Best Equestrian Camping near Hartwell Lake

Very nice quiet park with a small campground (21 sites, all with electric and water). The sites are shaded, and flat with a gravel drive and tent pad. We hadn’t planned on staying here but were pleasantly surprised to find a few vacancies on the first Saturday in November. There is also an equestrian campground located several miles from the main campground. The main feature is a covered bridge, the longest one in Georgia, that is located ¾ of a mile from the campground (an easy walk). 

A nice perk was laundry facilities outside the restrooms. The restrooms were very clean. 

There are seven miles of hiking trails, five miles of bike trails, canoe rentals, and we saw several people fishing. 

There was also a nice day-use area with picnic tables within view of the covered bridge.

There are nine campsites.  Sturdy highline posts are provided but you need to bring your own ropes and other highland gear. Vault toilets are provided but no shower facilities. Campsites each offer electric and water hookups, nice tent pads, lantern hooks, and big picnic tables. This is a very nice horse camp facility. Well maintained and clean. Trails are wonderful and well-constructed to avoid deep mud. My only complaint is the lack of really good, accurate trail maps to print out and carry with you of the horse trails on both the Georgia and South Carolina sides of the river. This is my new favorite mountain horse camp.

I unfortunately haven’t been able to return to this location for quite some time now but I remember it fondly. Spent many nights and days here during middle school with my local horse club. Trails were clean although a little to narrow in some spots, especially when needing to pass another horse and rider but there is plenty of wide open areas that allow for the perfect opportunity to stop and rest. If you ever have time I also recommend stopping by stump house tunnel which is near by its 2 adventures for the price of 1! Writing this review makes me want to go back!

We stayed at three different campsites throughout our trip (went backpacking 4 days, 3 nights - could have just set up camp and day hiked, buttttt didn't necessarily think that through). 

The first campsite we stayed at was on the Green Valley Trail, the second one was on the Panthertown Valley Trail right near the Schoolhouse Falls Trail, and the third was on Mac's Gap right past the Granny Burrell Falls Trail. 

All the campsites were beautiful, but the Green Valley Trail campsite was our favorite. It was the most secluded and in an utterly beautiful location. There was foliage covering it from the trail and there was a creek steps away which made it easy to get water and make for. The Panthertown Valley Trail campsite was our least favorite, but that is because it was right off the main trail and not secluded whatsoever and kind of disappointing compared to the Green Valley campsite. It was also dirty with water bottles and socks and lots of mud from horses stepping all over the place. We were also woken up at 2AM by a group of loud hikers which left us concerned because it was down pouring and they were being extremely belligerent. However, we camped here because we were exhausted and wanted to stay near Schoolhouse Falls to be able to swim around and get wet and there were some unknown animal tracks in the sand near Schoolhouse Falls. We stayed on Mac's Gap for the same reason - to be near Granny Burrell after a long day - and even though it was the most crowded trail, it was a lot of fun. There was a pack of llamas we were next to and they were so sweet (part of a boys camp), and we felt the safest from predators (read: bears). Even though there were a lot of people, I felt a strong sense of camaraderie. 

You will need a bear canister, practice the Bearmuda Triangle, and make sure to bring a poop shovel. Pack out what you packed in.

In the midst of all the Covid claustrophobia, it felt amazing to get up to the mountains and feel like being alone was normal.  The site was great, the bathrooms are amazing, and the campground was everything you'd hope an RV/tent-camping place would be.  There are primitive, walk-in sites that had the benefit of added privacy, but with 3 little kids, bathroom proximity was a higher priority this time around.  The waterfalls are closeby and you should really try King's Creek (30 min hike), Reedy Branch (10 min walk) or Yellow Branch (1.5 hr hike), they're some of our favorites.  Hidden Falls is also a hike that starts from the campground, about 1.5 hrs each way. So lovely and remote!Being able to get up in the morning and go to the falls without having to drive 1+ hrs to get there made it just dreamy for our crew!  The fire pit was easy to cook over, there's a mini-golf area and a playground that was closed still while we were there.  We loved it and will definitely be going back, my 5yo hails our time there as "best of the summer" everytime we ask :)