Best Tent Camping near Decatur, GA
Searching for a tent campsite near Decatur? Finding a place to camp in Georgia with your tent has never been easier. Search nearby tent campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Searching for a tent campsite near Decatur? Finding a place to camp in Georgia with your tent has never been easier. Search nearby tent campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Sweetwater Creek State Park is a peaceful tract of wilderness only minutes from downtown Atlanta. A wooded trail follows the stream to the ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company, a textile mill burned during the Civil War. Beyond the mill, the trail climbs rocky bluffs to provide views of the beautiful rapids below. Additional trails wind through fields and forest, showcasing ferns, magnolias, wild azaleas and hardwoods. Park rangers lead informative hikes to these areas throughout the year.
This recreation area is part of Lake Sidney Lanier
The Hembree Park Campsite offers an area for individuals or groups to gather and enjoy nature within the safe environment of a City Park. The site can be used by individuals, families, civic groups, etc. The grounds include an open grass area, fire ring with log seating, 2 picnic tables, and 11 tent pads.
There are no water/electrical hookups, or firewood on-site.
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.
$25 / night
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.
We did an overnighter to check this out after doing a separate hike on the primary trails from the other side of the park in the morning.
Getting to the campsite was simple enough and it is the quoted 3/4 mile walk in. It was great to see some families utilizing the space. There is good cell reception (T-Mobile)
Very peaceful and even had the sounds of a vibrant coyote pack.
Easy access to the lake for paddleboarding; lot was close enough to paddle 1/2 mile to day use area/marina restaurant. Nicely shaded and good proximity to restrooms.
Easy access to Lake Alatoona with good views, minimal shade and access area was swampy on my lot but manageable. Water surprisingly chilly in summer from the Etowah River.
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.
Recently stayed a couple of nights and was mostly impressed with the state park. I’m a tent camper but if I had an RV or trailer, I would definitely have trouble getting into my site (78). Many of the other sites I saw would have similar problems for trailer campers, as well. The park is in close proximity to I-75, so I could hear the distant sound of big rigs and the occasional police sirens. There is also railroad tracks somewhere that are close enough to hear train whistles in the wee hours of the morning. But the scenery of Lake Alatoona was beautiful and the staff I dealt with were all friendly and helpful. The bathroom facilities I used were very clean.
The campsite's proximity to I-20 makes it super convenient to get to. It's a great spot for a quick trip or a longer stay, and the friendly seasonal campers really add to the community vibe. By the way, I just bought a camper with the help of radiant credit union customer service. Their customer service was so helpful in sorting out the financial side of things, which means I can now enjoy camping trips to places like Atlanta West Campground hassle-free!
This place was great. We arrived after hours and spoke with the camp host he told us we can pay online or in the morning. We drove all day in the sun and due to hurricane Helene aftermath we were limited on where to stay. It was nice to pull in and it be nice and cool with the trees. The stars popped out at night and could be seen through the tree tops. Showers were hot.
This is a little gem of a state park. Indian Springs State park has a lot to offer. The camp sites are the other side of the lake from the group and public shelters/picnic areas etc so you feel away from everything. The park offers a museum, trails, kayak rentals and more.
The multi-purpose hike connects to the Dauset Nature Center trails and is worth taking the extra mile or so, at least, to go visit the nature center. The hike is rated as quite hard on All Trails and similar apps but, in reality, is fine for most levels. I am recovering from a back injury and this was my first 5+ mile hike in years. It was more than manageable.
One downside of the parks location is that you are close to Jackson and neighboring towns. There were some noises (e.g. loud cars) that could be heard from our site at night. It wasn't constant or overly intrusive. The main complaint was that other humans in the park seemed to not have consideration for their camping neighbors and enjoyed driving golf carts around while playing music at full volume. That can happen anywhere though and maybe shouldn't be a 'negative' for the park.
The park is well kept, comfort stations are fine and staff very friendly and helpful.
We stayed at site 125 with a full view of the lake. We could watch the sunset & the sunrise each day and it was incredible. There is plenty of tree cover & wilderness surrounding you. Bath houses were decent (albeit a little outdated). Our spot had a pretty bad ant infestation & they ended up getting into our trailer, which I had to scour with spray, etc. But what can you do? Just bring some supplies in case. What we really liked about this campground is how natural the surroundings are. You're really immersed in the wooded area with a view of the beautiful lake & the sounds of birdsong, etc. Good campground for bikes as things are spread out (swimming beach, bathhouses). We would certainly come back!
Nice campsites with water and electricity. Almost all the sites have view of lake and many have access to the lake for swimming or paddle boarding or boating. Nice breeze off the lake. Will be back many times.
I enjoyed my stay here during the day, but things changed after dark. There were old weedeaters scattered in the weeds, along with grills and other items that seemed to have been tossed into the woods. I initially brushed it off and didn't think much of it. I was the only one camping at this site. As night fell, I began preparing for bed, but I noticed vehicles coming and going—at least three within an hour. Around 10 PM, a few Mustangs pulled up and sat for about 45 minutes. Feeling uneasy about the situation, I decided to pack up and leave. After sharing my experience with a few friends, many of them expressed their own concerns about this location. I give it 3 stars for the beauty and peacefulness... until nightfall.
We stayed in site 7 and we really enjoyed it. The site was clean and the pad was very level.
We had a minor issue popping the 30amp breaker but switched over to the 50 amp adapter and all worked fine.
Didn’t use the bath house but I did go check them out and they looked clean.
I would caution big rigs on the first loop (sites 2 - 9) the loop at the back is pretty tight. We did fine with our 28’ TT but anyone over 30’ might want to consider the other loops.
Driving through and looking at the other sites some of the picnic areas need to be reworked or at the very least mowed and weeded. If it wasn’t for that sort of stuff I would give it 5 stars.
We really enjoyed staying at High Falls. Most of the RV sites were spaced well apart and the amenities were clean.
Beautiful campsite, just a few neighbors, tons of flat space and a few fire pits. There are hunters around and we heard a good deal of shots. Saw some deer on a walk. It was quite hot but surprisingly not that buggy.
We just bought our first RV and it was a 22 foot Class C. We decided to stay close to home to try it out, learn everything on it in a forgiving place. Chattahoochee Bend was perfect. Drive through spot for our RV with 50AMP, 30AMP, water and dump service. The place is clean, quiet and in great shape! Electric bikes made it all the more fun, since the single road in, out and all about is quite hilly. Plenty of hiking trails!
Tons of things to do train rides, gondola ride to the top, hiking and fireworks. Stayed in a safari tent a little worn down with duck tape on the screen. However, clean bathroom/showers and fun pool. A couple of crazy squirrels visit us every morning.
Great place to camp and just relax and watch all children play and laugh.
This place was a nightmare. I booked primitive site #4, that whole site is on a hill, the only flat place is where you park, and that's not really flat either. Needless to say it was difficult to set anything up; tents, food, games, etc... The campsites at this campground are very close together, and unfortunately our neighbors were very inconsiderate blasting country music all night long, they literally pulled an all-nighter, no joke, even after my wife and I asked them to turn the concert down at 3:30am, they got silent for about 1 to 2 minutes, and then started it right back up. The lake area where you swim is pretty gross, there are tons of people in a relatively small area, and pontoon boats pull right up to where the rope is that contains the swim area and cook out on their grills smoking out the swim area while idling petrol fumes and exhaust in to the water. We did manage to have some fun with making a fire, and although the lake was disgusting, it did feel good because it was 100 degrees outside. We decided to pack up and leave a day early, it was that bad. Find another campground to go to, or change your dates of your trip to avoid this place, do whatever you need to do to not end up here.
This is a smaller COE campground than most we have stayed at, which is nice in a way. The playground and beach were never crowded, and it was pretty quiet with the exception of the boat traffic. The campground is right next to a public boat ramp, beach, marina, and restaurant. It's super convenient but not as quiet as some other COE places. We loved it because we brought our boat and tied it up by our site. The sites are not huge but plenty big, and there are many great waterfront spots. Ours was nice for swimming with clean water and a nice drop-off. It is a mixed bag in terms of privacy. While there was plenty of space between us and our neighbors, the sites were laid out so that even with our campers hooked up, we could always see each other. Took away slightly from the experience, but it was still a very fun place. We will go back next summer. I think that 22 is the best spot, followed by the waterfront pull-through spots on the cove.
Great little place to camp. Beautiful lake. Bathrooms and showers are on site.
Loud music loud voices bright lights generators used on tent site. Party to 2 am. No rules enforced even when you complain to the host. Then this is the place for you. You can get away with whatever you want. Expect No sleep!!
My family and I camped here for the weekend. Our campsite was beautiful and level. We could easily accommodate our pop-up camper and a 4-person tent with room to spare! My son was able to play and explore. My only critic would be that we were a little let down at the condition of the beach and that there was no playground when there was one listed on the grounds map. We will definitely be returning nonetheless.
Great camp ground. Very clean and well maintained.
The best place to camp Fish Enjoy the Chattahoochee
Been going here since I was a kid and now I take my kids every year. It’s quiet but it could use more campsites with a beach area and maybe updated bathrooms. Still love it though
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.
This campground is full of beautiful lakeside sites! Many are well-spaced, but some are close together. We camped with our van in one of the tent sites because the rv sites were full.
The drawbacks are that the bathhouse is pretty old and FAR from most of the sites and there aren’t any hiking trails. But this place is great if you love boating or don’t need a bathhouse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Decatur, GA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Decatur, GA is Sweetwater Creek State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 28 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 20 tent camping locations near Decatur, GA, with real photos and reviews from campers.