Outside of Georgia’s city centers of Atlanta, Athens, and Macon—and beyond the busier, trendy tourist areas, the Peach State encompasses more than 45 State Parks (with six offering RV campgrounds).
All of the parks are ideal for RVers to take a welcome rest from the road. Many of the State Parks are also easily accessible off I-75, further combining convenience with practicality.
Paddling in Reed Bingham State Park.
While you can stay and explore on Georgia’s Jekyll Island, or visit historic Savannah, there are many other regions of the state that offer relaxing breaks from the road.
“Georgia has a vast State Parks system with campgrounds that are well-furnished,” Kim Hatcher, Public Affairs Coordinator for Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division, told RV Life. “We have modern campsites and many parks are easily accessible, even for larger rigs.”
“There’s a wide range of activities,” adds Hatcher. “Many parks offer kayak, bike, paddleboard, and boat rentals as we are very focused on outdoor recreation. The parks have also recently hired many rangers to provide various educational experiences, including archery, astronomy courses, and many kids programs.”
Outdoor activities abound and many campgrounds are full-service with a range of available services. There are several attractions RVers can experience along U.S. I-75, but when visiting Georgia, you just may want to plan a visit to these areas on your next RV trip in the south.
1. Red Top Mountain State Park
Known for its 12,000-acre lake, Red Top Mountain State Park has more than 15 miles of trails.
Red Top Mountain State Park. Photo by TranceMist/Flickr
In fact, a popular hike is the Homestead Trail. It’s a five-plus mile hike and meanders through hardwood, pine forests with historic homesteads along the way.
Also, the fishing for bass, catfish or crappie is great. So, if you have a boat or an inflatable bring it along. The 111-site campground offers big rig access with pull through sites, 30/50 amp, plus a boat ramp and a marina that are nearby.
Additionally, the park is just 16 minutes from the nearest community of Acworth, in Cobb County. Exit 285 at Acworth
2. High Falls State Park
High Falls State Park is known for its cascading waterfalls on the Towaliga River. It’s even considered one of the “Top 100 Family Fishing Destinations” for its active species of hybrid and white bass.
High Falls State Park. Photo by Yinan Chen/Wikipedia
Additionally, the full service campground in the park offers big rig access, pull-through sites, and a dump station. Activities around the campground include pool access, mini-golf, a playground, hiking trails, and more.
Just 36 miles northwest of Macon, the park’s campground also features lakeside yurts (that are similar to canvas and wood tents). Each features a small deck, a picnic table plus a grill, furniture, and electrical outlets. Exit 198 at Jackson
3. Georgia Veterans State Park
In honor of Georgia’s veterans, this is one of the State Parks that highlights a golf course, plus a military museum that reflects the conflicts from the Revolutionary War through the Gulf War.
Georgia Veterans State Park. Photo by Courtney McGough/Flickr
What’s more, it’s on Lake Blackshear where boating and fishing are popular pastimes. Hiking trails and the on-site golf club (featuring 18-holes) are also popular.
The club has 78 lodge rooms, 10 cottages, and 2 restaurants. At the campground are 77 full-service sites with pull-through and big rig access.
Many other amenities include beach access, a boat ramp, playground, a pet area, and workout facilities. Exit 101 at Cordele
4. Reed Bingham State Park
Located at the south end of Georgia, Reed Bingham State Park also offers excellent fishing. In addition, there is great kayaking and canoeing (that are available for rent).
Reed Bingham State Park. Photo by Michael Riveria/Wikipedia
Further, outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy the park’s Coastal Plain Nature Trail. This features one of the most diverse ecosystems in the country.
Additionally, swimming, mini-golf, geocaching, and birding are other activities. The 46-site pet-friendly campground offers pull-through sites with big rig access, plus a boat ramp. Exit 39 at Adel
Excellent list exploring georgia’s Beauty.
We spent two months at Skidaway Island State Park as volunteers. This is a great park very close to Savannah. It should be on your must visit list.
Only six offering RV sites? I don’t think that’s correct.
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Exactly what I was thinking, I know there are quite a few more, not on the above list that we have camped at. Off the GA state park site:
“Whether you are a first-time camper or an experienced backpacker, Georgia’s state parks have a campsite for you. Forty-one parks offer more than 2,700 campsites, including tent-only areas, RV pull-thru sites, primitive camping and group camping areas. Rates average around $30–$35 per night. ”
Black Rock Mountain SP should certainly be on that list.
High Falls State Park is not what we hoped or expected. My grandparents used to tale their camper there and always were able to camp on the lake, with easy walking to the fishing pier and amenities. Now, only small campers are allowed to use the scenic campground situated on the lake. Larger campers are directed across the highway and down a very steep winding drive to a campground situated below the large dam. Although some of the campsites below the dam are advertised as “riverside” campsites, there was no view of the river below the dam, and the woods are so thick that not a breeze can get in. We were there in August and it was stifling. If you want to enjoy the lake or the falls seen on all the brochures you have to leave your larger camper and drive up the long, steep road to the highway to get to that area. There is no walking to it. We found the campground to be isolated from the main Park and no better than just a place to park our camper. As far as being able to enjoy the amenities of the Park, we may as well have been off in the woods somewhere, anywhere, since none of it was visible or within walking distance. Not a State park we’ll return to.
We live in Georgia and the state parks here in Georgia are pretty sad. Most are in need of updated bathrooms and upkeep. They charge more than the Army Corp of Engineers and most of the sites have no views. They give absolutely no discount to seniors or disabled people in their state. We live here in Georgia and we won’t even go to them. There is one in Georgia that is quite decent for exploring and views and that is Providence Canyon State Park. They have no campground there so when we went we stayed in a nice campground in Alabama and took a day trip to Providence Canyon. It is also within travel distance to a visit the Riverwalk in Columbus Georgia for a day trip.
If you want a great campground in Georgia look for the Army Corp of Engineers campgrounds. They are federal so seniors get a discount with the America the Beautiful pass and also the disability national parks disability access pass which I have. Most of the sites are lakefront with an awesome view. The bathrooms are usually spotlessly clean, updated and have nice hot showers. The sites also are quite large and quite private between sites. The staff is wonderful and friendly. We stay at a lot of them not only in Georgia but also around the country and have not found a bad one yet.
We do stay at State Parks in other states in the country and they are well worth the extra money for the beautiful scenery and sites. The Florida State parks are absolutely awesome. They are worth the longer trip even for holiday weekends. We have not found a bad one in Florida either. The Texas State Parks we have been too are also awesome and there are some in Colorado that we have not stayed at yet but visited them while on trips and will definitely camp there when we go back in the future.
Georgia needs to invest some money in their state parks if they want to compete with other campgrounds or else lower their prices to almost nothing because that is what you get when you camp in them.
Strange, we live in Georgia and use state park camping often, we get seniors discounts and can get handicap discount if we choose. Maybe one needs to ask about discounts.
The COE do have much better pricing some have full hook ups, nicer views.