Looking for tent camping near Gainesville? Find the best information on tent camping near Gainesville, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
This recreation area is part of Lake Sidney Lanier
Raven Cliff Falls camping This trail is one of North Georgia’s most popular camping destinations. Trailhead campsites offer fantastic stream-side camping just steps from the car, and a fantastic base camp for hiking the Raven Cliff Falls Trail during the day. The trail is also dotted with many backpacking campsites on the creek’s level banks, offering a little more solitude for campers willing to backpack it in. Black bears frequent this wilderness area. Keep all food items and fragrant cosmetics out of reach in a bear canister: many years ago, we lost our camp stove, food and cookware to a trio of bears in a traditionally-hung bear bag along this trail. Campsites are free and first-come, first-claimed. Pack out everything you pack in: this is one of Georgia’s most beautiful Wilderness areas, so please, please leave no trace. (What is Wilderness, and why is it important? Read more in our guide to Wilderness areas in the South.)
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.
The Blood Mountain Shelter on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia was originally constructed from local stone in 1937 for the Georgia State Parks system by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers stationed at Camp Enotah at Vogel State Park. The shelter was transferred to the US Forest Service in a land exchange agreement in 1956. The basic elements of the rooms, window, and doorways of this stone structure remain unchanged, but modifications to the roof and floor have occurred over the years.
Enjoy a picnic, hold a Boy Scout troop meeting or have a family gathering within the historic CCC structures of this wooded recreation area. Directly adjacent to the picnic pavilions visitors can can follow their picnic with a mesmerizing day-hike to the awesome falls on the 6.6 mile Panther Creek Trail.
$4 / night
Bear locker/box is provided, water is available but needs to be filtered/purified.
Springer Mountain Shelter (3700 ft) to trail east on side trail with privy and reliable spring. Established tent sites nearby.
Two Wheels of Suches Motorcycle Campground, Restaurant and Lodge offers riders, traveling in the North Georgia Mountains, a place to stop and grab a bite, camp, stay in the lodge or cabins, meet up with old friends and make new ones. The campground offers beautiful camp sites by Canada Creek or near the wooded areas backing up to the National Forest. There are charcoal grills, picnic tables and fire rings throughout the campground. The Bathhouse is newly constructed clean and spacious, heated with separate facilities for men and women. Both offer private dressing area and hot showers. Additional outlets provide for use of hair dryers and charging electronics.
All campsites on the Appalachian Trail are first-come, first-camp, so start your hike early the best pick of the campsites.
Guide
They have a very nice set up and are very polite. Great prices. We did tent camping with water and electricity. The tent sites are all either beside a creek or next to the pond. Large campsites fo tents, we could have easily had 3 tents comfortably. Highly recommend them!
Traveler
The cabins are nice, but small and no plumbing. If you're used to tent camping then the cabins are one step above that. Bonus is the air conditioning. Great view in Cabins 1 and 2. Gentle slope to a nice beach as well for those two cabins.
Tent sites are on the water as well but are right on top of each other. I could almost touch two of the tent pads at the same time.
Scout
I REALLY WANTED TO LOVE THIS PLACE! It was really pretty. HOWEVER The host wouldn’t allow us to use a tent site because she insisted we needed electric for our tear drop. We told her it was charged and had no need for electric for our one night stay. She then said we weren’t allowed to use a tent site due to the fact that the tear drop simply wouldn’t fit event though it totally would (gaslighting much?). There was one other family in the entirety of the tent camping area and one RV there. Upon check out what was originally supposed to be a $30 trip turned into $90 for a single night of camping along with some very off putting comments regarding my friend and I’s sexuality. Was a totally bizarre experience. Would give it zero stars if I could.
Ranger
We spent our three-day Memorial Day weekend at Vogel State Park. We camped in a tent. The staff is very friendly/helpful and the facilities are pristine. Our campsite (#70) was located directly across from the bathhouse and was huge for a "tent" site...we have a 17'x9' tent and the site accommodated our tent, two vehicles and a 5'x8' utility trailer with room to spare! The park has beautiful views and is only a short distance from Brasstown Bald and Helton Creek Falls. The park store had most of the supplies that you would need for camping but, if not, there is a Dollar General located just a few miles away. This is our favorite of the GA State Parks so far!! There are kayak, pedal boat, paddle board and bicycle rentals available!
RangerThe property is well maintained and beautiful with waterfalls, streams, and a lodge. They have cabins, rv sites, and separate adulting tent camping. We stayed at the adult tent site 74 which is really close to one of the waterfalls. Site 72 is the closest on the side we stayed on but our site had great access to the water and was a little more secluded. The is a spot in front of the waterfall that is public space and we didn’t want people walking up to view the waterfall basically next to our site as the sites are very close together. There is another beautiful sit on the other side that I would say is best for y’all he waterfall. I checked out the other sites as we were the only tent campers as it was during the week. Site 82 is the most private still on the the water and like a little forest dream site. The facilities were nice and well kept however, there was no potable water or restrooms close to the tent camping. The lady that checked us in (not sure if manager or owner) but she was somewhat spastic and forgetful which was not pleasant but was overall friendly. Locations is super close to High Shoals Falls which was a great hike and beautiful as well as close to Helen, Georgia, and Unicoi State Park.
Legend
Unicoi State Park is just two miles from Helen GA. It is a convenient location for visiting there, particularly in fall during the town’s Octoberfest. Unicoi is in North Georgia Mountains & includes a campground, cabins, “barrel cabins” and Lodge with a nice lake for fishing and canoeing. There are 51 RV sites with water and electricity that can accommodate 30-foot and 40-foot RVs, 82 tent sites, family tent campsites, walk-in sites and primitive “Squirrel’s Nest” sites. The park has numerous hiking trails in the Chattahoochee National Forest, plus a trail into Helen. Nearby is Anna Ruby Falls, administered by the US Forest Service. Smith Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochee River flows from the falls to Unicoi Lake. It is a good trout fishing stream. Other activists include archery and target shooting, fly fishing, paddle boarding, boat rentals, zip lining, mountain biking and a beach.
Traveler
If you are into boating and have a 30’ or less camper or like to tent camp this is the place for you. There are several lake front sites, both with power/water hookups and primitive tent sites. If you have a larger RV (35’ or bigger) your choice of sites is limited. There are only 2 sites (59 & 60) with full hookups (which are not near the water) but are very spacious. Many of the sites that are advertised as fitting larger rigs would be very challenging to get into and some would be impossible. The bathhouse was in good shape but dated as would be expected for an older COE. The camp hosts were very friendly and helpful. We probably won’t be back as we are not lake type folks but will leave space open for other to enjoy.
Ranger
Until this weekend, Hard Labor Creek State Park was our favorite GA campground! Sorry HLC, you’ve been bumped to #2 (still great)!
Victoria Bryant is hidden on Hwy 327, near Royston and, although a small campground, almost EVERY SITE IS PERFECT!
The park offers bicycle rentals, a swimming pool, plenty of picnic areas, multiple spots to play in the creek and some great hiking trails!
The campsites are HUGE and there are several extra amenities for campers to use! There’s a volleyball court, horseshoe pits, picnic pavilion and a central fire pit!
The park staff is great and the camp hosts are helpful! When we first arrived and began to set up, there was an electrical issue at our site but the park maintenance man had it resolved quickly!
The sites do not offer full hookups but there are multiple gray water dump sites in the campground (we used a five gallon bucket for our outdoor sink). We walked across the road from our site and dumped our bucket!
The park has the usual stuff to purchase (ice, firewood, etc.) but you can also head to Hartwell and hit the local Wally World if need be.
If you're camping in a tent, the tent sites are AMAZING! (see attached image) We've never seen these shelters before! You can even hang your hammock(s) underneath the shelter for a true outdoor camping experience!
We enjoyed every minute of our stay here, from the time we arrived to the time we left!
One more thing; if you're a golfer, there is a BEAUTIFUL golf course here as well!
We camped in our pop up but we'll probably be back to try out the tent shelters!!
FYI: Verizon Wireless has full 4G LTE service in the campground...we brought our MiFi Jetpack and streamed Netflix with zero issues!
TravelerThe tent camp site was good, bathrooms and water were a close walking distance.
We picked this state park for all the activities. We took archery lessons and did the zip line course. A must is to do all 3 zip line courses. Many go over water and the last of which is 1/2 a mile long. So much fun! It was great to have Helen close by but great to get away from the crowds. The 2 mile Lake Hike was beautiful!
Scout
This place is great if you still want some of the comforts of home. Water spouts are dropped around the sites and there is a bathhouse with showers and hot water accessible to all who camp there! The sites for tent camping are fairly close together-you can definitely see the next site because there aren’t a whole lot of trees but still far enough away to feel comfortable. The tent spots have gravel that is hard to get tent states into but also include a picnic table and a fire pit. Wood can be purchased for $5 from the host but you can also forage from the fallen trees on site. You may have to search around a bit but it worked well enough for my crew.
The lake was so beautiful even in the middle of winter and was such a great spot to camp. Some hikes are close by but none are big for elevation changes or waterfalls or anything like that. Still lots of places to go and get off your campsite. Maybe the best part of this park is the disc golf! My crew enjoyed the course and spent a few good hours there!
I would definitely come back and maybe try out one of the tent sites in the woods for a bit more privacy.
Traveler
We had a great experience. We camped in a tent on the lakeside and had a lot of room, the facilities were clean and the campsite was amazing. Great for beginner campers :)
Legend
General: Many options including 4 backcountry primitive sites, 12 walk-in tent sites, 48 electric/water sites, and 10 cabins. Access to this park is up a steep and winding road. I honestly don’t know how some of the larger 5th wheels and RVs we saw navigated it! We were warned that this park is an active bear area and while we did not see any, a woman I spoke with said she had seen a baby bear scoot through the campground (without Mama). An interesting thing about Georgia state parks is that when you arrive and check-in, you become eligible for a senior or military/veteran “rebate” which is not available when reserving.
Site Quality: The sites are (too) close together with little or no separation between them. In my opinion, the sites in Section 2 are a bit nicer. Driveways are gravel and vary in length. Some are very long while others are much shorter. Unless you have a small car and are tent camping, I would avoid Site 26! Even though there was plenty of room for our 18-foot van, it took us at least a half dozen attempts to back into the site due to the very steep and narrow road where the pavement drops off. Site 37 is no more than a parallel parking space alongside Site 38.
Bathhouse: It was heated and clean. The flush lever was different for each toilet and instructions were posted by each. The showers looked to be very clean, but I did not use so cannot comment on their quality.
Activities/Amenities: Fishing, boating, and hiking. The Nantahala Lookout provides gorgeous views. There is a conference center. Laundry facilities are by the bathhouse, but we were told the appliances were due to be upgraded and were not in the best shape.
This is a beautiful park but due to the sites being close together and our challenges accessing Site 26, my rating is three stars.
Ranger
This is Georgia's newest state park (2013) and it is a beautiful park! The staff is great and there is plenty to see/do! The park is located on Lake Lanier with plenty of opportunities for fishing, swimming and boating! There's even a fish cleaning station (located near the main boat ramp entrance).
There are hiking trails, geocaches, a beach area, picnic shelters, cottages and a brand new equestrian trail system!
As far as camping goes, there are primitive tent/hammock sites and an RV campground. The RV campground features all paved campsites so it would be tough camping in a tent (no way to stake your tent).
Now, the ASPHALT is part of the reason for the review's title, coupled with the fact that this is a new park and tree coverage is a bit sparse for the time being. Once the canopy fills out, it will be shady.
We camped in our trusty pop up camper so direct sun is always an issue (non-insulated bunk ends) but a travel trailer/RV would probably fare well (as far as temp goes).
We'll be back but in the Fall when it is a bit cooler!
The campground hosts were friendly and they kept the bath houses/laundry facilities spotless!
This is a beautiful park and we highly recommend it, in the proper weather or camper!
Ranger
this place was a great place for fishing, exploring and hiking, great place to back pack into and tent camp.
Guide
Enjoyed tent camping. Nicely maintained facility, but partiers (or a bar?) across the way on the lake played loud music both nights I was there.
Scouti arrived looking for tent camping. Looks like cabins and it was not open. 8:11pm on June 14th, 2021. Maybe its just closed? 1 star.
Scout
Everything was good except the tent sites were on top of each other... way too close
LegendLots of hiking trails, 11 miles or so. Great spot for tent camping down below from the RV spots which is nice. Showers bathrooms and water easy access from the tent primitive camping.
Guide
We tent camped here..we were up on a steep hill, but it was beautiful!! The bathrooms were close to the site. We had a great family time here!! Deer were roaming thru the campsite.. so many!! I loved the fresh Georgia air and the atmosphere was just so relaxing!! I do know there is a whole other area for RV camping.. looks fun and nice in that area as well!!
Guide
We tent camped here October 2013 on site 36 which backed up to the national forest. Beautiful mountain views and horseback riding on site!! Bathhouse was clean.
GuideMy wife and I did the walk-in tent camping. We had a nice, relatively secluded spot. This area of Lake Lanier is pretty quiet. Great for kayaking or paddle boarding.
Scout
We LOVE coming here. It's peaceful. Right on the river and spaced well. We tent camp, but my dad has a camper he brings there. And the Fishing is awesome
TravelerAwesome spot about 20 min from Helen GA. Back your vehicle right up to your spot for easy unloading and using your vehicle for extra space for whatever. We tent camped right along the river.
GuideTent sites have outlets, water and a light! Really beautiful easy hiking near by and a nice place to swim. Great for an easy family trip.
Guide
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.
TravelerThis was the first stop on our 10 day July 4th trip. This is a campground that we had visited many times in the past with our kids. In those days we tent camped and it is perfect family tent camping campground.
This was our first time in our travel trailer and it required lots of skills to backend to the sites. Not a lot of room because the roads are slim.
The staff is second to none and will go out of there way to make your stay pleasant.
Facilities are great. We use them sometimes to reduce our blank/gray water. They do have a honey wagon for $15, which was very helpful. This is close to Helen where there is lots to do. Lots of wineries to visit and downtown Cleveland is some nice restaurants and an awesome creamery.
TravelerThe site we stayed at was a tent site with no power or water. But it was a large site and right on the water. We were able to swim all weekend.
Gainesville, Georgia, offers a variety of excellent options for tent camping, perfect for those looking to immerse themselves in nature while enjoying local amenities and activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Gainesville, GA is Shady Grove Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 23 reviews.
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