Savannah River Scenic Byway: A Lake Country Road Trip

Verified September 28, 2026 against the Federal Highway Administration’s America’s Byways program, Recreation.gov, SCDOT, the US Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District, South Carolina State Parks, the USDA Forest Service, Anderson County and Discover South Carolina. Storm repairs are still reopening some lake parks, so check your stops before you go.

Some scenic drives show off. This one takes its time.

The Savannah River Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway since 1998 and one of four in South Carolina, runs 110 miles down the state’s western edge, past three big lakes, rolling farmland, small towns and the densely wooded Sumter National Forest. Discover South Carolina, the state’s official tourism site, calls this corner of the state its “lake coast” and promises back roads lined with century-old clapboard houses and historic churches.

The lakes are the stars. The US Army Corps of Engineers built Hartwell, Richard B. Russell and J. Strom Thurmond on the Savannah River, and together they make a chain 120 miles long. The byway’s official description throws in barbecue traditions, fishing tips and Revolutionary and Civil War stories. Pack a rod, a picnic and an appetite.

The route at a glance

• Start: Oakway, in Oconee County, where SC 24 meets SC 11, the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway. Two national scenic byways, one crossroads.
• End: The Georgia line on SC 28, where the highway crosses the Savannah River just south of Clarks Hill.
• Which way: The official directions run north from the Georgia line. We flipped them so you can roll straight off SC 11. Either way works.
• Time: The Federal Highway Administration says to allow 3 hours. With stops it’s a full day, or a weekend if you camp.
• Cost: Free to drive. Parks charge admission or day-use fees (see Road notes).

Stops in driving order

1. Oakway. Start at the SC 24 and SC 11 crossroads and head southeast on SC 24. Coming off I-85 instead? Lake Hartwell State Park is half a mile up SC 11 from exit 1, with a nature trail along the lake.
2. Townville and Lake Hartwell. SC 24 runs through Tokeena and Townville toward Lake Hartwell, consistently one of the five most visited Corps of Engineers sites in the country, so summer weekends get busy on the water. Anglers: Anderson County’s Green Pond Landing tournament launch sits along this stretch. See our Green Pond Landing & Lake Hartwell Fishing guide.
3. Sadlers Creek State Park. Turn off SC 187 onto Sadlers Creek Road for 1.1 miles to a 395-acre park on a Lake Hartwell peninsula. The short, easy Pine Grove Trail loops past the water, and the park manager says to watch for fox squirrels, some gray with a hint of red, some solid black. The fishing pier was closed for repairs in 2026, so check before you bring a rod. More in our Sadlers Creek State Park on Lake Hartwell guide.
4. Detour: Hartwell Dam. The dam sits by US 29 at the Georgia line. A mile into Georgia, the Corps’ visitor center has restrooms, and a paved, accessible trail runs 1.37 miles (one way) from Big Oaks Recreation Area next door along the shore to the dam. The center closes on weekends from December through February.
5. Starr and the farm stretch. Take SC 412 (Rainey Road) east to SC 81 in Starr and head south. Anderson County’s plan for its stretch of the byway promises views of Lake Hartwell and the Savannah River and a taste of the rural South. The county still plans to map picnic spots and pull-offs, so save your stops for parks and towns.
6. Calhoun Falls State Park. About a mile north of Calhoun Falls on SC 81 is the only South Carolina state park on Lake Russell, whose shoreline stays largely undeveloped because federal law bars private exclusive use of the public land around it. The fishing pier is accessible, the office lends rods and reels through SCDNR’s Tackle Loaner Program, and there’s a swim area in season (no lifeguards). The park manager’s pick for the view: Shelter 2 at sunset. And don’t look for a waterfall. The town was named for river shoals the lake now covers.
7. Detour: Abbeville or Russell Dam. Abbeville, settled in 1758 by French Huguenots, is a short drive off the byway, with a restored opera house and antique shops. Or visit the Corps’ Russell Dam visitor center on the Georgia side, about 8 miles west of Calhoun Falls off Highway 72. It’s open weekdays, plus weekends from the third Saturday in March until October.
8. McCormick. The byway turns south onto SC 28 here. Discover South Carolina calls McCormick the gateway to the Little River Blueway, a web of water trails and hiking and biking trails. West of town off US 378, Baker Creek State Park (about 4 miles) has an open lakeside campground, though its trails were closed in 2026 for logging and Hurricane Helene damage, and Hickory Knob State Resort Park (about 11 miles, via SC 7) has free admission, a buffet restaurant, lodge rooms and lakeside trails.
9. Hamilton Branch State Park. Back on SC 28 near Plum Branch, this park fills a peninsula on Lake Thurmond, the largest Corps lake east of the Mississippi. The park manager’s advice: stop at the General Store for old-fashioned candy, ice cream or a glass-bottle soda, then grab a rocking chair. There’s a self-serve kayak rental kiosk, and restrooms at the gift shop. Cleanup was still under way in summer 2026, with the hiking trails and some shelters and campsites closed.
10. Parksville, Modoc and the forest. Hurricane Helene closed 51 Corps recreation areas on Lake Thurmond in September 2024, and they’ve been reopening in stages. Modoc Campground was back for the 2026 season; Parksville’s day-use area was not (its boat ramp is open). Around the lake, the byway runs through the Sumter National Forest’s 120,000-acre Long Cane Ranger District.
11. Clarks Hill and Thurmond Dam. Near Clarks Hill, follow US 221 about a mile toward the dam to the Corps’ Thurmond Lake Visitor Center, open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The dam, built from 1946 to 1954, is closed to the public except for group tours. For the lake itself, Clarks Hill Park, a mile up the road, has three swim beaches, restrooms and a boat ramp ($7 per vehicle), and Below Dam South Carolina Recreation Area has a picnic area, a playground and restrooms on the river. Both were open year-round in 2026.
12. The Georgia line. SC 28 runs about 8 more miles to the Savannah River bridge, where the byway ends. Mountain bikers: the Forest Service’s Forks Area Trail System (FATS), six stacked loops with up to 34 miles of trail, is off Hopewell Church Road, which leaves SC 28 1.2 miles north of the bridge. Helene damaged trails across the forest, so call the Long Cane Ranger District at 803-624-9471 first.

When to go

• Spring and fall are the sweet spots. The Forest Service calls spring and fall in the Long Cane country “delightful” and July and August hot.
• Summer is lake season: swim areas and seasonal campgrounds are open (Modoc ran March 27 to September 13 in 2026), and so is everybody else.
• Winter is quiet, with seasonal campgrounds closed and fewer visitor center hours. The upside: lake views. The Sadlers Creek bike trail description promises them “especially in winter.”
• Hunting seasons: In the national forest, the Forest Service recommends blaze orange through deer rifle season, which opens in mid-October, and during turkey season in April. There’s no hunting on the forest’s wildlife management area land on Sundays.

Road notes

• Don’t count on byway signs. They’re scarce. Anderson County made reviving the byway a goal in its 2026 comprehensive plan and plans new signs; until then, navigate by route number and download your map.
• Watch the turns. The route changes highways four times: SC 24 to SC 187, SC 187 to SC 412, SC 412 to SC 81 in Starr, and SC 81 to SC 28 in McCormick.
• Share the road. This is farm and timber country, and logging and storm cleanup are still going on in spots. Expect slow tractors and trucks, and pass only where it’s legal and clear.
• Fuel and food. Services are thin. Hamilton Branch counts 12 miles to the nearest grocery store, Sadlers Creek 8. Top off the tank and pack lunch before you leave I-85 or I-20.
• Wi-Fi and charging. Calhoun Falls, Hamilton Branch, Hickory Knob and Lake Hartwell state parks offer Wi-Fi. Sadlers Creek and Hamilton Branch have EV chargers.
• Check first. SCDOT’s 511SC shows construction and closures, and the Corps posts an open-area list for Lake Thurmond.
• Dogs: Leashed pets (6 feet max) are welcome in most outdoor areas of the state parks. At Clarks Hill Park, they stay off the swim beaches.

Drive for every body

A scenic drive may be the most accessible adventure we cover: the view comes through the windshield, and you pick every stop. Here’s what we could confirm, and what we couldn’t.

• Easiest: Calhoun Falls State Park’s fishing pier and park store are accessible. At Hartwell Dam, the paved walking trail and Big Oaks Recreation Area are accessible, and the Corps describes Clarks Hill Park as accessible too.
• Harder: Most park trails here are dirt. Calhoun Falls’ Cedar Bluff Nature Trail starts down wooden steps and crosses footbridges, and Hickory Knob’s trails have roots and rocks. Some dam views mean a walk from the parking lot.
• Discounts: South Carolina residents 65 and older, legally blind or 100 percent disabled get reduced state park rates with proof, and at the six state parks near this byway (Lake Hartwell, Sadlers Creek, Calhoun Falls, Baker Creek, Hickory Knob and Hamilton Branch), so do qualifying out-of-state US residents. At Corps parks, America the Beautiful Senior and Access Pass holders get free day use and half-price camping. The Access Pass is free for US citizens and residents with a permanent disability, and the Thurmond Lake Visitor Center has them.
• Ask ahead: Calhoun Falls 864-447-8267, Sadlers Creek 864-226-8950, Hamilton Branch 864-333-2223, the Corps’ Hartwell office 888-893-0678 and Thurmond office 864-333-1100.

More easy-access trips are in our Accessibility Guide.

Make a weekend of it

• Camp by the water. Lake Camping in South Carolina, Lake by Lake covers the campgrounds on all three lakes.
• Walk in the woods. Our Long Cane Trail, Sumter National Forest guide heads into the same national forest. Call the ranger district first.
• Dig into the region. For more around McCormick and Abbeville, see The Old 96 District: Lakes, Forest & Frontier History.
• Keep driving. The state’s other national byways are on our Scenic Drives hub.

Now go outside and play. Take the long way.

Top photo: J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Lake Project, by George Jumara, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District. The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.