Crooked River State Park is located near the town of St. Mary’s, Georgia, and very close to interstate 95. The park is very well maintained and the staff was pleasant and informative. The campground is divided into two areas designated as # 1 and # 2, all accessed via one way roads throughout the campgrounds. Area # 1 is treed with tall Georgia pines but no ground vegetation for privacy, beautiful but very open. Camping area # 2 is very private with lots space and vegetation between sites. We stayed at site 58 in area # 2 which is equipped with full hook ups and a long back in site. Since we stayed there the park has included sewer to about half of the sites, all on Camping area #2. The bath houses were very clean and well maintained daily, the laundry facilities were the same. There are some good walking trails throughout the park and an active boat ramp with a small floating pier/dock on the River.

There are numerous shopping areas and restaurants within a few miles of the park. The Cumberland Island National Seashore is also nearby and accessible on by boat but worth the effort to go. The Cumberland Queen docks downtown St. Mary’s and has a schedule for departure and return for day trips, you will need to take everything you need as there are NO items for sale on the island.

This area of SE Georgia is known for its population of sand gnats. They are very active in the mornings and evenings when the humidity and temperatures are high. The locals swear by Soft Sense lotion as a deterrent but you will have to decide for yourself. This is a very nice park from our experience, a hidden gem that is often overlooked.

Given the size of the RVs, this looks like a great family vacation destination. For us, the attraction was Cumberland Island which is a 45 minute ferry ride from St. Mary's GA (20 minutes from the campground).

Some Info About the Sites

• There are many pull through sites which have huge gravel pads.

• Back in sites have long parking pads.

• The grassy areas accompanying each site are spacious.

• We ended up in the middle (see map) on #3 because it's what was available. I recommend you stick to the outside of the loops. There are more opportunities for shade.

• You'll be closest to the water at sites 39, 41 or 42. There are woods behind you if you stick with the area that includes sites 11-27.

Amenities

• Water and electricity at all sites

• There is a restroom behind our site (#3) that is set up as men's/women's restrooms with 2 showers in each. One of the showers is handicapped accessible, but there is a nicer (newer) restroom across from site 48 and next to ADA site 46. There are 4 private restrooms (2 handicapped accessible) with toilet, sink and shower along with a laundry room with 2 washers and 2 dryers. The other restroom has a washer, dryer and utility sink between the men's and women's rooms.

• Dump station and trash dumpsters along with recycling bins

• Playground

• Golf cart paths

Fun Things To Do

• Visit Cumberland Island (see info below)

• Mini golf

• Bird watching - there's a bird blind for bird experts, novice watchers and photographers

• Boating and fishing on the Crooked River

• A few trails and an observation tower

• Nature center

Cumberland Island National Seashore: The only way to reach the island is via boat. A day trip via ferry from St. Marys is definitely worth the trip. You need to bring food for the day because there's no place to buy ANYTHING....really! You can get water in a few places, but we brought water to start the day.  Our 8 mile hike took us south on the island to the Dungeness Ruins and further south before we turned around and headed across the island to the beach on the ocean side. There were probably only a couple hundred people on the island, and we only saw a few people on the beach. We saw lots of wildlife (feral horses, snakes, deer, armadillo) on the trails and in open areas. We hiked through the Sea Camp campground which had beautiful sites. If you want to stay overnight on Cumberland Island, you'll have to bring your tent and all your food.

I've stayed here twice and loved it both times!

The first time I stayed here I was with a college outdoor group for spring break. We stayed here our first and final nights (we paddled out to Cumberland Island for the nights in between) and this served as a great place to launch from and leave our vehicles. The campground is well maintained and very clean. It is quite large but the sites are well spaced out and are quite open. I know that another reviewer mentioned that they didn't like the vastness of the campground, however, I find the larger old pines and fields nice for a multitude of activities. Not to mention that the sites are more than adequately spaced so that our large group did not feel super tight, nor did we feel like we were on top of other guests.

The second time I stayed here was with my family and we also paddled out to Cumberland Island from here. Although, on the second visit we were able to explore more of what the park has to offer. We spent time walking a multitude of trails (full of wildlife, we startled a fawn) as well as visiting the small nature center.

The bathrooms are well cared for and the grounds are clean. Each site is also meticulously maintained and the staff in the visitor's center are beyond pleasant. This is a great spot to visit all on it's own, or as a starting/ending point for an island adventure.