Best Equestrian Camping near Dalton, GA

If you’re looking for amazing scenery, this is not the place. It is, however, a free, primitive camping site just a short 5 min drive (or walk) from the Rocktown trailhead. The close proximity to the many wonders of Rocktown is a dream for climbers. Meant we could spend most of the climbing, rather than making a long approach. My group went for several days over thanksgiving 2018, and the weather was absolutely beautiful. Nights turned a bit chilly, so make sure to pack layers if camping in the fall or winter season. I think you’re technically supposed to have a Georgia outdoors permit to stay here (which we did), but we did not encounter a single ranger during our six-day stay. Check the Rocktown forum on Mountain Project for up-to-date info on permit requirements.

The road leading up to the campsite is extremely rough and washed out. We were in a Subaru Outback, and it was a very slow-going, bumpy ride — we bottomed out several times.

You can pretty much set up camp anywhere there’s open ground. Plenty of trees around for hammock camping as well. My group of 10 people had no problem finding open areas to set up camp together. There are several man-made fire pits, and plenty of wood and brush lying around to scavenge for fire-making. There are no water hookups, so make sure to pack plenty of water with you. There is also an area at the campground for equestrian camping, though we didn’t check that out, as, alas, none of us had horses.

This campground is definitely designed to be a launching point for those wishing to go horseback riding in the Cohutta Wilderness. We stopped through here on our way to go backpacking in the area. There were several large sites with campers on them and almost everyone had horses tied up near their vehicles. There is an outhouse on the site but it does not appear like there is any regular upkeep being done. There are many really nice trails in the area and several are designated horse only so if you own a horse this is a great option that is very close to the trailheads. Another nice feature of this site is that it is right on the water so that provides a nice atmosphere. Overall though it still smelled like horses and unless that is what you are going for I would not suggest setting up a tent here. Instead go down the road to some of the campgrounds more set up for tents or just head into the backcountry and take up one of the MANY free sites that aren't too long of a hike in.

Down a long and winding (and dusty) gravel road into the WMA is the Davis Pond camp site, a real gem with shady trees and a fishing pond. 

This lightly developed site has two picnic tables, and two lantern posts near the tables. However, it can easily accommodate many more campers in the space and has multiple dirt-and-rock fire pits.

While there is a two-station pit toilet, it's a bit of a horror show with a lot of trash accumulating in the structure. Another downside, after I set up my tent I noticed that some hornets were flying into a nearby dead tree. I quickly moved to another spot but luckily noticed it before it got dark.

There's a gravel parking lot with a trail map and sign in sheet right next to the camping area. 

In addition to the multiple trails (for hiking, ATVs, and horses) closer to the entrance to the WMA (and far from the camp) is a shooting range.

This was a great group site for a group of 8 not-too-rowdy adults. Actually, it'd be ok for rowdier campers too. We had neighbors down the road the first night and only a large group of boyscouts out of eye/earshot the second night. There is no water or electricity at the group sites, but there are some porta-lets and water about halfway to the bath house central to the RV sites.

The site is surrounded by trees and connects to the nature trail which goes down to the Hiwasee, so there can be some mild foot traffic nearby. It's simple, with a firepit and maybe picnic tables. It's nice to be here rather than the crowded, active, noisey regular camping area. It's not super secluded, but it can feel like it at times.

At night, the lightning bugs and stars are perfect. It is really a great view. We walked down to the next site (G-8) to get a better view (away from our own lights and fire) and it was really fantastic. The river is no joke, it's fast and cold, but it's only a few minutes down the trail to wade in.

A white park truck rolls through every few hours to check on things.

This campground is very well-maintained. The bathrooms are clean with plenty of stalls + showers. The campsites are close together, but with all the trees, there's still a decent amount of privacy. It does get very crowded in the summer, so keep that in mind, but even being completely full, I still found it to be very peaceful and relatively quiet.

The big plus here is the ease of access to the Hiwassee River—perfect for paddling and swimming! It also borders the Gee Creek Wilderness, which has a gorgeous hike (with waterfalls), and Cherokee National Forest (lots of fun forest roads to explore).