Best RV Parks & Resorts near Carters Lake

This was our first RV camping experience -- testing out a new pop-up camper during a two (2) night stay. Reservations were made through Campspot -- about $120 with fees. Communication with the main number for the campground went through the Margaritaville Campground nearby. Separate direct lines to the camp office and security were provided after arrival. Overall communication was good with both, and the staff were always polite.

We skipped our first night reservation due to high winds. We had concerns about damaging the pop-up roof during first-time setup. We decided, instead, to visit the campsite we'd reserved and pick up our paperwork. Site 56 was our first choice, and we were NOT happy with it. I selected the wrong size on the Campspot website -- a 20' campsite. It was not big enough to park both the camper AND the tow vehicle, AND the camper would've been facing away from the lake anyway with water and electrical hookups.

The next morning, we called to arrange for a different site. The camp office was very accommodating and blocked off four (4) available sites to choose from. We moved to site 55, which was a large circular pull through. Probably too big for our pop-up camper, but also probably too close to trees for a larger trailer or even a 5th wheel. The campsite was large, with the picnic table, fire ring and sand pit away from the camper. There was lots of room to set up and enjoy the beautiful lake views.

Electric and water hookups worked just fine. The camp office lent a 50 amp to 30 amp adapter free of charge. We had no issues with either service. The showers and bathrooms were about 2-3 sites down and up the road from 55, and they were reasonably clean for what they were.

I WAS disappointed that the main gate was broken, and the key code locks on the showers and bathrooms were duct taped shut. However, I did not feel that the campground was all that insecure, and there did not appear to be a lot of traffic coming through. Security DID come through overnight on Sunday morning -- probably due to some noise at 1-2 of the campsites across the cove from ours. Things quieted down after. The camp host was cleaning bathrooms on Sunday morning, and he was very polite when we talked. I saw him regularly coming through to check on campsites and clean up.

Overall, we liked this campground and will be going back. I will likely request to scout out some different sites in person before selecting one, as I don't want to be in a position to have to give up my spot when it's very busy.

Winding Waters is a new, huge, and beautiful RV resort. This is not a campground, but a resort-style RV park with no shortage of amenities and activities. Nightly rate is very reasonable for all the bells and whistles you get. If you are just looking for a cheap, relaxing overnight with no frills, this is not the place for you. If you are looking for a fun family vacation spot to bring the kids, look no further.

Just outside Atlanta, the location is prime and beautiful, along the Etowah river. You can fish, kayak, or just relax. There is no shortage of activities for children. The resort's pool is a huge beach-style pool with a hot tub and even a huge waterslide. There is a large playground and huge dog run. They have a large clubhouse and ball courts.

We booked one of their cheaper sites, a classic pull-thru site. To say the least, it was the TIGHTEST pull thru site we have ever booked. We have never had to adjust and shimmy around in a pull thru site before, the whole point is to pull in once and bam you're set up. We could barely even squeeze our tow vehicle (10ft bed dually) into the designated parking spot without sticking out. Even the back in sites would have been a little more roomy. But hey, for all the amenities (that we didn't even use since we were just stopping over for a night) the price isn't awful. For a bit more, you can get your own private dog run or patio furniture.

We were pretty overwhelmed with the sheer amount of RVs in this place. Mostly all big rigs too. It was packed and they have so many sites. So many kids running around, and our neighbor's dog was off leash and ran over to my dog when I tried to take him potty. There are no walking paths in the resort, so people (and kids) are forced to run around on the streets, which are pretty narrow, winding, and uncomfortable to drive a big rig on. Just in general A LOT going on, very busy place. Great place if you like resort style parks, but not fun for an overnight. Since it's new there's no shade at all, so I can't imagine how hot it is in the summer and with all the big rigs blasting their a/c, they may run into electrical issues. But they planted some trees which should alleviate that a bit.

The rules list is pretty strict and extensive, with a bunch of extra fees for weird things like early check-in and personal golf carts. Make sure you read through everything thoroughly before you book. Some rules might be deal breakers for some people. Staff was very kind to us and we wish them the best with their new RV resort!

Let me start out by saying this was our first campground for our travel trailer.  I don't have a huge point of reference, but I can give you details on everything that was smooth

• Location - Just off a 4 lane highway.  Convenient with easy access to your site.  Plenty of room to back in to your spot.  There were limited "pull-through" sites.  During the day you can hear highway traffic, but at night that road gets little traffic so it is quiet.
• The owners are great!  This is a mom & pop operation but you can tell they put their heart into this place.  Both are friendly and accomodating
• Sites are very spacious.  Our spot was freshly mowed, had a picnic table, fire pit, electric & water hookups.  We had a small stream behind and a pond in front of us.   The site we occupied had trees between our neighbors.  Just enough privacy to not worry if someone was looking in your windows.
• While I didn't use their public restrooms, my wife said they were VERY VERY clean.  She worked in a hospital for a long time, so if she says they are clean, they are clean.  There were showers available but we did not use them.
• They have firewood for $5 a bundle.  They encourage you to not bring firewood from other places in order to help prevent bug/disease spread (very common nowadays)
• Two ponds for fishing.  One was closed till the weather is cooler.  I'm guessing they stock it with trout.
• LOTS of hiking trails within a short drive.  We visited the Ocoee River and Copper Basin TN.  Easy day trip for hiking, biking, rafting, breweries, restaurants, etc.

We will definitely visit this spot again.  It's about an hour and 15 minutes from our house but feels like we are further.  Very convenient and worth it for $30 per night. $30 was the RV rate, check their website for the most up to date pricing.

The 5 star reviews are perplexing. We're not new to RVing and have stayed in plenty of lovely mom& pop parks. This is a family owned campground, but it is basically a parking lot with hookups for people who live there long term. Our site was on the side of a road about 50 yards away from the Dump Station. It was referred to as a premium, pull through rather than what it is... a pull to the side of the road. There was no grass or picnic table. I'll post pictures that show the condition of our site and how close the spots are to one another. The pictures online and YouTube videos of this park are very deceiving. The grassy areas beside and between the lakes can only be accessed by walking though other camper's sites.

** Use caution navigating the park because the roads at the back have no way to turn around if you get back there.

Battlefield Campground is an extremely convenient RV park located right of I-75 about 20 minutes south of Chattanooga. It is very easy to get to, but part of that convenience comes with an absence of quiet; the interstate runs directly beside the campground, and is visible from the storage sites across from sites 11-24.

This is an excellent place for long-term campers, and it includes a nice playground, a pool, and a camp store/clubhouse. We could not get close to the pool or playground as they were closed due to COVID-19, which was comforting that they are taking public safety seriously. Sites include 50 and 30 amp full service, and seven tent sites in the middle of the campground that also include electric. There are seven camping cabins spaced throughout the campground that have outside picnic tables and grills, and beds inside as well as electricity.

Most of the sites here are nicely wooded, and as the area is slightly hilly there are elevation changes between several rows of sites which allows for a little more privacy than many RV parks offer. 

Downsides to this park are the highway noise, and the campground roads are paved but in need of maintenance; the road is eroded in a lot of places. 

Upsides are the sites are shady and well landscaped, and there are great amenities for families looking to stay here for extended periods of time, as well as the proximity to Chattanooga, Chickamauga Battlefield, and Ringold/Ft. Oglethorpe.

"SITE# 47, Pull-Thru, Not FHU, 50A, Water, Dump LENGTH OF STAY: Stayed 9 Nights, RATE:$30.56/ Night with No Discount/ 0% Discount BATH HOUSE: Clean but Outdated LAUNDRY: Not Recorded STAFF: Friendly PARK IMPRESSIONS: Nice, We would stay here again RV PAD: Concrete, ESTIMATED RV PAD LENGTH: 40 Feet, Tow Vehicle Could NOT Stay Connected and Parking was away from site SITE SLOPE: Door side Tire Blocks needed ROADS: Adequate, MANEUVERABILITY: Narrow PEDESTAL PLACEMENT: Center of site length, SHADE: 30% GRASS AREA: At-Site, DESIGNATED PET AREA: Not Recorded PICNIC TABLE: Yes, FIRE RING: Yes, VERIZON Signal(bars): 5G-3, SPEED: 394 Mbs Download, 47 Mbs Upload T-MOBILE Signal(bars): 5G-5, SPEED: 714 Mbs Download, 124 Mbs Upload No WiFi, OTA TV CHANNELS: 75, CABLE TV: No, PLAYGROUND: Yes POOL: No, WATER FEATURE: Lake, FIREWOOD: Yes, STORE: No CLUBHOUSE: No, PROPANE AVAILABILITY: No Original site was# 46(back-in) but was VERY small. Moved to site 47(Pull-Thru) but due to road slope pull-thru is un-usable. Lower numbered sites(less than 30) appear somewhat better. Empty camp ground host side byhind 47 cannot be used unless site 47 is emprty due to sloping road. One single use dump station. One campground host presently in the park- their site was not marked. Appears that most sites are back-in and set sideways to a hillside and lakefront leaving very little level space for chairs. Fire rings are frequently located 12-20 feet away from picnic table and 3 to 9 feet below site level on a slope. Reservation Software used by office was down upon Saturday arrival with no IT help until Monday- two days away leaving office staff frustrated and using their own phone to access the reservation system customers use instead of management side of software. Staff stated it goes down frequently with no IT support on weekends. Six bathhouses in park. Bathhouse nearest beach closed awaiting replacement of fixtures after renovation. Shower has outdated fixtures- several shower heads had significant mineral deposits restricting flow. Men's side closed at another bathhouse. Many shower stalls had no hook or fixture to hang a towel or clothing. Several showers had broken shower valves making them unusable. Stayed 9 nights and did not see anyone working on bathhouses. Beach area parking is limited to 6 or 7 spaces and one handicap space however, there is a larger parking lot a little further away. Bathhouse showers have a pull string valve next to the shower head that had to be held down to get water with many strings broken, missing and too short to allow shorter people, children, or handicaped wheel-chair use. Some sites have precarious/dangerous sloping driveways for RVs to get into. Newly installed sites are near completion but they make sites very close together. Many sites do not have a fire pit and many do not have a grill. Many sites arer too small to park a second vhicle even if the camper is small. Parking on dirt or grass is prohibited by rules but appears to be selectively enforced. The campground has a boat ramp and reasonably large parking area. Extra careful site selection is warranted. Four docks in River Forks Park. Firewood is available at the office. CHECK-IN: 01:00 PM CHECK-OUT: 12:00 PM RIG: 42ft- 17,000 lb 5th Wheel"

Old Hwy 41 No 3 Campground is a COE campground on Lake Allatoona, about an hour North of Atlanta. The campground is only open May till September. There are about 50 sites, most had water and 30/50 amp electricity, a few with sewer. There are some lake front sites that appear larger, and are more expensive. Basic water/electric sites are $28/night, full hook-ups are $36, Lakefront are $64/night. Fire rings, picnic tables are provided, a playground and a bathroom/shower building. There is a laundry room, Also a dump station. They only allow 2 pets per site. This is a boating/fishing campground so there is a boat ramp. It is close to I-75 and US 41, but it is in the woods, so some of the highway noise is muffled, only some! There is also an entrance station which provides some security! The gate is open from 7 AM until 10:30 PM. NO ONE gets in after hours!