Mistletoe State Park had been on my list for a long time. I'd read about it, saved the photos, and daydreamed about those sunrises and sunsets over Clark's Hill Lake. Being such a popular park, its not easy to get a reservation. Especially the sites with 50 amp service and even more of a long shot, a site on the water.
So I did what any determined (slightly obsessive) camper does, I set a Campnab alert and waited. And my phone buzzed time and time again. And every time, I would immediately go online and find it for a 30 amp site. Which, would have probably been ok in early October, but based on the heat wave we had been having, combined with our unfamiliarity with the cooling units in Biggie, we didn’t want to risk not having the ability to run both air conditioning units. And finally, and somewhat magically it came, just days before our desired booking time, a cancellation for a premium 50 amp site, right on the water. It was really almost too much to believe.
Site 80 - the perfect site for viewing sunsets over Clark's Hill Lake. Every evening was a spectacular show of color - the kind that you think each moment is the peak of perfection. And then it just keeps getting prettier and prettier. The water turned to hammered copper, the pines went black against the sky, and the whole campground got quiet, like everybody agreed to stop talking at the same time. It was an event to plan for and plan around.
The view during the day was pretty great too. The perfect place to sit and stay a while, read a book or paint a picture - or just sit and watch the birds and squirrels flutter and scamper about. So, that’s mostly what we did, aside from the walks through the campground to appreciate the beauty of the entire campground. Even the non-waterfront sites had a cozy charm of being tucked in the woods. And if you want your Skylink internet, you’re gonna have to work for it but it is not entirely impossible.
Sites run about $40 night - it varies a bit by time of year and site amenities. The sites are very nicely spaced apart, though most are not ample in size, so pay attention to photos of the site before you book to make sure you have enough room. There are quite a few pull-through sites, too. We had great water pressure at our site too, which is one of those things you don’t think about until the pressure isn’t very good. The other thing to note is the closest grocery store we found was about 20 miles, so I would recommend getting what you need before you arrive.
I HIGHLY recommend either getting takeout or going to eat at Baby Jo’s. We got takeout and dang, did it ever hit the spot! Good ol’ country cooking - barbeque, smoked mac-n-cheese, collards. It’s located less than 5 minutes from the campground and it’s not open every day and I hear things get sold out, so plan accordingly.
The bathhouse is clean and even has paper towels, which is a rarity at State Park bathrooms these days. There are no sewer hookups but there are these gray water dumps, which I have not seen before - pretty nice to have the ability to dump at least some of your wastewater.
There’s so much to do at Mistletoe - biking ,birding, boating and paddling, fishing, hiking, a beach for swimming. Canoe and kayak rentals are available for overnight guests. Unfortunately, quite a few trails remain closed due to damage from Hurricane Helene. Clark’s Hill Lake is known as one of the best bass fishing spots in the U.S., and there’s plenty of shoreline to toss a line in the water. The park also offers special programs and educational events, including some pretty cool field trip offerings.
You can stay in the park even if you don’t have a camper or RV. Mistletoe has ten cabins available for rent, with five of them being log cabins. They are basic, two-bedroom and look like no-frills but clean and plenty nice enough to stay for a while and enjoy the park. Bed and bath linens are provided and the kitchens are equipped with microwave, coffee maker and dishwasher. Some are even waterfront with outdoor sitting areas and some of them have fireplaces. The rental fee runs around $100/night.
Why we'd go back
Mistletoe is the sort of place that doesn't try too hard. The lake does the heavy lifting, the sites are easy, and the sunrises and sunsets will ruin you for lesser ones.
