Top Free Dispersed Camping near Helen, GA

Recent Dispersed Reviews In Helen

82 Reviews of 39 Helen Campgrounds

• 

  Darwin R.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 1, 2024

  Indian Grave Gap Campsite

  ADV Bike Motocamping

  If you’re anywhere near Helen, GA on an ADV Bike, this summit is for you. There are three routes up the mountain so you never have to double back. There are more primitive sites at the top of the mountain (not where the Dyrt pin was dropped) on both sides of the fork. Suitable for tents and hammocks. There is one site that would support a large group or even a camper (or two) if you can get them up the steep rocky hunting trail. Sites were mostly clean with rock fire pits.

• L

  Lillian R.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 19, 2024

  Soggy Boot Campground

  good camp sites

  the directions get you to the general area fine. the campsites are hard to find in the dark - we ended up just stopping at the first clearing from a fork on the gravel road we saw to set up a tent. road is very bumpy, there’s a stream near some of the spots , we looked for a fire ring where we stopped in the morning and didn’t see one.

• 

  Gillian S.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 13, 2024

  Indian Grave Gap Campsite

  Good for Big Groups

  Three campsites in the immediate area. Two are on one side of the road. You have to cross thru one to get to the other. All three have creek access. We picked the single on the other side. Not a lot of flat ground options. Each site is huge. We decided to spread out but that meant having to do a lot of walking back and forth for stuff. You can pull your car into the site easily. It’s about a mile from the High Shoals Trailhead. Both waterfalls are lovely. One has a nice swimming hole. The closest town is Hiawasee. Had a grocery and an outfitters if you need supplies. There’s only two sit down restaurants—one had an hour wait; the other had run out of food.

• 

  Linda F.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 2, 2024

  Blue Valley Dispersed Camping

  Blue valley

  I went in July and it was cool in day and cold at night nice , secluded

• C

  Claudia H.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 12, 2024

  Mountain Rest Mountain Top

  Hilltop camping with hiking trails

  Great spot with room to turn around. Shaded and at trailhead of a trail down to creek and near a second trail to a waterfall. Had a few people during the day but evenings were totally quiet. A bit of extra vehicle clearance is helpful...slow and steady gets you to a great spot. No services here but good dispersed spot.

• S

  Seth R.

  Guide

  

  May. 17, 2024

  Panther Top Dispersed Site

  Amazing spot with GREAT views

  I had 3 bars of AT&T which worked well. The view from the shore was amazing and in my opinion comparable to some spots in Hawaii. It was nice and quiet, chilly at night, and not too far from murphy. We also hiked up to a nearby fire tower and it was a fun little hike. 10/10 will be returning.

  (I just got a new drone and I made a fun little video of the campsite and the hike we did.)

• 

  Clay T.

  Guide

  

  May. 7, 2024

  Chattahoochee National Forest Boggs Creek Recreation Area

  A breathtaking spot.

  Great quietly secluded. Made an effort to go as far as I could. And even through the water in my 2015 Toyota sienna mobbed right on through. Enjoy the views!

• 

  Alex R.

  Guide

  

  May. 1, 2024

  Sandy Beach Campsite

  Nice campsite right next to the river

  Right next to the Chattooga river. You're on the beach.

• B

  Billie P.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 21, 2024

  Jones Creek Dispersed Campground

  Beautiful but popular

  Dont park where the map tells you, you can drive to the locations on a decent narrow dirt road.

  When we first arrived, the camp site we chose was on the river, but also off the main road. This area seems to be popular for local dirt bikers, but we seen people fishing and relaxing all the same.

  I would have gave 5 stars, but these sites are well used and has years of careless debris around. We also heard some folks shooting guns( in the distance), which isn’t a problem for us, but reduced the relaxing nature of the visit with all this combined.

  This river is amazing, low current makes its easy to walk in and there are a few little water falls we enjoyed hanging on for a bit.

• 

  amanda R.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 1, 2024

  Long Hungry Road Dispersed Campsites

  Great site!

  This was such a nice quiet campground. We arrived around 8am and got the first campsite we saw. This is the most established dispersed campsite that I’ve stayed at as it has a fire circle, a grill and a picnic table. It’s very quiet and very few cars passed. There’s a walking/hiking trail across the lake where we saw some hikers and some people on horseback. The site was very clean minus a few pieces of trash that we later picked up. The dogs loved it because our site was right on the lake. We drove down the gravel road to check out the other campsites and they all seem great if you’re tent camping! We car camped and our campsite was perfect because it had a parking space right in front of it whereas the other sites had parking spaces across the road. Overall a great place. I can’t wait to go back!

• 

  Natalie R.

  Guide

  

  Feb. 9, 2024

  Lake Santeelah

  Quiet, nice spaces, and clean!

  Such a great find! I was hoping to car camp a little closer to NOC but not in a campground but this is the closest I could find in February. I would definitely stay here again! Very quiet and clean and the sites are very well laid out and maintained! No hook ups of any kind but it’s worth it! Highway Patrol and Park Rangers patrol pretty frequently so I felt really safe as a solo female. I still took all the safety precautions but didn’t feel as necessary as some.

• B

  Brian

  Guide

  

  Nov. 16, 2023

  Falls Creek

  Nice secluded spot

  There is room for two vehicles and multiple tent spots. Very secluded and fairly level. Overall a great spot. If it had an epic view I would have it at 5 stars. River is about .6 mile hike away and the road is not bad getting in. Basically 2 track forest road.

• 

  WDRoberson

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 7, 2023

  Lake Santeelah

  Well maintained free camping

  We were fortunate to get a site that allowed us to pull the car right into the site for our roof top tent. Not very far to walk to reach the lake and the fishing wasn’t bad at all. Bass and Bluegills. Fairly quiet besides the rice burners heading to Tail of the Dragon. Very good overall.

• 

  Robert W.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 27, 2023

  Lake Santeelah

  Stunning 😍

  GPS coordinates got me exactly to where I wanted to go. Lots of twists and turns going up the dragon with beautiful scenery of the trees changing colors in late October. There are a handful of Lots located right along the lake with a beautiful view of the mountains in the distance. My dog absolutely loved how much space she had to roam around and how clear the water was excellent for swimming.

  Some of the plots you can only fit one tent others you could fit up to three or four

• 

  Robert N.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 9, 2023

  Panther Top Dispersed Site

  Panther Top Dispersed

  Great spot right on the little lake. You can hear the gun range from the Camp Spot, but it is barely noticeable. There are two main spots right on the lake that are set up for tent camping. My overland rig fit in the small parking area fine, but I had to find a few rocks to level my truck so the rooftop tent was level. It is obviously a spot that locals come to party on the weekends but I had no issues. There looks like there are only 2 primary camping spots with fire rings and tent pads. My spot had a picnic table and two tent pads, a pole for your lantern and was just feet from the lake. Lots of fish jumping and I caught a 1 pound large mouth bass on a silver spinning lure. Over all a great spot. No bugs, but you will likely need to bring firewood, as all of the fallen trees had been scavenged. Since there are only two spot, definitely have a backup plan, especially on the weekends.

• T

  Trevor S.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 28, 2023

  Wesser Bald Fire Tower

  Great spot, beautiful views

  Started out after dark and set up hammocks under the fire tower. Nice hike and good view in the morning

• 

  Steve K.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 16, 2023

  Long Hungry Road Dispersed Campsites

  Field test truck camping

  First site(L1)was open so I took it. I spent two nights there. First time dispersed camping in National Forest and truck camping. Even though I've been camping my whole life, all my equipment was new so it was a learning experience. 😁 Parking was pretty level, but behind my rear wheels it declined toward the lake. The tent pad, picnic table and fire ring was on level ground. It was really quiet during the day, but there were some very loud frogs(?) during the night, enough to wake you up. 2nd night I played music and I slept good. Lol If your GPS says that you have reached your destination, you probably have passed the gravel road. Once on gravel road, veer to the right and you will pass the cemetery on your left, then you'll see kiosk. Sign shows you have to register there at the kiosk. I enjoyed my time there and hopefully can go back again this year. Hope y'all are enjoying the great outdoors. LIV'N!

• C

  Cooper B.

  Scout

  

  Mar. 15, 2023

  Soggy Boot Campground

  Beautiful clearing

  I went with my girlfriend and dog and had a blast. Is a little confusing to find but just when you question if you’re heading to the right place, you’re greeted with a fork and small trail down to a massive clearing. You could easily fit 8 cars around the area. There’s a very flat area, a fire pit, and creek surrounded by forest and mountains. Will definitely be coming back to this location.

• C

  Colton F.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 25, 2023

  Lake Santeelah

  Great spot

  I will say there isn’t a lot of campsites but the ones they have are great. Fishing from the banks is possible and it was relatively clean and quiet. Definitely worth a visit

• 

  Ethan B.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 21, 2023

  Blackwell Bridge

  Peaceful ish

  Couple things to know you don't need 4wd to get to the campsite. I do want to say though that the road down to the spot is a little wonky so be prepare for bumpy road. I will like to say there is a road literally 300 feet next to the campsite doesnt seem that busy but you might get a car once every 45 mins. Other wise the campsite is nice there was a good bit of trash thrown around. I tried cleaning up the best I can but be aware pls clean up after yourself. There are two campsite on opposite side of the road if the main one is taken. One of the nice things is if you have a tent you can get right next to the water definitely say beautiful area. Will go back.

• 

  Ethan B.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 16, 2023

  Long Hungry Road Dispersed Campsites

  Nice camping ground but closed

  This is a good camping ground especially if you get the one right off the lake. When we arrived the campground was closed for vehicles. So we walk in a took around. Great spots right of the lake. They say it won't open till April. There is a another campsite less than 4 miles up the road you can camp at, but over all good area. Any vehicle can get to location its bumpy bit that's bc its half gravel half dirt. Keeeepp exploring the wilderness must be explored. Ps. Clean up after yourself

• E

  Evan D.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 4, 2023

  Lake Santeelah

  Great free place with amazing views

  This camp site is free to use and it is a great little place. The sites are huge like you could probably fit a few different set ups in each site. It’s a little confusing if you get here in the dark while it’s pouring rain but I just took the first right onto the gravel road where the bathrooms are and there is 3 sites down there with greats views of the lake.

• 

  Andy K.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 2, 2023

  Lake Santeetlah

  Lakeside site with good view

  Nice lakeside side with good lake views. Park next to site. Toilet facility available, site next to marina on north side. Cellphone service with Verizon ok 1or 2 bars.

• 

  Andy K.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 2, 2023

  Lake Santeetlah

  Nice sites with good views of the lake

  Stayed at the site next to the marina on the North side. Lake sudd access and can park next to the site. Also has a toilet facility. Cell phone service with Verizon was 1 to 2 bars. Sometimes good others not so.

• 

  Karen

  Guide

  

  Oct. 21, 2022

  Lake Santeelah

  Nice serene lakeside spots

  It's an absolutely beautiful lake in the forest. The trees are turning and the sky is blue. Only drawback is the Pine Ridge Rd dispersed camping is along the roadside. Not really private. You have to walk to your site if you want to set up a tent. No room for a large RV. But the scenery is beautiful. AT&T works just fine!

• 

  Tyler T.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 8, 2022

  Lake Santeelah

  Lake view all around

  There are several camps all just off the road. They all get right up to the lake with area for tent and fire pit

• 

  Asher K.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 1, 2022

  Siler Bald Trail Shelter TR 373

  Trail photos

  Closest shelter to the bald where you can get an amazing view. Well cared for and in an incredible area. Just be prepared for a climb to see the view.