | 121 ft | 48 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 46 | standard electric | 45 ft | 50 amp | 114 ft | 33 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 47 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 114 ft | 60 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 48 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 82 ft | 48 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 49 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 82 ft | 37 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 50 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 120 ft | 41 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 51 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 111 ft | 37 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 52 | standard electric | 45 ft | 50 amp | 111 ft | 39 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 53 | standard electric | 45 ft | 50 amp | 139 ft | 128 ft | $24–$26 | |
| B | 54 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 139 ft | 193 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 55 | standard electric | 40 ft | 50 amp | 178 ft | 327 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 56 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 103 ft | 164 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 57 | standard electric | 45 ft | 50 amp | 121 ft | 171 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 58 | standard electric | 45 ft | 50 amp | 125 ft | 51 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 59 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 103 ft | 110 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 60 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 89 ft | 57 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 61 | standard electric | 45 ft | 50 amp | 89 ft | 61 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 62 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 113 ft | 69 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 63 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 113 ft | 98 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 64 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 142 ft | 153 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 65 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 116 ft | 300 ft | $18 | ||
| C | 66 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 95 ft | 191 ft | $18 | ||
| C | 67 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 95 ft | 127 ft | $18 | ||
| C | 68 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 109 ft | 118 ft | $18 | ||
| C | 69 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 120 ft | 107 ft | $18 | ||
| C | 70 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 113 ft | 101 ft | $18 | ||
| C | 71 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 113 ft | 48 ft | $18 | ||
| C | 72 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 134 ft | 116 ft | $18 | ||
| C | 73 | standard electric | 45 ft | 50 amp | 82 ft | 325 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 74 | standard electric | 45 ft | 50 amp | 82 ft | 372 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 75 | standard electric | 40 ft | 50 amp | 122 ft | 249 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 76 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 65 ft | 319 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 77 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 65 ft | 277 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 78 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 72 ft | 237 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 79 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 90 ft | 199 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 80 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 91 ft | 177 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 81 | standard electric | 40 ft | 50 amp | 102 ft | 72 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 82 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 89 ft | 47 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 83 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 54 ft | 79 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 84 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 54 ft | 73 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 85 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 67 ft | 80 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 86 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 67 ft | 130 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 87 | standard electric | 20 ft | 50 amp | 69 ft | 106 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 88 | standard electric | 20 ft | 50 amp | 84 ft | 54 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 89 | standard electric | 20 ft | 50 amp | 84 ft | 60 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 90 | standard electric | 20 ft | 50 amp | 90 ft | 103 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 91 | standard electric | 20 ft | 50 amp | 138 ft | 227 ft | $24–$26 | |
| C | 92 | type not stated | 30 ft | 50 amp | 301 ft | |||
| C | 93 | standard electric | 25 ft | 50 amp | 168 ft | 376 ft | $24–$26 | |
| PETE | Grp | day use | yes | under 10 ft |
The agency files 1 more record here that isn’t a site for the night. It files it as day use. It’s in the table above, marked for what it is, and it isn’t counted as a site.
OpenStreetMap has no toilet mapped within 1 km of this campground, so no site here carries a toilet distance. That’s a gap in the map, not a finding about the campground.
25 of 94 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Ridge Road1.3 mi
Lake Springs1.8 mi
Below Dam South Carolina3.0 mi
West Dam3.5 mi
Clarks Hill4.2 mi
Modoc4.5 mi3998 Petersburg Rd Appling, GA 30802
From I-20, take Exit 183 (Appling). Go north on HWY 221 approximately 6 miles. At the 4-way stop, go straight (HWY 221) another 2 miles. Campground road is on the left. Follow signs.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Modoc, SC
Typical weather
Typical October night 58°F, day 78°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 40°F. Bring the bag rated for it.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it
Who answers for this land
Petersburg is in Georgia’s 12th congressional district. Its representative, Rick Allen (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →