$1 - $30 / night

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Established Camping

Don Carter State Park Campground

31 Reviews

About

State Park

Don Carter is Georgia’s newest state park, as well as the first state park on 38,000 acre Lake Lanier. Situated on the north end of the reservoir, the park offers outstanding recreation for water lovers. Guests can stay cool at a large, sand swimming beach with bath house. Boat ramps provide quick access to the lake, while a multi-use trail welcomes hikers and bikers to explore the hardwood forest. This new park offers several choices for overnight getaways as well. Two-bedroom cabins are perched on wooded hillsides near the lake. One campground is designed specifically for RVs, while another primitive camping area is just for tents and hammocks. The campground and cottage loop is gated, providing access to overnight guests. The park is named in honor of real-estate executive Don Carter who served on the Georgia Department of Natural Resources board for 29 years and worked to establish Lake Lanier’s first state park.

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Location

Don Carter State Park Campground is located in Georgia

Directions

Located northeast of Gainesville, on the north side of the lake. From Clarks Bridge Road, go south on N. Browning Bridge Road. At the “Y,” take the left fork and continue for one-half mile to the park entrance.

Address

5000 N Browning Bridge Rd
Gainesville, GA 30506

Coordinates

34.3888575 N
83.74460318 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.
Boat-In
Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Good
AT&T
Available
T-Mobile
Available

Features

For Campers

Market
ADA Access
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
WiFi
Showers
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Sewer Hookups
Water Hookups
Big Rig Friendly

$1 - $30

/ night

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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General Info

Reservations

Brett D.

Legend

Reviewed Nov. 12, 2023

Nice state park

Nice state park with easy sites. Plenty large enough. Has grey tank hookup which is nice. Lots of trails to hike.

Site10

Month of VisitDecember

David W.

Guide

Reviewed May. 13, 2023

Another great Georgia state park

Clean and well-maintained including the facilities.

Month of VisitMarch

Brett D.

Legend

Reviewed Mar. 17, 2023

Quite campground

Very quite and easy to utilize all amenities. Nice having grey tank connection at the sites. Will be back.

Site41

Month of VisitApril

(10) View All

Kevan R.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2022

Spacious Campground on Lake Lanier

A great place to camp with lots of hiking trails; there’s even a canoe trail! Campground is well maintained and bath houses are clean.

SiteSite 11

Month of VisitAugust

Cameron G.

Guide

Reviewed May. 31, 2022

Annual Memorial Day Trip

We go camping every memorial day weekend and this year it was at Don Carter. We love this camp ground! Its fairly new, probably under 12 years, and everything is so clean and well taken care of. The campsites are always clean when you arrive, and the volunteers are so sweet. We love that it's on the lake because family members have boats and its just easy to jump on at the campsite dock. There is also a beach for the kids to play at as well, very well kept. Our campsite was a tad bit small for our camper, large campers like motorhomes or fifth-wheels will not fit. Our campsite backed up to one of the hiking trails and our little guy loved it! Wonderful campground!

Site37

Month of VisitJune

Lily H.

Ranger

Reviewed May. 26, 2022

Ok, but nothing special

I might be a little spoiled after staying at places like Black Rock and Cloudland, but this park was a bit boring. Definitely not a destination park by any means, but it was clean and easy to navigate, and the little beach was nice. The walk in campsites were nice, with plenty of room for our large group. However, there were no showers for the walk in sites, so we ended up showering down at the beach bathrooms at the outdoor showers. I wish the park had even put an open-air shower on the back of the bathrooms for the walk in. Would've made the stay a lot better.

Sitewalk-in site 8-9

Month of VisitJune

Logan S.

Ranger

Reviewed Mar. 11, 2022

Great Convenient Hiking Campgrounds!!

We’re still here. But we are enjoying our site. Great level site took no time to setup. Grey water on each site, power, and cable hookups. Our cable hookup was stripped but didn’t matter much. Campgrounds seem very new. Clean playground, quiet environment, and quiet camp grounds.

Site28

Month of VisitApril

(5) View All

Michael

Traveler

Reviewed Mar. 9, 2022

Nice state park close to Atlanta

This park is one of the newest in the GA state system and it shows based on how new the facilities look. The we camped at site 10 of the walk-in camp sites. There was one bathroom facility with flush toilets, but no showers. It looked like one could use the beach showers, but they were still close for winter. Site 10 was a nice spot with a decent distance from other sites. We were there at the beginning of spring. Once the tree coverage grows back in the site would be more secluded. There are many miles of hiking trails that are interconnected so one can make the a long challenging hike if so inclined. Overall this park was a nice basic state park, but seemed to be more of a day use park for locals than a destination park like many of the other GA state parks.

Site#10 walk-in

Month of VisitApril

Mike N.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 31, 2021

Very relaxing

My wife and I did the walk-in tent camping. We had a nice, relatively secluded spot. This area of Lake Lanier is pretty quiet. Great for kayaking or paddle boarding.

Month of VisitOctober

AdventureStang

Ranger

Reviewed May. 23, 2021

Great campground

Nice modern rv spots with water and electric. Nice facilities even had laundry! As far as privacy goes, it really wasn’t too bad for how close the spots were. Right next to the Chattahoochee River. Never knew how much that muddy water meant to me.

Sitemultiple

Month of VisitApril

Melora

Scout

Reviewed Mar. 29, 2021

Lovely camp site!

We stayed in Primitive #9. It was a short walk from the parking lot and the park provides wheelbarrows to help you move your stuff! This campsite and #8 were basically one site, so you'll get to know those neighbors, which for us was fine...a lovely family who went to bed early. The site is set in the trees and it was quiet at night, with owls and peepers singing a night chorus. Water, trash cans and a clean modern bathroon were at the parking lot. It was too cold yet to go swimming, but in the summer it would be a short walk to the beach.

Flor C.

Traveler

Reviewed Mar. 19, 2021

Nice place

I went with my family and they enjoyed it. Very nice and clean.

(4) View All

Shauna P.

Traveler

Reviewed Nov. 7, 2020

Comfortable RV Camping

Very new, clean campground. Everything is well maintained. We camped after Zeta rolled through, so there were some trees down on some of the hiking trails but I could hear chainsaws running, clearing the paths. The camp sites were a little on the smaller side but still comfortable. It was far from being full, so even though the sites were a little close we weren’t near other campers. The RV spots are paved and easy to get level while the table and fire pit are in gravel. I didn’t get a chance to check out the tent campsites, so I can’t speak to that. The hiking trails were fun and peaceful. We also brought bikes and rode around the park which was fun. All in all, not the best campground I’ve ever been to, but it’s easy to get to and was fun for the family. I’d definitely come back.

Tiffany B.

Ranger

Reviewed Oct. 31, 2020

Wonderful in the fall

We are here for Halloween and its fantastic! People have decorated and all the kids are running and having fun. So happy to stay here even though its a bit of a maze to get in and find spots. The camp host are also very nice and helpful.

(22) View All

Jenny W.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 28, 2020

Relaxing stay near Lake Lanier

So far we've enjoyed our stay at Don Carter. Bathroom facility is sparkling clean. Campsite is very nice, we docked the boat and were able to walk to the dock. Afternoon ride on the water was very relaxing.

(5) View All

Max B.

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 25, 2020

Not sure who designed the campground...but you can bet they never camped a day in their life.

RV sites are right on top of each other and you’ll need a chain saw and some rope to get down to the water and back up again. New facilities but very poorly laid out. Make sure your blinds work well in your camper...your neighbors will let you know if they don’t.

Liz H.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 28, 2020

Love the view from our site 13

Really nice state park located at north end of Lake Lanier. Site 13 was great. Had woods and lake view. Paved pull through site with gravel pad for picnic and fire pit area. Plenty of room for camper, cars and boat trailer. Bathroom facilities were extremely clean, well lighted, no spiders or bugs, etc. Enjoyed fishing and kayaking. Nice beach and swim area, boat docks and 2 boat launch sites, playground, etc. Saw lots of deer and enjoyed walking some of the trails. Will plan a trip in cooler weather fall or spring. Camp hosts were helpful and visitor center staff were very nice. Great cell service too.

(9) View All

Annell N.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 9, 2020

Don Carter State Park

Don Carter State Park is Georgia's newest campground. Very clean restrooms. There is a gate code to get in after hours and a separate gate code to get into the campground. The Cabins are very nice. We enjoyed the trails.

Site44 and 45

Month of VisitAugust

(14) View All

Christopher P.

Scout

Reviewed May. 26, 2020

Great campsite for beginners and families

Great spot by the lake. Private, plenty of access to the water, not too far from parking lot end. Watch the boats launch if you want to or easy to fish. Will definitely go back.

Site11

Month of VisitJune

Nancy W.

Legend

Reviewed Apr. 20, 2020

Nice campground, good hiking and paddling

Since this a fairly new state park, the facilities are relatively new and the campground has up-to-date hook-ups so you don’t have to worry about getting electrocuted from an old post barely stuck in the ground. The campground has a mix of back-in sites, pull thrus, and primitive sites. We chose a pull thru site which was nice and long for our 45’ RV and tow car. Site #7 is great with some shade and a partial view of the lake. Be aware that numerous sites are not level and numerous pull thru sites are crested in the middle. The RV sites are paved which is especially nice when it is raining. Some of the roads are pretty weirdly laid out and we would mistake pull thru sites for roads so make sure to follow the white lines to navigate. There are some fairly tight turns that you may need to take slow if you are in a big rig and watch out for the trees. There is a large picnic pavilion between sites 34 and 21 which could impact your camping if that was being used by a big group. The park has cable television and our Verizon phone and hotspot worked fine.

We liked the extensive hiking trails that we found all to ourselves and the access to the water. A nice, relatively flat easy 2-mile trail runs from the campground to the beach. There are a couple of boat launches (with rental paddle craft) and a swim beach. We were there on a weekday during the Coronavirus pandemic so there were not too many people there which made for a pleasant experience. The visitor center/office were closed but you could call for a reservation or book online. If you go online they have pictures of the campsites so you know what you are getting. This is the kind of park where you can spend lots of time enjoying the outdoors and an evening campfire. The surrounding area is pretty rural but if you feel like exploring head over to the neighboring town of Helen which is a Bavarian-themed mountain town with good German food and bakeries. You can also hike Anna Ruby Falls which is pretty and a short walk. Overall, we liked the campground and would camp here again.

Site42

Month of VisitMay

(13) View All

Suzy E.

Ranger

Reviewed Dec. 12, 2019

Newest Georgia State Park

This Georgia State Park is in Gainesville on the Chattahoochee where it meets up with Lake Lanier. It was very easy to get to from the Atlanta area. We originally chose site 8 on the map but found it was pretty exposed and got direct sun all the time.

The park was very clean and still had a "new" feeling. We had a site with full hook ups. There wasn't WiFi, but the cell service was good. They did have cable. There is a beach with kayak rentals. We enjoyed a double kayak outing on the lake. We kept pretty close to shore and didn't have to fight rough water or strong currents.

Some campsites are on small hills that flatten out for your camper but then the terrain falls off. Biking trails weren't very flat. We also had to be aware of ants. Couldn't leave our dog's dish or bone out without being invaded.

Don't miss the Mountain Fresh Creamery almost 8 miles away for ice cream. Also not far from Helen, GA and wineries. Always great to spend time in the beautiful Georgia mountains.

Site26

Month of VisitOctober

(7) View All

Travyl Couple !.

Ranger

Reviewed Dec. 11, 2019

Awesome park on Lake Lanier

This park in North Georgia on Lake Lanier hit our trifecta 🚴‍♀️🥾🚣🏼‍♂️.

12.5 miles of multi use trails with some elevation.
📌Additional bonus for those with strollers/small children or physical challenges —>this park had several ADA accessible trails which were paved.

Lake Lanier offered wonderful kayaking/fishing opportunities, there is also a beach for swimming. If you paddle or fish- be sure to have your fishing license/whistle/ life jacket. I got pulled over twice by water patrol.

Keith loved biking the rolling country roads surrounding the park. Too hilly for me outside the park but I am a wimp about climbing hills.

We could do it all easily from our campsite which had 30/50amp, water and lucky us there was a grey water drain within hose reach. (These Grey water drains are dispersed randomly throughout the campground not always near your site) There is also cable hook up. Verizon service was okay.

We stayed here for 10 days in mid July and bugs were minimal...as long as you were inside or armed at dusk with repellent or fans.

The wooded campsites and shady trails made the whole summer adventure great!

There are primitive tent camping areas and lovely 8 cottages/cabins too!)

(7) View All

Joel R.

Legend

Reviewed May. 7, 2019

Too much asphalt

Who ever decided that every campsite needed to be asphalt should be hung! This is a newer State Park in Georgia and it could be nice, but it’s been paved over. They classify them as RV sites, but they are parking lots. They have water and electric, and a dump station. The bathroom/shower building was new. (There is a small primitive camping area for tents, with no facilities.) There is a playground and a beach area, which was not open when we were there. There are some “trails” but they are paved as well. There are also cottages. We went to a ranger program on raptors on Saturday which was interesting.. Probably won’t go back because there are lots of much nicer parks in Georgia.

(4) View All

Meredith P.

Guide

Reviewed May. 3, 2019

Very nice new campground on the lake

Great, newer state park only an hour from intown Atlanta. We really enjoyed the primitive tent sites, especially the lake view loop. Really spread out, shady, good trees for hammocks, nice lake views at sites 11 and 12. Short walk from the parking lot and they have carts you can use for your stuff. Water and port-a-potties also available at the parking lot. Relatively cheap and can hike all the park’s trails from the primitive sites. Firewood available to purchase when you check in. Bring the kayaks, there’s a boat ramp right by the campground! It was a tiny bit louder at night then we’re used to, could hear nearby roads.

Site10

Month of VisitMay

(5) View All

Crystal C.

Legend

Reviewed Oct. 1, 2018

I had a private beach all to myself!

Ok so reading my title might be a bit deceiving. I went to Don Carter mid week after a holiday and the place was pretty empty. While usually that would be a bit weird this park made it one of the most amazing feelings on earth.

I pulled in late afternoon, deer were grazing in the primitive camp zones. I walked one of the trails and then headed over to explore the lake area. I was so pleased by the facility which had a nice sandy beach, outdoor showers, large restrooms and swings ideal for sitting and enjoying a meal by the lake.

I took a dip in the cool waters and though they were not a clear blue they were clear and I could see to the bottom all the way out to the edge of the swimming zone. It was beautiful!!!!

Pricing was very inexpensive for primitive camping which included fire rings and picnic tables and spacing was great!!

I ventured over to the RV area and those site also seemed to be spacious and though there were a few campers in that region it was still very light. I would for sure suggest weekday stay here!!

Tips:

If you are wanting to check out a rental of a canoe make sure you call in advance, these are only available during certain times. When I arrived I arrived late in the day and they were not available. The following day I also realized they were not open
Do some animal watching or photography. From 6 in the evening and beyond you will find deer grazing in late summer and early fall, also raccoons and other small animals can be spotted roaming in some of the open areas

Month of VisitOctober

(15) View All

George & Patty C.

Ranger

Reviewed Aug. 19, 2018

HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

This is Georgia's newest state park (2013) and it is a beautiful park! The staff is great and there is plenty to see/do! The park is located on Lake Lanier with plenty of opportunities for fishing, swimming and boating! There's even a fish cleaning station (located near the main boat ramp entrance).

There are hiking trails, geocaches, a beach area, picnic shelters, cottages and a brand new equestrian trail system!

As far as camping goes, there are primitive tent/hammock sites and an RV campground. The RV campground features all paved campsites so it would be tough camping in a tent (no way to stake your tent).

Now, the ASPHALT is part of the reason for the review's title, coupled with the fact that this is a new park and tree coverage is a bit sparse for the time being. Once the canopy fills out, it will be shady.

We camped in our trusty pop up camper so direct sun is always an issue (non-insulated bunk ends) but a travel trailer/RV would probably fare well (as far as temp goes).

We'll be back but in the Fall when it is a bit cooler!

The campground hosts were friendly and they kept the bath houses/laundry facilities spotless!

This is a beautiful park and we highly recommend it, in the proper weather or camper!

SiteSite 19

Month of VisitSeptember

(6) View All

Maethea R.

Ranger

Reviewed Jul. 10, 2018

Spots right on the lake, but no shady spots

This is a nice campground and well-maintained. The sites are first come first serve so you don’t get to pick out your site in advance. Luckily we found a spot right on the lake. We brought our kayaks and could put in right down the hill from our site. We had not bought purchase RV yet and had to set up our tent on the gravel pad site. There was no shade and we were burning up in the summer heat. There is a swimming area and trails for hiking or biking. We were near the fishing dock and the kids fished. It was just so brutally hot that we ended up leaving a day early.

Jim R.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 4, 2018

Peaceful Stay !!

As in most state parks , clean and friendly, restrooms and showers clean .Only bad thing is no close by stores make sure you have everything or be ready for a little trip to get it ! But we will return !!!!

Andre S.

Traveler

Reviewed Apr. 22, 2018

Nice, Clean State Park

We have stayed have stayed at Don Carter 3 times and enjoyed it each time. It is the newest of GA State Parks and has all paved roads and sites. The park and all facilities are clean and well maintained. While the sites are not full hookup, along with power and water the sites have a "gray water" drip system that allows you to slowly drain off gray water.

The sites are average in size and not too close together. There are a handful of waterfront sites however being a "first come first served" reservation system, your best chance of getting one of those sites is to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday.

Month of VisitMay

Hunter C.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 6, 2016

Taste of the Beach

If you don't have enough money or time for a beach vacation this is the place to go. You will enjoy Sandy beaches and the splash of cold water on your body.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to camp at Don Carter State Park Campground?

Camping at Don Carter State Park Campground can cost between $1.00 and $30.00 depending on the site.

Does Don Carter State Park Campground have RV hookups?

According to TheDyrt.com, Don Carter State Park Campground has water hookups and sewer hookups.

What is the max vehicle length at Don Carter State Park Campground?

Don Carter State Park Campground allows vehicles up to 100 feet.

Are fires allowed at Don Carter State Park Campground?

Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Don Carter State Park Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

Does Don Carter State Park Campground have wifi?

Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Don Carter State Park Campground does have wifi.

Is there cell phone reception at Don Carter State Park Campground?

According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is good, AT&T is available, and T-Mobile is available.

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