Best Equestrian Camping near Franklin, GA

This is where President Roosevelt came to relax. Warm Springs and Roosevelt's Little White House Historic Site is a short drive away. Calloway Gardens and a drive through animal park are all close by. The campground is nice with lots of trees so there is some privacy. There are 2 campground loops, and a small lake. Most are water and electric. There is s dump station. There is a horse stable, too. Dowdell's Knob where President Roosevelt sometimes picnicked at King’s Gap. There is still a picnic area there, with A life-size sculpture of the former president.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built many of the facilities during the Great Depression, including cottages and the Liberty Bell Swimming Pool which is spring fed.

Green forest on Pine Mountain, this campground is well laid out and has history.  Several projects done by the CCC.  40 miles of trails to hike/bike.  A CCC built pond where you can rent paddle boats or bring your own kayak or canoe.  Equestrian trail rides (and stable rentals) are available.  Water/power, fire pit, picnic tables on gravel sites with some pull thru.  Satellite tv can be received at some sites.  Showers/bathrooms with laundry facility at each.  And several trails to walk you dog.

Life size statue of FDR on Dowdell's Knob, where FDR would come to relax and take in the view over King's Gap.

Grocery store available in the town of Pine Mountain (about 15 minutes from campground).

Great base for area sight seeing:

Roosevelt's Little White House State Park

Warm Springs (where Roosevelt would go for the warm springs)

    In Columbus, GA:

National Infantry on Fort Benning

National Civil War Navy Museum 

Coca Cola Space Museum

This campground offers it all. Set in F.D. Roosevelt State Park you are surrounded by forest, lakes, streams, rock formations and campsites are quiet and private.  We stayed in site #114 directly on the lake.  The state reconfigured some of the sites along the lake and site #114 is no longer on a slope.  Very level space with water, electric and sewer.  Close to a very clean restroom, playground, rental boat ramp and so much more.  Everything a family could want to spend a few days in nature.  Lots to do in the area - Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, city of Columbus, Chattahoochee River, Little White House, etc.  Highly recommend this jewel in Georgia.

Camping is first come first served basis, no reservations. $20 per night, parking for one vehicle included. Extra vehicles require $5 parking pass per day. They take credit card. Pull up to the booth at the entrance before 5pm or see the camp host 5-8pm. After 8pm, the park gate closes. I was given a gate code in case I needed to leave and return during the closed hours.

The camping layout falls somewhere between dispersed camping and a traditional campground. When I checked in, I was told I could pull up to any site with a fire pit. There were picnic tables and trash cans at most sites. There are no hook ups at the sites, but there is a good amount of space on flat ground in the trees. Several cars, tents, or small campers would fit on each site. Bigger campers could opt for sites 8 or 9 which don’t have trees. I cleaned up a bit of trash around my site when I arrived. The camp host drove around selling firewood.

Many of these reviews seem older, so I wanted to add that there is a newer block bathroom with flush toilets, electricity and a shower stall, and outdoor water spigot near the stretch of campsites marked 1-20 along the river. It was clean. Driving in, you’ll see a sign that points you to “Main Camping.” The sites stretch down a lane that follows the river to a dead end, the river and sites are on the left and there is a large grassy airfield on the right. There was no airplane traffic while I was there and no signage to stay off of it, so perhaps it is no longer in use.

There is a boat ramp past site 20. I saw a sign at the bathhouse for paddling the river and various parks to camp along the way. There are signs for horse camping only at sites 18-20. One of the trails runs between the river bank and the campsites, with red blazes - “River Trail” - so don’t set up equipment there in case hikers or horses come through. I saw people fishing in the Chattahoochee River right off of their campsite. There is a small rapid that stretches across the river near sites 1-10, so you get that nice water flowing sound to fall asleep to!

There are also sites in other areas of the park, if you turn left instead of following the “Main Camping” sign. I’m not sure if they are numbered, and they seem more scattered. There is another bathhouse with running water and a shower that is older next to the cabin called “Old Ranger’s Station.”

The park has wide trails for horseback riding. I hiked the 2 mile Eagle Loop Trail and saw a mountain biker as well. I saw signs for an Orienteering Course. There is a splash pad and a new looking playground that from a glance, might be ADA accessible. There are many signs prohibiting swimming in the river due to the strong current. There is no beach and in most places, the river bank is steep. John Tanner Park has a swimming beach.

The park map is not great and the information available online is insufficient, but I do recommend coming to explore the area and camp! I’ll be back now that I have an understanding of the layout.

This park has great camping with many, many sites of various sizes, all for roughly $30 a night. This may sound steep but the amenities by far make up for it.

Each site has a dirt or gravel pad, water and electricity hookups and are all situated within walking distance of a bathroom. There is also a centralised trading Post in the camp, separate from the main office. The bathrooms are all spotless and each area has a camp host constantly cleaning.

The views are awesome and there is some awesome yoking near by, as well as some very well marked trails in the area.