Lake Russell Recreation Area

This was my second time here and I wasn’t a huge fan of this site. Otherwise, beautiful campground with lots of shade and plenty of trails. Limited to no service out here.

I love this campground! It feels pretty secluded from the city because of the long drive in. Beautiful sites and plenty of trails nearby. My friend and I brought our hammocks and enjoyed a very peaceful weekend.

We booked a last minute night here for Easter weekend to get out of the city. It one of the only places available due to our last minute decision. We stayed in Loop A. It’s smaller than Loop B. With plenty of trees for hammocks, we had plenty of room for both of our tents, 2 hammocks, and both cars. Loop A is in walking distance to the beach area/day use area. It was so peaceful! There’s one bathroom in Loop A. With 2 stalls and one shower in the women’s portion. I’m assuming then men’s is the same. I’d definitely stay here again! I have Verizon and I had one bar here. Enough to send/receive a text but that’s about it.

The campground and lake was beautiful with a few easy hiking trails and clean restrooms.

We visited in November and there were not very many other campers which was a good thing since the campsite are much closer together than we prefer.

There was a Burn Ban in effect while we were there, and sadly, the reservation system on Recreation.gov app made no mention of that ban. A camping trip with no campfire is not ideal to say the least.

I called Lake Russell and they have no electric hookups. This app says they do so be aware.

We stayed at the campground over the 2020 Labor day week. It was a nice site. Bath houses were decent. Water was located through out the campgrounds. We stayed in the back loop which is more level. Note you do not need to pay the day use fee if you are camping. The camp host actually retrieved our money we put in the envelope when i mentioned it during check in. The trails in the area have been impacted by several storms in the last few years and many of them are blocked by fallen trees.

Not as cramped & crowded as State parks. First loop is first come first serve, with sites closer to the beach side of lake, if you're there in the summer. However, the reserved sites on 2nd loop are more private & some offer good lake views. Bathrooms were plenty & decent. Hosts brought firewood by at check-in, available to purchase, very convenient. Cute rural Towns nearby for shopping & eating.

Great spot with plenty of exploring, swimming and fishing spots.

Beautiful lake for fishing with hiking trails around. There’s plenty of dispersed picnic area for day use. I saw some signs that said horses could use one of the hiking trails so that’s cool. Looks a little bit overgrown in the back portion but my guess is since things were shut down for awhile for covid. Very peaceful!

We had a blast camping here.

As a native Atlantan, I had never heard of Russell Lake but saw a sign and dropped by. Color me impressed...

2 different loops with 42 sites of varying sizes from tiny to monsterous - assume itncould accommodate RVs. Some sites overlook the lake - which includes a cacophony of frogs, crickets, and deer, Each site includes tent pad, fire ring. picnic table, lantern post. Trash, potable water, and bathhouses accessible on both loops.

I prefer the lower loop bc it is a quick 3 min walk to the large beach and swimming area. No motorized boats are allowed, so the lake is wonderfully peaceful. There are very few people who are at the lake - even on 4th of July wknd!

There are quite a few hiking trails from the easy Russell Lake Loop, to more challenging trails like Ladyslipper.

The campground has had some wear and tear. I spent more than an hour picking up cig butts from one campsite and the bathrooms aren't the greatest... but the Civilian Conservation Corps has been working on cleaning stuff up.

Hint: the bathroom at the beach is MUCH nicer if you don't mind cold showers (hot ones in camp loop). Another bonus is that there is a convenience store just outside the entrance to stock up on ice, etc.