There’s a new campground proposal in York County. How it fits into a growing trend
A York County campground reborn could add yet another new outdoor option to the area.
The owner of 20 acres at 787 Woodland Park Road in Smyrna wants to develop the property into a 40-site campground. It would include RV camping. The site is more than a mile east of the town, off S.C. 5.
The county zoning board of appeals will hear the case Thursday. The property needs a special exception from that board to allow the campground, but it’s not the first time the site has been a camping destination.
The property was an active campground in the 1990s known as Woodlands Campground. Structures there date back to the 1970s, according to county land records. By early 2000, the campground was closed, but the site still has much of what supported 45 campsites there. There’s a concrete swimming pool, two bathhouses, an acre pond and other buildings.
Marcus Clayton acquired the property about three years ago from the late, long-time owner who ran the camp property.
“We’re just trying to get the baby back up to what she used to be,” Clayton said. “There’s a lot of memories out there. We want to get it back to something that people can enjoy like they used to.”
Clayton’s family went to the campground in its earlier years.
“Just an old diamond in the rough,” Clayton said.
In late 2020, Clayton had some friends over for camping and took some reservations but got more feedback and support than he expected. Social media blew up, Clayton said.
“We quit posting when we figured out we had more stuff to do with the county,” Clayton said.
If the decision Thursday goes his way, Clayton intends to move toward reopening and expanding the site in full. Somewhere for parents and kids to play and unplug, he said.
“There’s not a whole lot of room for that anymore,” Clayton said.
The new plan for Woodland Park Campground involves additional RV space as part of 40 total spaces. A site plan for the project shows 17 sites with a bathhouse just off Woodland Park Road before the internal drive splits in several directions to access the remaining camp sites, parking and a swimming pool. There’s a private residence on the southeast portion of the site. There’s a pond and pavilion to the southwest.
Between the residence and the pond there’s an area marked future expansion. The expansion area is 7 acres.
Larger trend in Rock Hill area
The Rock Hill region has long-established camping options from Ebenezer Park in Rock Hill to the Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill to state parks like Andrew Jackson State Park in Lancaster, Chester State Park and Landsford Canal State Park in Chester County and Kings Mountain State Park in York County.
There also are new or planned additions. There’s recent and coming work at Ebenezer to upgrade and expand its camp offerings. York County also has Allison Creek Park set to add camping on Lake Wylie and the massive Catawba Bend Preserve coming along the Catawba River.
Last fall, a property owner with 78 acres in southwestern Lancaster County, near the Chester County line, applied to build a campground with 166 sites, a dog park and more off Cedar Creek Road.
This spring, the owner of 335 acres on Kendelwood Drive in Lancaster County applied to build a Christian campground on about 20 acres. It would include an activity center with bus parking, and a chapel.
New outdoor offerings coming to York County include waterfront parks, camping sites
