If you're looking for a place to pitch your tent near Athens, look no further. The Dyrt is an easy way to find tent camping spots near Athens. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Athens, Georgia's most popular destinations.
This recreation area is part of Lake Sidney Lanier
This park is located at the intersection of Browns Bridge Road and Appalachee Church Road and was newly dedicated for the late Council member James Shackelford. Before its dedication and reopening, the park was renovated by Scout Troop 774. This park offers camping areas with shelters, and a beautiful nature trail that circles the park.
Buford Dam Park lies just north of Buford Dam on Lake Sidney Lanier. The site features beautiful views of the lake as well as excellent access to swimming, picnicking and boating.
The lake, named for the poet, Sidney Lanier, is well known for its aqua-blue colored water, spectacular scenery and variety of recreational activities. Each year, over 7.5 million people come to visit.
Lake Lanier boasts 38,000 surface acres, 690 miles of shoreline and over 100 small islands. Its location in the forested foothills of the Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains, makes for a beautiful backdrop to any activity.
Visitors can access the Laurel Ridge Hiking Trail from multiple locations and parks. The trail is a 3.5 mile loop that offers great views of the lake and Chattahoochee River. Fisherman can expect to catch a variety of species including bass, catfish and panfish. Activities include fishing, swimming, wake boarding, kayaking and hiking.
Bolding Mill Park offers access to a designated swim beach and the Laurel Ridge Hiking Trail. The park also offers a basketball court, soccer field, playground, picnic areas and restrooms.
Nearby attractions include boat ramps, other USACE parks, and Lake Lanier Islands.
Experience the magic of our 14-acre oasis in Greensboro, GA. - once a chic wedding venue now a campers dream. Sleep beneath stars, wander through history: antebellum home, cabins, and barns. Find solace by your own private fire pit, or join the pavilion's communal fire. Roast marshmallows and retell stories beneath the Southern sky. This isn't camping; it's a journey into a living, breathing storybook. Welcome to your unique escape!
$50 / night
Come experience true peace and serenity at Whispering Pines located in the small, yet growing town of Fair Play, SC. It includes 2 acres of raw, private land to explore and set up tents or hammocks for a truly “off-grid” experience located right next to Lake Hartwell. It it 1 mile away from a community dock located on the same road and less than 10 minutes away from Fair Play Beach Recreational Area ( includes swimming area, boat ramps, outdoor grills, shaded seating area, and park.) Parking is just off the side of the road of the property in the grass and can accommodate any type of vehicle. You will find an area with fresh water bottles, a restroom tent and fire pit for campfires. For a small extra fee you may rent an outdoor cooking stove, grill, or fishing poles. There is no running water on the property, but there will be a tent with a brand new makeshift toilet provided you may use. Camper is responsible for removing waste bucket from the property to dispose of properly. Pets are welcome, but please be cautious of wildlife in the area and make sure to use caution with food and trash.
$33 / night
Traveler
The cabins are nice, but small and no plumbing. If you're used to tent camping then the cabins are one step above that. Bonus is the air conditioning. Great view in Cabins 1 and 2. Gentle slope to a nice beach as well for those two cabins.
Tent sites are on the water as well but are right on top of each other. I could almost touch two of the tent pads at the same time.
Ranger
Until this weekend, Hard Labor Creek State Park was our favorite GA campground! Sorry HLC, you’ve been bumped to #2 (still great)!
Victoria Bryant is hidden on Hwy 327, near Royston and, although a small campground, almost EVERY SITE IS PERFECT!
The park offers bicycle rentals, a swimming pool, plenty of picnic areas, multiple spots to play in the creek and some great hiking trails!
The campsites are HUGE and there are several extra amenities for campers to use! There’s a volleyball court, horseshoe pits, picnic pavilion and a central fire pit!
The park staff is great and the camp hosts are helpful! When we first arrived and began to set up, there was an electrical issue at our site but the park maintenance man had it resolved quickly!
The sites do not offer full hookups but there are multiple gray water dump sites in the campground (we used a five gallon bucket for our outdoor sink). We walked across the road from our site and dumped our bucket!
The park has the usual stuff to purchase (ice, firewood, etc.) but you can also head to Hartwell and hit the local Wally World if need be.
If you're camping in a tent, the tent sites are AMAZING! (see attached image) We've never seen these shelters before! You can even hang your hammock(s) underneath the shelter for a true outdoor camping experience!
We enjoyed every minute of our stay here, from the time we arrived to the time we left!
One more thing; if you're a golfer, there is a BEAUTIFUL golf course here as well!
We camped in our pop up but we'll probably be back to try out the tent shelters!!
FYI: Verizon Wireless has full 4G LTE service in the campground...we brought our MiFi Jetpack and streamed Netflix with zero issues!
Scout
This place is great if you still want some of the comforts of home. Water spouts are dropped around the sites and there is a bathhouse with showers and hot water accessible to all who camp there! The sites for tent camping are fairly close together-you can definitely see the next site because there aren’t a whole lot of trees but still far enough away to feel comfortable. The tent spots have gravel that is hard to get tent states into but also include a picnic table and a fire pit. Wood can be purchased for $5 from the host but you can also forage from the fallen trees on site. You may have to search around a bit but it worked well enough for my crew.
The lake was so beautiful even in the middle of winter and was such a great spot to camp. Some hikes are close by but none are big for elevation changes or waterfalls or anything like that. Still lots of places to go and get off your campsite. Maybe the best part of this park is the disc golf! My crew enjoyed the course and spent a few good hours there!
I would definitely come back and maybe try out one of the tent sites in the woods for a bit more privacy.
Traveler
We had a great experience. We camped in a tent on the lakeside and had a lot of room, the facilities were clean and the campsite was amazing. Great for beginner campers :)
GuideFort Yargo is in the Winder Ga area and is close to Helen, Jefferson, Athens and Atlanta. Entering the campground is a nice paved road and leads to tent camping, cabins, yurts and RV sites.
Very clean park and has Historical area, playground, tennis court, bike and hike trails. Not to mention beach and boating area.
Picnics, camping, boating biking and camping or just day use areas. Pet friendly and all around great park.
There is a small general store, but you are so close to everything if you need it, it's there.
Gread for the Georgia Bulldog crowd as its less then 30 minutes!
I recommend this park highly.
Ranger
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!
Guide
The tent sites are probably the best tent sites I’ve camped at. Spaced out and the pad area is great. They all have good tree coverage and are somewhat secluded.
GuideCalhoun Falls is one of 2 campgrounds on Lake Russell. There are over 80 campsites plus 14 tent sites which were all right on the lake. We were on tent site 8, and it looked like tent sites 0-5 had a little more privacy but a longer walk (The tent sites had a bathroom and an outdoor shower). We had a friendly little black snake that lived by our campsite but he didn’t bother us and we didn’t bother him 😊 Also, if you hear rustling around in the middle of the night, it’ll probably turn out to be an armadillo! The state park had a lot of amenities which were great for fishing-plenty of docks, boat ramps, a green-light fishing dock, a tackle loan program and even a fish cleaning area! We saw some nice sized bass by the green light dock. There were bathrooms and showers in almost every area, and a nice sandy beach swimming area. You have to drive or use a golf cart to get to other parts of the state park, otherwise it would be a very long walk. They do have 2 trails you can hike though. This was our first time camping at Calhoun Falls but we will definitely be coming back!
Guide
Enjoyed tent camping. Nicely maintained facility, but partiers (or a bar?) across the way on the lake played loud music both nights I was there.
Scouti arrived looking for tent camping. Looks like cabins and it was not open. 8:11pm on June 14th, 2021. Maybe its just closed? 1 star.
Guide
We tent camped here..we were up on a steep hill, but it was beautiful!! The bathrooms were close to the site. We had a great family time here!! Deer were roaming thru the campsite.. so many!! I loved the fresh Georgia air and the atmosphere was just so relaxing!! I do know there is a whole other area for RV camping.. looks fun and nice in that area as well!!
GuideMy 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.
Ranger
This campground is all about the lake. Not just because its on a lake, but because with no real trails or other sites to see in the near by area its definitely this parks main focus. Situated on a little peninsula on Lake Oconnee in Georgia, this Georgia Power owned campground has 83 car sites and 8 tent sites. Be advised not all sites are directly on the water, so make reservations early.
GuideTent sites have outlets, water and a light! Really beautiful easy hiking near by and a nice place to swim. Great for an easy family trip.
Legend
Just needed a quick stop for the night as we moved from the mountains of Georgia to the coast of South Carolina, and this was the perfect spot just off the highway. Unfortunately, we arrived and left in the rain, so the pictures probably don’t do it justice.
Seemed like a nice place to drop in for an impromptu camping weekend, especially if you want to fish or canoe. Easy access from Athens, GA, which is the closest city north of this campground – plenty of grocery stores, restaurants, and just about everything else you may need.
They have recently upgraded the campground with some new firepits and lantern poles, in addition to a picnic table in each of the half dozen spots. The boat launch is right next to the campground. Pit toilets were decently clean and stocked.
Camping is free with no reservations necessary, or even possible. Note: Due to its location, this could be a "meet up place" as we saw some evidence near the pit toilet, but didn't see any illegal activity firsthand.
Guide
This is a very well maintained and popular campground on Lanier. I’ve come here since I was a kid. Tent sites are down some stairs, keep that in mind.
TravelerThe site we stayed at was a tent site with no power or water. But it was a large site and right on the water. We were able to swim all weekend.
Traveler
beautiful campground, but if you tent camp, be aware that the tent pads are on a hill and vary greatly in size! so, if you have a bigger tent, scout out a bigger site. the bathroom and shower facilities were fine, functional and clean. the shower floor doesn’t drain super well, so if lots of folks are showering that day, the floor will be wet. the pool is very nice and so is the playground.
ScoutWe went early August and it was too hot for me. The tent site we reserved was very nice overlooking the lake. We'll definitely go back in the fall. Restrooms were good but some of the sites were a bit of a hike if you are carrying a lot (wood)
GuideWe absolutely loved this campground. Lots of trails and great creek swimming spots for the dogs. We are planning a trip back late summer so we can enjoy the water. Sites are well maintained and level for my camper. The tent sites are amazing and I may leave my camper home next time.
ScoutThis campground is awesome! Tent sites & RV sites are equally amazing. Almost all sites are directly waterfront on Lake Lanier with killer views and some even have their own little private beaches. The bathhouses are a little out-of-date but most importantly they were always kept clean. Dog friendly as well! Love this place
GuideI stayed in primitive tent site 10 but all of these primitive sites are great! Well kept and spacious. Some sites have a decent walk in distance but others are close to the parking areas. There’s water points to get fresh water if needed throughout the site areas. Definitely will stay here often when “car” camping instead of backpacking.
Legend
A nice small campground by the lake where you can fish and swim. There are some Hiking trails around too. The campground is small and secluded and camp sites aren’t stacked on top of each other. Loop A seems more for tent camping and loop B can fit pop up campers or teardrops. I didn’t see any that had power or septic/sewer but there is sewer dump at the campground entrance and well as drinkable water.
Very shaded and each campsite has a fire ring and picnic table.
TravelerThus is a nice but huge campground. Mostly RVs. I camped at one of the walk in tent sites. Not to far from parking area so it was easy to get gear to site. Lake is absolutely beautiful and a blast to swim in. Can be noisy because of boats on lake and so many other campers. Staff is very friendly. Has one of the "free little libraries" so I could grab a new book when I finished mine. Like all campgrounds, gets busy on weekends.
GuideBeautiful looking park. Didn't stay long enough to actually enjoy it. Dirty bathrooms lots of trash scattered throughout the woods near the tent sites. We've stayed at cleaner campsites for cheaper. The staff struggled to understand walk-ins - your stay will be much easier if you plan a week or more in advance. We arrived while the office was open, yet they still couldn't seem to get us the correct car tag or gate code. Would come back to enjoy the park, but would not camp here again.
Guide
Sites are older- Corps of Engineer park purchased by Margaritaville- very few improvements made, but they are working on it. Have to be careful where you choose. Some sites are REALLY tight, and probably were never intended for campers/RV- lots of tent sites. Water pressure was low, bathhouses in need of lighting and upgrade. CAN’T say ENOUGH GOOD THINGS about Josh and Tess!!! They were the best hosts ever! Expecting great things next time we come- I know they will be better! Stay in the 70-80s or the 100s
Guide
As of right now, they are in the middle of construction to transfer over to a KOA campground. So, it's kind of noisy during working hours. The only tent sites they offer are primitive and it's a bit of a walk to the bathrooms. The staff was friendly and very helpful. Bathrooms are small and in need of updating but with the transition to KOA that will be addressed. Would love to come back and check it out after the transition is complete as it looks as if it will be a very nice campground when construction is complete.
Tent camping near Athens, Georgia offers a variety of experiences, from serene lakeside spots to well-equipped facilities, perfect for outdoor enthusiasts looking to escape into nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Athens, GA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Athens, GA is Shady Grove Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 23 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Athens, GA?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 tent camping locations near Athens, GA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
