Best South Carolina Lakes for Swimming

6 South Carolina lakes meet our swimming bar — each has a cited public-access or conditions signal behind it. Top of the list: Lake Wallace in Marlboro County. Ranked by designated swim areas (OpenStreetMap); surface acreage and live readings are shown where published.

Designated swim areas come from OpenStreetMap; surface acres from USGS NHD.

  1. 1

    Lake Wallace

    Marlboro County, SC600 acres

    1 swim beach + 1 designated swim area (OpenStreetMap)

    See full conditions & things to do
  2. 2

    Lake Marion

    Berkeley County, SC110,000 acres

    1 swim beach (OpenStreetMap)

    See full conditions & things to do
  3. 3

    Lake Strom Thurmond

    McCormick County, SC71,100 acres

    3 swim beaches (OpenStreetMap)

    See full conditions & things to do
  4. 4

    Lake Murray

    Lexington County, SC50,000 acres

    8 swim beaches (OpenStreetMap)

    See full conditions & things to do
  5. 5

    Lake Jocassee

    Oconee County, SC7,500 acres

    2 swim beaches (OpenStreetMap)

    See full conditions & things to do
  6. 6

    Lake Placid

    Greenville County, SC8 acres

    1 swim beach (OpenStreetMap)

    See full conditions & things to do

More best-of lists for South Carolina lakes

South Carolina swimming — frequently asked

What is the best lake for swimming in South Carolina?

Lake Wallace in Marlboro County tops the list — 1 swim beach + 1 designated swim area (openstreetmap). 6 South Carolina lakes qualify for this list overall.

How is this South Carolina swimming list ranked?

Every lake on the list has a cited public-access or conditions signal — never an opinion. We rank by designated swim-area count from OpenStreetMap. LakeVibe doesn't invent rankings: a lake only appears here when the data already supports it.

Which South Carolina lakes are best for swimming?

Our top picks are Lake Wallace, Lake Marion, Lake Strom Thurmond, Lake Murray. Tap any lake for its full conditions, things to do, and where to stay.