Best Cabin Camping near Hartwell, GA

We spent 2 nights in one of the cabins in this beautiful state park during a road trip through South Carolina. And let me say, 2 nights was not enough! The cabin itself was very well kept. There was air conditioning, 2 bedrooms, 1 full kitchen, 1 full bathroom, and a fire place. We stopped at a Walmart in one of the towns before the park to stock up on food.

There are multiple cabins scattered around the lake but they are a good distance apart from each other so you won't be disturbed by your neighbors. There was a fire ring and picnic in front of the cabin where we made smores after dinner and a cute screened porch with rocking chairs where we had coffee and breakfast on every morning. The cabin was right next to the small lake, which had a short trail going around it. We saw people fishing and I believe you can rent canoes as well in the park.

You definitely need more than 2 days to explore this cute little park. There are multiple hiking trails near by and definitely a lot of wild life. But it was definitely a peaceful and quiet park perfect for a relaxing weekend away.

Camping and hiking in the fall when everyone else is either working or choosing to hunker down inside...is premeire!

Happening upon Lake Hartwell State Park, was a find! We were traveling light, heading to the Hendersonville, NC area for bagging waterfalls and cascades and some ridge hikes. So we opted to rent one of their camper cabins. Spartan to be sure..its dry, solid and has a door. Oh, and it had a window AC unit...but it was plenty cool enough. Nearby were the showers and restroom facilities. For all practical purposes...we had the entire campground to ourselves. The park is clean, well-maintained and well staffed. The rangers were helpful in pointing us in the correct direction for dayhikes and local points of interest.

The Stumphouse Tunnel was of particular interest and made for a great hike centered around pre Civil War era. Station Cove Falls were beautiful and the Oconee Station State Historic Site were delightful and well preserved. A military Outpost and Indian Trading Post from the late 1700's were awesome!

Back to the campground. Our cabin rental was located on a pennisula and because the water levels of Lake Hartwell were down, we had plenty of beach area to comb. Lots of downfall was present for scavenging...so our campfires were splendid. The weather was fairly decent...and we enjoyed unseasonably warm days while we were there.

I'd definitely like to revisit, under the same circumstances...but would bring a tent...and my canoe.

The campground itself is gorgeous, heavily wooded and lots of hills. It has great access to Lake Hartwell, and lots of sites. The sites are very close together throughout most of the park. The park also has lots of hills which can be a challenge for some RVs. There are also some very tight turns on these hills. Some campsites are level, some are very unlevel, there are lots of seasonal sites with built in porches making it very tight to get into the travelers spots that are mixed throughout the park.

When you enter the park make sure you stay to the left of the sign. We made the mistake of going straight our first time at this park and almost lost our 5th wheel at the turn around by the lake. If you miss the turn you are safer backing up to the entrance.

Cell Service: AT&T was minimal, T-Mobile was minimal.

Not all sites have sewer and there is a pump out service for a fee. They do have a dump station but it is not easy or ideal to move throughout the park once parked.

Each site had a picnic table, some had a fire ring. Some sites are full hook up, many do not have sewer at the site.

As of 2019 this park needed a lot of upgrades to the majority of the sites, such as fire rings, new picnic tables. The sides of the road were washing out from water run off. These were things also needed in 2018.

Amenities: Laundry Swimming Pool Dump Station Club House Pool Tables Lake Access (Lake Hartwell) Basketball Court Volleyball Playground Storage Lot Beach area Fishing

What a lovely, relaxing park. There is an area for day-use people, with boat rentals, a small swimming area, and playgrounds (including mini golf!). 

As for camping, you have two options: a large drive-in section (each with electric and water), some near the lake, some more forested, and some in the middle on higher ground.

Pro-tip: Site 18 has an amazing view, of the lake, and you can walk directly down and boat (but not swim) from the site. It's also on a "finger," so there's a tiny bit more solitude.

For strictly tent camping, there's a walk-in only section with a dirt path leading two two campgrounds, one of which abuts another lake. 

All campsites on both the drive-in and walk-in sections have a fire ring and picnic table. 

The camp HQ/store has good wifi and there's a weak phone signal is available in most of the park (site 18 has no Verizon signal, but walk a bit towards camp and you'll pick up two bars of LTE). I found the camp store prices to be reasonable and they have firewood bundles for $5.99. If you arrive after the office closes at 5pm, you can go to a site and check in the next morning.

We had a wonderful time camping at Devil's Fork State Park. Our group took up rustic tent sites T1, T3, and T5. On the map, these sites seem not ideal, as they are not on the water. However, they are more isolated, more wooded (plenty of trees for hammocking), and seemingly larger than the other tent sites. They are a short walk from the tent-camper parking area, a short walk from the two water spigots in the parking area, and a short walk from the restrooms. The bonus is that, behind sites T1 and T3, is a jumping rock into a gorgeous cove of Lake Jocassee with beautiful blue-green water. It's a great place to enjoy kayaks, rafts, and other inflatables. 

While site T13 books up quick because of its waterfront location on the point, the walk from the parking lot is no joke. 

Notes about the rustic tent sites: They have been recently renovated. Each has a picnic table and a fire ring. Only 1 vehicle is allowed to park, per site, unless you pay for the extra vehicle and park in the overflow lot. There is no electricity, and two water spigots located in the parking area. The entire camping area (25 tent sites and 59 RV sites) share 2 restrooms (which were muddy and gross while we were there). No generators are allowed in the tent area. We did have a bear visit us multiple times in one night, putting teeth puncture marks in our cooler. And if the bear don't get ya, the raccoons will!

General: Smallish (50-site) campground; all sites have water and electric with the pull-through sites considered premium. 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: Gravel driveways and most appeared level. The sites are spacious with foliage providing some separation between most sites. You would think by looking at the map that sites 12,18, and 20 would be most private/desirable, however, these sites are closest to Highway 441 and although you don’t see the highway through the trees, you will hear almost constant road noise (including engine braking from 18-wheelers) which does detract from the ambiance of camping. Each site has a large concrete picnic table, lantern hook, bbq grill, and fire ring. 

Bathhouse: Two bathroom/shower houses in the loop. Reasonably clean. Shower stalls were private with benches and hooks and the water was warm. 

Activities/Amenities: There is a playground in close proximity to the campsites. You can easily hike to the Interpretive Center (less than a mile) and from there, hike on several trails. I recommend the North and South Rim Trail Loop but there are around 1100 steps, and you do need to be in reasonably good shape. During peak autumn colors, this was a gorgeous hike! Note: you do need a permit if you plan to hike down into the gorge. We were told this is an extremely strenuous hike that takes 4-5 hours and only 100 permits are granted each day on the day you plan to hike. The Interpretive Center is open 8 am– 5 pm and the staff is very helpful. There is swimming in the summer, fishing, tennis, and spring/fall whitewater releases. There is also a gift shop with the usual t-shirts and souvenirs. There is a laundry room in the campground, however, several of the units were out of order. We didn’t use so cannot comment on the quality of the working units. 

We spent two nights here and enjoyed hiking on the North Rim and South Rim trails, descending to the suspension bridge but not all the way to the floor of the gorge.