Best Tent Camping near Fort Gaines, GA

Super well maintained tent sites. The tent footprint is elevated by railroad ties, preventing flooding and it made it very convenient to put my boots on in the morning. Established trash/food hang poles as well as picnic tables next to the fire ring with fold over grill capabilities.

We tent camped in February 2019 on site 47 right on Lake Eufaula! Bathhouse was clean. Most sites are either on the lake or have a view of the lake. Bring your fishing poles and boats, lots of activity on the water! We want to try sites 49, 50, 51, 60, 61, 92, 122...these are on our list as the best sites. We will be back!

I stayed here in my NoBo 16.2 camper for almost 6 weeks waiting on a house. The site is clean. Cable, electric, water and sewer. The wifi has been out for a while. Tent sites and cabins also available. Lots of wildlife. If you're into C130s flying over due to being in close proximity to the US Army Airborne School, this is the place for you.

We love this park. There are only a few sites, so even if everything is booked there is not a crowded feeling. The pads are gravel, so if you are tent camping, it can be difficult to get stakes in. The sites are well placed and easy to get into; both the pull through and back in sites. The staff drives through the grounds regularly to check on things and are very pleasant and helpful. The bath house and showers are clean and well maintained. There are several easy hiking trails and the Native American mounds and museum add some interesting history to any camping trip.

We recently spent five nights at another Army Corps of Engineers campground, Hardridge Creek Campground located near Abbeville, Alabama. This is one of four COE campgrounds on the Walter F. George reservoir locally know as Lake Eufaula. We reserved our site online using the Recreation. gov application.

We arrived on a Thursday afternoon, check in times are after 4:00 PM. The reservation and check in process was painless, our paperwork was ready upon our arrival and COVID precautions were implemented and rigorously executed throughout. We reserved site 52 which is a beach front site which is large and included a private stairway down to the lakeside beach area. The site included 50/30/15 amp electrical, water, fire pit, picnic table, fire ring, BBQ and portable table. The site was completely level on a concrete pad. Very nice and well kept. There are several sites that include sewer connections on sites 55-77. This campground does close and lock the gate between 10PM and 7AM, there is no gate code and only emergency access is available through the park host. This is stressed during the check-in and in the provided information.

We really enjoyed this location but there are ants at this park as is others in this region. If you do not take preemptive measures beforehand you will be affected. Everything that touches the ground is a conduit for their access, the tires, leveling jacks, tongue jack, power cord and the water hose are their tools for finding a way. Even something as simple as a tree branch touching the awning will prove a route.

The beach was very nice and included a swimming area with boundaries to prevent boats and jet skis from entering. The bathroom was clean and typical for its age. The closest town is Fort Gaines, Georgia, 3.5 miles away, there is a gas station and a Dollar General for there for basic supplies.

We used Verizon cell service and had good coverage for cell service and excellent data or LTE coverage. We were also able to receive about six channels of over the air TV on the antenna.

In summary; great park, well kept and managed. The sites are better than most and can provide accommodations for all types of rigs. The only negative was the ants but having read other reviews beforehand, we came prepared. Check it out if you are in the area. I’ve included a park map with information in the attached pictures.

Stayed December 2019 for a long weekend. The sites are all very nice with fire ring, lantern pole, picnic table, small counter height table, and concrete pad for your camper or tents. Ample additional parking available. Bathrooms were well maintained. We stayed in the Oakwood loop. River Chase loop has the best playground. Staff were very friendly. Several dump stations as well as a dog park. Would like some more hiking trails.

Our second stay here. First was in the spring of 2020 when COVID had everything shutdown. Spent Monday through Friday and enjoyed our stay with some friends. Lots of old 1800 to early 1900’s homes to see, some offer tours. Providence Canyon and the Kolomoki Mounds State Parks in Georgia are an easy drive and worth the trip. Sites are easy to navigate, utilities are in good shape, and enough Verizon signal to stay in touch.

This is a boater campground and marina. It is nice and flat, with sand sites. Water and electric at the sites sites, plus a dump station. We ended up near the campground dumpster so it wasn’t pleasant. It is a short drive to Providence Canyon State Park. There were armadillo in the woods, and blue birds. There is a museum, but it was closed when we were there. There are many nicer State Parks in Georgia!

We stayed here because of it’s close proximity to Providence Canyon State Park. The campsites are open with no buffer between campers. The restrooms were clean and signs up for Covid. There was ice and firewood available but bring cash. There is boating and canoeing in the marina. There is a putt putt course, but it is very dated. There are a few short trails available. We were the only pop-up. There were a few tents, but mostly RV campers. Watch out for those afternoon storms. They come in quick and the campsites flood easily. Would like to try the cabins next time.

As with all of the Georgia State Park , this was a nice, quiet campground. The lake was beautiful and if you’re looking for solitude, this is the place. Zero cell phone reception (honestly, zero) so if you need to connect to home plan on heading to the visitors center about a mile away for a signal. The mounds were incredible and the museum was fascinating. We hiked 2 of the 3 trails and although they were overgrown, e we saw lots of wildlife. The bathhouse was stocked but could use a deep cleansing. Worth it for the peace and quiet! The site had both a fire pit and a grill which was a plus. We will be back in a few months!

We were camped at another Army Corps of Engineers (fee) campground and decided to check out this unreviewed one further south. The website indicated that there was camping at this free site but although there was a loop at the end of the road, we could find no evidence of a place to pitch a tent or even park a vehicle (or even that you would want to). Absolutely no services, not even a porta-potty. In the middle of nowhere - no gas stations, grocery stores, or any other type of amenity. Lots of felled trees and swampy land. Only saw a decrepit covered bridge that was not even photo-worthy. Perhaps we were in the wrong place but signs indicated we were at the park so I dunno?

My seasonal five-star rating is based on being here in the offseason. There is just something about having a campsite right on the water that is so peaceful. However, in the summer, I would imagine the water would be clogged with boats zooming around, and we would not find it so peaceful or enjoyable (but many others would). 

There are four sections to this 130-site campground: Mallard Point, Oakwood, Creek View, and River Chase. The only sites that are reservable are in the Oakwood and Creek View Sections. Only Mallard Point and Oakwood were open when we were there; I’m not sure if it was because of flooding or just low occupancy. Based on Elaine H’s review, we had reserved Site 50 in the Oakwood section for two nights and we were not disappointed. We were right on the water, which gave us a little concern after the host said the water was expected to rise (some of the sites had some water) but we didn’t have a problem. Not much separation/privacy between sites but most people were in RVs (didn’t see any tents). Each site has a large picnic table, fire ring, lantern hook, and food prep table. 

Bathrooms were very clean AND heated, which was nice as the temperatures dipped below freezing at the end of February. Each section has laundry facilities ($1.50 each for wash/dry) The map showed two dump stations, one at the very end of the campground and one located in the Oakwood section but again, only the one in Oakwood was open when we were there. Sadly, no recycling. 

There are two very short nature trails but no other hiking trails. There is a fenced-in dog park. If you are not a boater, there is not much to do but again, it was very peaceful at the end of February.

We were looking for something to do this weekend and we decided to camp at Florence Marina State Park and explore Providence Canyon.

First off, Florence Marina is beautiful from the time you drive through the entrance to when you reach the campground! There's a boat ramp, fishing pier, a private fishing dock for campers and mini golf.

The campground is a bit small and some sites are close together but not too cramped. There is a camp store, located in the park, with many items that you may have forgotten to pack, as well as fish bait and fishing supplies!

The bath house (comfort station) appears to be recently renovated and is cleaned multiple times per day. The bath house has several showers, including ADA accessible shower stalls.

The campground host was constantly cleaning the bath house and picking up trash around the campground. The Ranger patrolled the campground on a regular basis, as did the Stewart County Sheriff's Office.

The only downside to our weekend camping trip was the gnats!! The campground host told us that the gnats aren't usually as bad, however, the recent heavy rain is the cause of them being so bad this particular weekend.

Other than the gnats, this is the perfect place to pitch a tent or set your travel trailer up!

Providence Canyon State Park is only 9 miles from Florence Marina and it is a must-see!! We spent Saturday morning hiking there before returning too our site.

FYI: There isn't much, as far as shopping goes, in the area so grab your groceries before you arrive! If you must go shopping, Eufala, AL is approximately 24 miles away and that is your closest large store (other than a Dollar General in Georgetown…approximately 16 miles from the park).

We have Verizon Wireless and we had 1-2 bars of LTE during our stay...sometimes our signal would revert to 3G and be painfully slow!!

Another perk, if you just can't go without, is the sites have cable TV connections...we did not use this service but some campers did.

Overall: Excellent campground with close access to the Chattahoochee River, access off AL State Rd 165. The sites are, for the most part, reasonably private with most sites being right on the water and have excellent views of Bluff Creek. Some of the campground areas were closed for the season as traffic falls off quite a bit in the Fall. Most of the campers had RVs, but there were one or two tents as well 

Getting there: Known as Bluff Creek Park on Google maps, it is located South of Fort Benning and Fort Mitchell in the most Eastern part of Alabama. 

Check in and staff: Check in was very easy and one can make advance reservations. We were allowed to take a quick tour to pick out a site, but did have to call the central number to pay by credit card once we had picked out a site. They have stopped putting up a note on each site and now simply issue a parking pass for your vehicle. I did have to go back to the gate to get that and while doing that the reservation was verified.  The staff were kind and very pleasant. 

Amenities: There is a boat launch site, a fish cleaning hut, and multiple bathroom facilities. Water and electric are present at each site. 

Bathrooms: clean, well kept. Laundry machines available. The showers had plenty of hot water and were clean. No mold or mildew. 

Site: We had site 81. It was right on the water. There was a good size picnic table and another square table at the site. The fire pit was out near the water and there was a stand up BBQ as well. Also provided was a hanging hook for provisions. The campground was very quiet, but in the evening one often heard the chimes of a RR crossing that is just outside the park entrance. The chimes& red flashing lights go on after dark when a car approaches the tracks to make sure that the driver stops and checks for train. There are occasional low flying airplanes due to the nearby military fort.

We camped at Bluff Creek during the Independence Day holiday weekend, the campground was near 100% capacity. Our reservations were easily made online using the www.recreation.gov website. The campground is located near the town of Pittsview, Alabama which is on the Alabama state line boundary with Georgia. The states are separated by the Chattahoochee River and also the boundary of the Eastern and Central time zones. I mention this because the town of Columbus, GA (23 miles away) is a popular nearby attraction for the area and the time is one hour ahead of the campground times. This can also cause confusion if your mobile phone is set to automatically detect time zone changes. 

The road into the campground has a railroad crossing that is a very rough transition for crossing, slow speed will be required when crossing these tracks. We arrived late afternoon and were greeted by friendly and well prepared Camp Hosts that quickly completed our check in. We were given a campground map and complete rules/regulations that pertain to the campground. 

We camped on site 34 which is a pull through site. It was a typical site that would accommodate any size rig in my opinion. The site included water, 50/30/20 amp electricity, table, grill and fire pit. The parking pad was paved and level, the table area was freshly graveled. There are many sites located on the river banks that offer wonderful views of the Chattahoochee River and sunsets. Most sites do not support parking or launching boats due to the height of the river banks above the water’s edge. 

There are three bath houses on the campground supporting the 88 campsites, the showers were never overly crowded even with the park at capacity. The bathrooms were cleaned and restocked daily by the park attendants. 

The only negative comment is related to the nearby paper mill located across the river near by the campground. This is of course a needed and appreciated industry to the local area. However, there is a noticeable noise and smell generated by the facility. If you are expecting a dark sky for stargazing, this is also affected by the mill's lighting. 

There were several over the air TV channels available broadcasting from Columbus, GA and the surrounding area. We had usable Verizon service for text and calls but internet access was very limited. 

There is one dump station with only one lane, on Sunday afternoon the line was backed up as expected with a full campground. 

Overall, we enjoyed this campground, it was well maintained and operated by the park staff. The hosts were friendly, approachable and visible during our stay.

This campground offers beachfront sites where you can walk right out from your site to the water. If you get one of the sites that does not have direct water access, there is a beach, park and gazebo that everyone can access. Like the other COE parks we've seen, each site has a fire ring, prep table, picnic table and that really cool hook-pole! This campground has a lot of pull through spots, but only two bathrooms. Our kids had a great time hanging out here and we were unofficially awards the best hammock set up. Undoubtedly the most! This was a very user friendly campground. Lots of birds to see and a great view of the dam, which led to some dam good jokes. Lots of pull through sites.

Some thoughts from our kids- https://youtu.be/uCebtz0rawk

Unfortunately this was closed until February when I arrived just before dusk. The host told me about another COE campground about 10 minutes away. Glad I didn't have to search farther! Will come back when it's open!