We found a campground where dogs don’t have to be on leash, a park with a boardwalk over a lake, and an ice cream place that has a playground. H. Cooper Black Jr. Memorial Field Trial & Recreation Area is quite a mouthful, but if you’re a dog lover visiting northeast South Carolina, I suggest you check it out. It was a perfect spot for a relaxing weekend.
Where We Stayed
According to their website, H. Cooper Black Jr. Memorial Field Trial & Recreation Area “covers 7,000 rolling acres of longleaf pine forest and fields” and “is the setting for national-level field trial and retriever competitions.” It’s also very equestrian friendly, with miles of trails, covered stalls, and uncovered corrals.
(In case you want to schedule your visit around a particular activity, you can see their calendar of events at this link.)
The Campground
The campground has 38 campsites with electricity and water. Some have 30 amp, while others have 50 amp. Some, but not all, have sewer. There are also primitive campsites, a 24-stall barn, and more than 80 individual corrals.
According to the South Carolina State Parks website, at H. Cooper Black “pets must be voice command controlled or kept on a leash or in a kennel while in the camping area or within 1/4 mile of the camping area.” It was interesting seeing so many off-leash dogs while we were there.
Getting to the campground requires a long drive on an unpaved road, but we made it.
None of the roads were paved, but they were in reasonable shape. Campsites were fairly spacious and many had some shade (as well as a lot of pine needles).
| Campground Name | H. Cooper Black Jr. Memorial Field Trial and Recreation Area |
| Location | Cheraw, SC |
| Dates | May 8-10, 2026 |
| Site Number | Site 12F |
| Site Surface | Packed sand and grass |
| Hook-ups | Full hookups |
| Cost | $46.87 per night (including taxes and fees) |
| Water Pressure | 30-40 psi |
| Voltage | 120-125 V |
| Verizon Speed Test | 102 Mbps down; 7 Mbps up |
| T-Mobile Speed Test | 1.5 Mbps down; 0.3 Mbps up |
The bathhouse wasn’t facy, but it was clean.
Don’t forget your orange!
H. Cooper Black is a wildlife management area, so there are rules about wearing orange. According to their website, “anyone using H. Cooper Black property outside of the campground, during hunting season, must wear blaze orange.
7.1 — On WMA lands during any gun and muzzleloader hunting season for deer, bear and hogs, all hunters, including small game hunters, must wear either a hat, coat, or vest of solid visible international orange. Archery hunters during archery only deer seasons and hunters for dove, turkey, ducks, geese and other migratory birds (including crows) are exempt from this requirement while hunting for those species.
50-11-365 – All users except hunters for dove, ducks, geese, and other migratory birds including crows must wear a hat, coat, or vest of solid international orange during any deer hunting season.”
If you decide to visit, be sure to plan ahead and see their website for more information.
Our Campsite
Our site was basically all sand and pine needles. Fortunately, the sand was pretty packed, so it didn’t cause any issues.
Because of the emphasis on equestrian activities here, there’s a row of corrals behind most of the the campsites. Obviously, we don’t travel with horses, so the ones closest to us were empty. However, our neighbors had horses. Aiken spent the weekend obsessing about the very large dogs that moved funny and made weird noises. Eventually, we was able to relax, but he was always very aware of them.
What We Did
Dog Walk with a Twist
The campground is surrounded by large, open fields. Aiken, Corona, and I spent some time exploring, but this dog walk had a twist. Most places we walk/hike have a rule that dogs must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Here, dogs don’t need a leash at all!
Aiken’s recall is not reliable, so I won’t let him completely off the leash, but I did switch him to a 15-ft. leash so he could have some fun.
Morning Runs
Jesse set out for his long run (a longer distance than I care to do) early. After Corona, Aiken, and I walked, we dropped Corona off at the RV, and Aiken and I set off for a run of our own. The area has no shortage of trails to explore, but they’re mostly sand. The footing was decent on most of the ones we took, but there were a couple where the sand was deep and much looser, making it difficult to run.
Some trails were more open than others. Most had decent shade in the morning.
Cheraw State Park
Cheraw State Park is less than a 20-min drive from the campground. They have picnic areas, a swimming area, and a playground. They even have a gof course! However, we went in search of their boardwalk.
If you walk past the swimming area and the picnic shelter and continue along the lake, you’ll eventually come to a boardwalk. You get a great view of the water. I didn’t see any fish, but I enjoyed looking.
At the end of the boardwalk, we made a right and walked along the dam. We had planned to keep walking, but after we saw a few people take a trail in the direction of the spillway below, we decided to investigate.
That turned out to be a delightful detour, because it was a perfect place for the dogs to play in the water.
Where We Ate
Dizzy’s Bar and Grill
Dizzy’s Bar and Grill is in downtown Cheraw, about a 20-min drive from the campground. We were really excited about this place. After a day of running and hiking, we were hungry, and this place looked good.
We pulled up and found a spot right in front, but when we got to the door, we saw it: a sign that said the kitchen was closed. I went in and confirmed: the bar was open, but they weren’t serving food that night.
We had to move on to Plan B.
Oslo’s Spirits and Grill
Plan B turned out to be Oslo’s Spirits and Grill. It was not as nice inside as Dizzy’s. The food was underwhelming; the burgers were ehh, and the fries tasted like they’d been sitting out for a bit. Nothing was terrible, but it was a serious letdown after the buildup we gave Dizzy’s in our heads. If we’re ever back in the area, I think we’d probably skip Oslo’s.
Sonic
Just one business separates Sonic from Oslo’s, so we went there for dessert. We got a chocolate chip cookie dough blast and an Oreo blast. For the price, they were not bad. We aren’t opposed to doing that again.
The most unexpected part of our visit was discovering this Sonic has a playground and a beach volleyball net! I’ve never seen that at a Sonic before, have you? Sorry for the terrible photo, but if you look closely, you can see the playground on the right and a covered area with picnic tables on the left. I think that’s a very clever set-up so the adults can eat while the kids play.
Wildlife
I saw an enormous fox squirrel while Aiken and I were running, but as soon as we stopped, he went on the far side of a tree and wouldn’t come out, so I have no photos of him.
We also saw several deer on our run.
More Photos
Happy travels!
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