The best camping near
Gilleland , GEORGIA

Easy to find, liked that we were right on the water. There was a nice flat area to set up food, bonfire, chairs, games and to lounge around with family and the dogs. Bathrooms were nice and close to campground, within walking distance.

First time camping here and absolutely love it. Very quiet ( you can setup a hammock and take a nice nap) and kid friendly with a nice playground, kept very clean. Probably one of the nicest sites for a small camper.

The views were amazing and it was far enough removed from everything that only nature sounds are heard at night. The way to get to the WMA seems like you’re going through people’s back yards, but it’s the right way. Your navigation might stop randomly, but keep going and you’ll find plenty of pull offs to set up camp. I would recommend triple checking the temperatures because it is a bit high in elevation and can cause some pretty drastic fluctuations if you’re not ready. I would also recommend not going after it has rained or snowed, or if you do, leave your vehicle on the trail and unpack from there. I may or may not have gotten stuck and needed a hand to push my car out. Basically be prepared, because even though you might have a cell signal, you can wind up pretty far back in the woods. At this place.

We stayed for 4 days. The first 3 were sunny during the day and a bit of the chilly side at night. So in other words, perfect camping weather. Day 4, rain but that was ok too. All in all we had a great time!

I was up hiking in the area and the forest road was closed after a storm . Stopped at a gas station and they recommended I check with them. Glad I did very quiet bunch of people with there very nice motorcycles hanging out. $15 to stay and the food was awesome and must include the restrooms were impressively spotless Will be back

The largest waterfall in Georgia and the 3rd largest in the Southeast. They have paid camping and you can also hike the AT trail and find free remote camping.

As I was hiking Panther Creek to the base of the waterfall I saw 10-15 camp sites where you can camp for free, primitive style!

From the parking lot you cross the creek 200 yards pass Hemlock and go 3.2 miles to the Upper Hemlock Falls and at the top of the waterfall there’s about 3 o 4 camping spots.

Great park. Many hiking opportunities in the park and surrounding areas. It is 1099 stairs to the bottom of canyon!Campground was nice. Sites are open and unlevel but most were a good size. Sites are gravel with table, grill, water, and electric. Campground is very hilly. It was great to be able to access trails from the campground. You can also walk to the day use area from campground which has a trail and beach picnic area. 2 bathhouses were good. Laundry facilities available. There was little cell reception and no tv reception here. Went to Helen for a bit-IMO it's overrated. Branch out from the park because there are some great hiking trails in the area. They were not issuing any gorge floor permits the time we went. There is a fabulous museum/welcome center here with some history and facts about the park. Park is pretty busy. It was spring break when we went but it was not overwhelming. It was nice to see kids riding bikes and running outside.

While this great little park should deserve 4.5-5 stars, we had an unfortunate experience while we were there.  My family of 5 were on the lake-side of our little 22ft TT while someone less fortunate than us decided to steal my 9yr old daughter's new bike.  The bike was parked at the rear of the camper and the thief was very 'brazen' to attempt the theft in the daylight and in a populated and gated campground.  After discussing the issue with the campground staff, we were informed that locals often come through the woods and even wade through the edge of the lake to steal from the campground.  Other than that incident, the campground is very nice with very private sites, lake access and a public boat ramp located on the other side of the main road.  We probably will not return to this campground.