Recreational Passes and Permits

Permits are required for the following activities on the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests: day-use parking; camping; motorized trails; rifle ranges on the Enoree and Long Cane Ranger Districts; and Chattooga River boating.

Day Use

Self-service permits are required at a few select areas across the forests. They include day use at Buck Hall Recreation Area, Parsons Mountain Lake Recreation Area, Lick Fork Lake Recreation Area, Fell Camp Trailhead and Buncombe Trailhead. Year-long passes are available for $25 per vehicle (contact district office for these), or a daily self-service fee of $3 per vehicle except at Buck Hall where the day-use fee is $7 per vehicle and the annual pass is $40 per vehicle.

Camping

Camping at established campgrounds and campsites across the forests will generally require a nightly self-service camping fee per family/group. There are some exceptions on the Andrew Pickens Ranger District and the Francis Marion National Forest where some campsites are free and can be obtained on a first come, first served basis. Seasonal camps on the Enoree and Long Cane districts can also be reserved and on a monthly or seasonal basis. Contact the district office for more information.

Motorized Trails

There are four motorized trails on the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests: Wambaw Cycle Trail on the Francis Marion; Enoree OHV on the Enoree; and Parsons Mountain and Cedar Springs OHV trails on the Long Cane. Each trail requires a $5 self-service fee per motorized trail vehicle per day or a $50 annual pass per motorized trail vehicle. Contact one of the districts if you are interested in the annual pass. The annual OHV pass for trails on the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests is available on recreation.gov.

Rifle Ranges on the Enoree and Long Cane

There are four rifle ranges on the Enoree Ranger District and two rifle ranges on the Long Cane Ranger District where fees are required. The self-service fee is $5 per user for day use. There is also a $50 Annual Rifle Range Pass available for the Enoree and Long Cane District rifle ranges. Passes are available for purchase at the Enoree and Long Cane Ranger Districts offices, as well as at the Supervisor's Office.

The annual rifle range pass is available on recreation.gov.

You can also order a pass via mail. You can download the application and the rules and regulations for our rifle ranges on our website. All you need to do is fill out the Rifle Range Annual Special Recreation Permit form and mail the form with payment to the district office managing the range you will primarily be using.

Rifle Range Annual Special Recreation Permit

Chattooga River Boating

A free self-service permit is required for each boating group on the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River. These are obtained at self-service stands located at the river access points.