Best Tent Camping near Dallas, GA

We had 3 couples who spent the long weekend for 4th of July (2016) on two sites in the walk-in tent camping area. There are (non-flush) potties at the tent camping area, but if you're grossed out by those, it's a couple of minutes drive to the closest bath house. The bath house was very satisfactory and pretty clean, plus plenty of hot water. There's a (steep!) trail from the tent camping area down to the lake with some good places for swimming. It would probably be tough to walk a kayak down to the water from tent sites, though. We found the gravel tent pads well maintained and clean.

The location near Ellijay is great. We visited a couple of area wineries, and there's a fun mountain bike trail at Woodring Branch rec area (directly across the lake from Doll Mtn. Campground, but no direct route to get there, so it's about a 45 minute drive.)

Campground Review:

Red Top Mountain State Park is located in Acworth, GA. The park is located around 12,000-acre Lake Allatoona, which made it perfect for summer camping. The park has about 15 miles worth of shaded trails for hiking and mountain biking. The park also has RV, yurt, and cottage options for camping. We rented a first come first serve RV/Tent campsite during our visit, and the price was $35 for one night. The campsite was gate access and had electric/water hookups with 2 car spaces, a BBQ grill, picnic table, and a lot of trees. We had access to a public restroom, showers, and laundry. There were also primitive campsites available to rent, which were closer to the lake. Our group decided to stay at this park because we wanted to utilize the lake. The lake is beautiful; however, it was very crowded the weekend we went. The park overall has a lot of “things to do” and is family friendly, but it was given 4 stars because of how busy and crowded it was during our visit.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, I had the opportunity to test the Tentsile Flite +, which is a tent and hammock fusion. I was super excited to use this product because I am a hammock camper and there are times I wish I had the option of tent camping. The design and uniqueness of Tentsile Flite + is amazing, and I would consider it more of a tent instead of a hammock, because of how flat it lays when suspended in the air.

Pros:

• Comfortable to lay in and no need for sleeping pads or cushions.
• If you are a hammock camper, you can share this tent with another person comfortably.
• The rainfly is clutch and depending on preference it can be attached to the tent, staked to the ground, or tied to the trees.
• The Tensile Flite + is light and can be ideal for backpacking.
• The tent roof is all netting which is great for having ventilation during the summer, keeping bugs out, and also good for sky gazing.

Cons:

• Setup time and the difficulty of getting the right angle and tension.
• It was difficult finding the right trees suspend to.

Overall the Tentsile Flite + is perfect for someone who loves hammock camping, but want to enjoy some of the features tents have. I love the design and the wow factor it has on people. Also the company’s mission is very noble and how they help people in need and the environment.

Here is a video of setting up the Tensile Flite +

Beautiful campground with great hiking. I wish there were more tent sites.  Very friendly staff.

I slept really well last night here, and the camp host and guests were just great. Heated bathhouse with warm shower was definitely a highlight on a chilly morning!

Only downside in my mind was that I booked a tent site, only to find that the tent sites are down the hill from all the other sites, so if you book them you will have to haul your stuff down to the lake. It did sound like the night-time fishing would be awesome though!

They have water Front camping on the weather and Forrest for RV’s of all sizes pull through and back in . Full hook-ups and dump station to boot . Also tent camping .

Second time tent camping here, but easily my tenth time coming here for the scenery. I bring all out of town visitors here for a great hike and dip in the rapids. Great amenities and wildlife to boot.

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.

This State Park has only 10 yurts and 5 walk in tent sites. There are no RV sites and no dump station. Check the website to verify.

I think people are mixing Sweetwater Creek State Park up with Sweetwater Campground (which is 54 miles away on Lake Allatoona)

The tent campsites were nice and close to the river. Next time I go, I would like to try the platforms next to the river. Everything was clean and well kept. The trails needed some work.

We visited during Autumn while the leaves were changing. Very relaxing. The sites were far enough away from each other to have a little bit of privacy—you weren’t able to hear conversations from other campers. Some sites are by the lake and others are farther back in the woods. Gravel pad suitable for RV or tent camping. Easy, quick getaway from the city.

There's only limited camping here. There's several yurts and 5 walk-in tent sites. Yes, some of the reviews here are confusing this park with another. There's NO RV or TRAILER camping here. 

The Yurts look awesome but do attract gaggles of families so be warned that if you're looking for a quiet get away then you may find yourself in the middle of a large family reunion that has no care for other campers. 

The camping is isolated from the bustling 'core' of the park too. That's a nice change from other parks in the area. But you will also need to drive to the trailheads more than likely so take that into consideration when packing etc. 

The tent sites run a little parallel to each other. I didn't go any look at the lake views from 5 at the back but expected it to be partial if that. Site 1 and 2 would be my first choice when I go back.

There is also full cell reception given its proximity to Atlanta.

Update: - Something else to know is that the visitor center called for 'check in' before we arrived and organized a wood drop off service.