Best Campgrounds near Cohutta, GA

The Cohutta Wilderness area in northern Georgia provides a range of camping experiences from primitive backcountry sites to developed campgrounds with modern amenities. Nearby Fort Mountain State Park offers tent sites, RV hookups, and cabins with ratings above 4.4 stars, while Cloudland Canyon State Park features similar accommodations plus yurts. The surrounding Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest contains several dispersed camping areas including Ball Field and Hickory Creek, where campers can experience more remote settings without developed facilities.

Road access varies significantly throughout the region, with many forest service roads requiring high-clearance vehicles, particularly after rain events. The Cohutta Wilderness area features gravel roads leading to trailheads and primitive camping areas, while state parks maintain paved access to their developed campgrounds. Elevation changes affect both temperature and precipitation patterns, with mountain sites typically 10-15 degrees cooler than surrounding lowlands. Cell service is limited or non-existent in much of the wilderness area, requiring advance planning for navigation and emergencies. A visitor noted that the Ball Field dispersed camping area is "fairly remote for eastern U.S." and accessible "by gravel roads" with bears active in the area.

Campers consistently highlight the natural water features as primary attractions near Cohutta. Several campgrounds and dispersed sites are positioned along creeks and rivers, with Hickory Creek Trail offering backcountry camping beside flowing water. Reviews indicate that fall brings spectacular color changes to the mixed hardwood forests, making it an ideal season for camping in the region. The higher elevation of Fort Mountain State Park provides relief from summer heat, with one camper noting "we love camping at Fort Mountain. Its usually a good bit cooler due to the elevation, and the private wooded campsites make tent camping in Georgia's summer heat much more enjoyable." Wildlife sightings, including black bears, are common throughout the area, requiring proper food storage and awareness.

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Best Camping Sites Near Cohutta, Georgia (401)

    1. Harrison Bay State Park Campground

    55 Reviews
    Harrison, TN
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (423) 344-6214

    $22 - $28 / night

    "Situated again the bay, the majority of the park is surrounded by water, and as such many campsites have views of the lake."

    "This is a great family campground and Tennessee State Park located on Chickamauga Lake of the Tennessee River. Good playground for the Grandkids and bicycle paths."

    2. Fort Mountain State Park Campground

    59 Reviews
    Chatsworth, GA
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (706) 422-1932

    $14 - $55 / night

    "Its usually a good bit cooler due to the elevation, and the private wooded campsites make tent camping in Georgia’s summer heat much more enjoyable. Good hiking and things to do nearby."

    "There's nice trails in the park one around the lake & one to a small waterfall across the street. There is no cell service."

    3. Cloudland Canyon State Park Campground

    182 Reviews
    Trenton, GA
    31 miles
    Website
    +1 (706) 657-4050

    $10 - $270 / night

    "Campground Review:East Rim Campground Pro’s: 1-Handicap Accessible, there is a cabin which is also HDA. 2- If your visiting for a get together your right next to the day use area and there is a picnic"

    "Cloudland Canyon State Park is worth the drive. Located between I75 and I59 in Georgia, outside Trenton and below Chattanooga, Tn.

    The scenery on the way in is breathtaking and varied."

    4. Chester Frost Park

    35 Reviews
    Harrison, TN
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (423) 842-0177

    $21 - $30 / night

    "Tons of room to walk and play. Great swimming and fishing. Boating is huge here Bc there are docks all around the campground to pull up to. Playgrounds everywhere."

    "They have a frisbee golf course, playgrounds, walking trails, beach, easy access to the water and fields to start up any activity you desire. We read about uneven campsite but ours was pretty flat."

    5. Holiday Travel Park

    20 Reviews
    Fort Oglethorpe, TN
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (706) 891-9766

    $36 - $105 / night

    "There were pros and cons, so I’ll start with the cons- the campground is surrounded by what looked to be a mobile home community."

    "The gravel site was very level and the utilities were positioned well. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The location is easy to get to from I75/24."

    6. Chattanooga North-Cleveland KOA

    16 Reviews
    Mcdonald, TN
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (423) 472-8928

    $55 / night

    "I should have gotten one of their little cabins...they look cozy and they are right next to the primitive camping."

    "The sites are very close together so there is not much room to move around or have pets outside. The rates are higher than I would like to pay but you more amenities for the price."

    7. Battlefield Campground & RV Park

    8 Reviews
    Ringgold, GA
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (706) 937-4166

    "Battlefield Campground is an extremely convenient RV park located right of I-75 about 20 minutes south of Chattanooga."

    "Convenient access to the winery at the entrance!"

    8. Raccoon Mountain Caverns and Campground

    43 Reviews
    Lookout Mountain, TN
    26 miles
    +1 (423) 821-9403

    $55 - $56 / night

    "Despite this, they were nothing but accommodating every step of the way. We were led to our site, the staff offered to help me back in, and gave us a brief rundown of planned events for the weekend."

    "Again located in close proximity to several beautiful places like Rock City and Ruby Falls ."

    9. Chilhowee Recreation Area

    30 Reviews
    Benton, TN
    24 miles
    Website
    +1 (423) 338-3300

    $12 - $30 / night

    "My partner and I headed to nearby Chilhowie Campground in the Cherokee National Forest last year to try out our new teardrop camper.  We chose site 1 in the A Loop as it had shore power."

    "It has clean bathrooms with showers, fire rings with grill grates, lots of hiking, hike to a beautiful waterfall, huge lake to swim or float on a raft, and the lightning bugs were breath taking!!"

    10. Adventures Unlimited Campground

    11 Reviews
    Ocoee, TN
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (423) 338-4325

    $10 - $45 / night

    "Adventures Unlimited is located in Ocoee, TN, just outside of Chattanooga, and is one of the coolest river towns I’ve been to. The Ocoee River was the site for the 1996 Olympics whitewater events."

    "We could walk down from the cabin to check-in for white water rafting excursion. There is a campground store at the check-in, as well."

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Recent Reviews near Cohutta, GA

1316 Reviews of 401 Cohutta Campgrounds


  • b
    Sep. 7, 2025

    Campville LLC

    Great stay

    Super clean campground with great amenities!! Only a mile from 75 but doesn't feel like it's located by the interstate. Highly recommend checking the place out!

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 4, 2025

    Calhoun A-OK Campground

    Now called CedarBreak…

    Not KOA anymore - the campground has been renamed CedarBreak. New owners and they are very nice and helpful. Nicely Renovated office and store. Upgraded our site when they knew our plans. Minor sound from adjacent road, other than that very quiet, clean, nice layout with trees, good site spacing, I’ll be back.

  • Suzanne-Will C.
    Sep. 2, 2025

    Woodring Branch Primitive Campground — Carters Lake

    Great Tent Camping

    I love that this was a tent only camping site (no RVs). The sites were a bit smaller than I would have liked but as it was just the 10 sites on the road, the kids could safely play in the road. The water was by the toilets at the entrance but easily walkable from the sites.

  • Doug S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 1, 2025

    Persimmon Creek RV Park

    Beautiful Little Camp Ground

    Persimmon Creek is a beautiful and peaceful place. The owner is very friendly and helpful. It is centrally located to some great attractions.

  • Peyton P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 31, 2025

    Prentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed

    A few pull offs

    You can stay at either Hunter’s check campground or Davis Pond. If you want to stay at davis pond you have to get there before dark, and there is not access for vehicles to get into the campground so it’s just tents (no overlanding, unless you’re comfortable in the parking lot). I pulled off just off one of the trails and set up. It was quiet and private. Not buggy

  • Tucker K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 30, 2025

    Prentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed

    Not as quiet as I thought

    There’s some good spots in the backcountry if you can find them, but be prepared to search quite a bit. The roads are pretty dense not many places to pull off. Night time is great but gunshots started at 6:30 at a nearby gun range and dirt bikes started hitting the roads not much later.

  • A
    Aug. 27, 2025

    Chilhowee

    Clean areas

    Bathrooms always clean. It’s pretty family friendly with adult supervision. Great views and scenery. Swimming lake.

  • J
    Aug. 17, 2025

    Hickey Gap (Cohutta WMA)

    Beautiful and Quiet

    My girls group and I wanted to do a quick weekend glamping trip. One long rocky road and an active bear warning later we were rocking it by the creek. Bring a bathing suit and some good hiking shoes. There’s a giant waterfall down the trail if you can make the trek. There’s no cell service or security so make sure you’re making safe decisions :)


Guide to Cohutta

Cohutta Wilderness in Georgia offers prime camping between 700 and 3,500 feet elevation. The region experiences temperature swings of 15-20 degrees between valley and ridge campsites, with summer temperatures typically ranging from 75-85°F during the day and 55-65°F at night. Many access roads to wilderness camping areas remain unpaved with limited cell service outside established campgrounds.

What to do

Explore underground caverns: Visit Raccoon Mountain Caverns and Campground for a guided tour of Crystal Cave. "The caverns and tour are awesome! Campground is meh, nothing spectacular but not terrible, kind of average. The pool is decent, playgrounds are old but still fun."

Hike to waterfalls: The Chilhowee Recreation Area offers multiple waterfall hikes for various skill levels. "We did the Benton Falls hike and it was lovely! 3 miles RT. Fall color was just peaking 🍂" Another camper noted, "For a more secluded waterfall experience head to the Rainbow falls."

Paddle on mountain lakes: Several campgrounds feature lake access for kayaking and swimming. Chilhowee Recreation Area includes "a picnic tables and beach area. Best thing to us was the hiking trail that we walked with fresh blueberry bushes on our side."

What campers like

Mountain elevation relief: Fort Mountain State Park Campground sits at higher elevation, creating cooler camping conditions. "Nice campground right off the highway, but remote enough to feel like you're out in the sticks. Tons of trees and lots were large with plenty of parking."

Private wooded sites: Many campers appreciate the natural separation between sites at Cloudland Canyon. "The West Rim camping loop has a total of 48 tent/RV sites with 30 or 50A hookups, water, gravel tent pads, picnic tables, and fire rings. This loop is far more wooded and offers a greater variety of site size and privacy, and has an extremely quiet and peaceful vibe to it."

Wildlife viewing: The Cohutta region supports diverse wildlife. At Chilhowee Recreation Area, one camper mentioned the "perfect to see millions of lightning bugs. Easy payment (put money in slip and put in bin, and yes they do check)."

What you should know

Road access challenges: Many forest service roads require high-clearance vehicles. One camper warns about Chilhowee: "To get to this campground you have to go up a steep narrow windy mountain road. The camp sites are distanced well and the entire campground is in the shade."

Limited cell service: Connectivity varies significantly by location. "There is no WiFi or AT&T cellular signal in this park. However, if you drive to any of the scenic overlooks just outside the park, you will get AT&T LTE signal."

Seasonal considerations: Fall offers optimal camping weather and scenery at Cloudland Canyon State Park Campground. "Best thing to us was the hiking trail that we walked with fresh blueberry bushes on our side. Fairly easy trail to see beautiful waterfall. Pet friendly."

Tips for camping with families

Choose campgrounds with amenities: Some of the best places to camp near Cohutta, Georgia for families include those with playgrounds and pools. "We used this spot as an overnight stay. They had a lot of things for the kids to do and the grounds were nice."

Consider platform camping: Fort Mountain offers unique accommodations. "The site itself was in a beautiful location, had a hand pump on site, and also had a shared bear proof storage box (shared between 2 sites). There is definitely active wildlife here!!"

Check for kid-friendly water features: Chester Frost Park has developed swimming areas. "This place is definitely somewhere you wanna bring your kids they would love it! There is a man made beach with a playground and loads of camping lots next to the river!"

Tips from RVers

Reserve level sites: Many campgrounds near Cohutta have uneven terrain. "Site 212 unlevel... No shade whatsoever for site 212. Wooden picnic table top warped and not useable. 3 toilets, 3 sinks and 3 showers for women. Only facility in campground!"

Water access varies: Holiday Travel Park offers full hookups but campers report: "Huge water issue lots of standing water on a lot of sites, ours included. For one night it was manageable. Major drainage problem. Would most likely stay again, but would ask for a site with no standing water."

Size restrictions apply: Some of the top campgrounds near Cohutta have limited space for larger rigs. "We have a 40' class A and flat tow a Jeep. We stayed in site 203 for 3 nights. While we really enjoyed the campground, this site was not ideal for an RV our size. We weren't able to put our awnings out or comfortably sit outside."

Frequently Asked Questions

What camping is available near Cohutta, GA?

According to TheDyrt.com, Cohutta, GA offers a wide range of camping options, with 401 campgrounds and RV parks near Cohutta, GA and 27 free dispersed camping spots.

Which is the most popular campground near Cohutta, GA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Cohutta, GA is Harrison Bay State Park Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 55 reviews.

Where can I find free dispersed camping near Cohutta, GA?

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 27 free dispersed camping spots near Cohutta, GA.