Best Cabin Camping near Menlo, GA

Battlefield Campground is an extremely convenient RV park located right of I-75 about 20 minutes south of Chattanooga. It is very easy to get to, but part of that convenience comes with an absence of quiet; the interstate runs directly beside the campground, and is visible from the storage sites across from sites 11-24.

This is an excellent place for long-term campers, and it includes a nice playground, a pool, and a camp store/clubhouse. We could not get close to the pool or playground as they were closed due to COVID-19, which was comforting that they are taking public safety seriously. Sites include 50 and 30 amp full service, and seven tent sites in the middle of the campground that also include electric. There are seven camping cabins spaced throughout the campground that have outside picnic tables and grills, and beds inside as well as electricity.

Most of the sites here are nicely wooded, and as the area is slightly hilly there are elevation changes between several rows of sites which allows for a little more privacy than many RV parks offer. 

Downsides to this park are the highway noise, and the campground roads are paved but in need of maintenance; the road is eroded in a lot of places. 

Upsides are the sites are shady and well landscaped, and there are great amenities for families looking to stay here for extended periods of time, as well as the proximity to Chattanooga, Chickamauga Battlefield, and Ringold/Ft. Oglethorpe.

We love camping at Fort Mountain. Its usually a good bit cooler due to the elevation, and the private wooded campsites make tent camping in Georgia’s summer heat much more enjoyable. Good hiking and things to do nearby.

Visited Lake Guntersville State Park, for the day. After taking our granddaughter to Screaming Eagle Zip-line Adventures, located at the gorgeous Lodge, we visited the Campground…and it’s amazing! At the office, we were helped by Rocky, who was friendly and knowledgeable! We received CG info and a map, as well as rates. We are already planning our next trip to visit! The general store was stocked with necessities, as well as souvenirs. Of course we had to get some ice cream! There are several types of sites, monthly, cabins and tent camping. There are boat slips (local rentals) and a Pavilion on the water, basketball and tennis courts, playground, shady dog park, splash pad, and clean bathhouses. Firewood and ice can be purchased at the store. There are also many trails to hike and bike . It is easy to see that this SP is well maintained! The SP Lodge is worth visiting, which has a nice restaurant. LGSP has a golf course, and the quaint town is close by and has shopping and several restaurants.

Fort Mountain has options for every kind of camper. From pull through and hookup sites for RV campers to the walk-in sites and platform sites, formerly known as the squirrel's nest. Lots of trees, the restrooms and bath houses are very well kept. There's a nice lake with a swimming area and paddle boat and canoe rentals. There are also nice hiking trails, most of them are pretty easy and well-maintained. There are some beautiful more advanced trails that give you some amazing views of the mountains on various Overlook sites. There are also several beautiful waterfalls for hikers with a little more physical skill. You definitely have to be prepared for Bears. There are bear proof storage containers in a few areas, otherwise everything must be kept stored securely such as in a vehicle. The Bears are not aggressive but they certainly know how to get into a cooler. The platform sites in the squirrel's Nest are fairly remote and rustic. Some of those sites have room to pitch a tent, some of them not so much. You definitely get good exercise hauling your gear from the car but the walk is well worth the privacy. They have also just recently built several additional cabins for those who prefer to be inside.

I agree with the other reviews posted so far. Nice (but small) lots, most were level. Tents and cabins are available also. Nice staff, we got there after they closed but someone still met us and helped us find our spot. Nice bath house, laundry house, swimming pool, and dog park. Very close to Chattanooga sights.

The great experience started soon after booking. I booked two non-consecutive nights due to staying here on the way to and from a destination. They immediately texted to confirm it wasn’t a mistake, which I appreciate. The campground has excellent facilities and feels VERY secluded. It is steep here but not terrible. The cabins look nice. It’s also well wooded, which I appreciate. Overall definitely recommend!

We have been here many times, it's one of our favorite state parks! The hiking and scenery is one you don't want to miss! If you can, make the hike down to Cherokee Falls and pack your swimsuit and a picnic! As far as camping, they have literally everything a camper needs and more!! RV, hookups, tent, picnic tables, grills, firepit, yurts, cabins, restrooms, bathhouse, laundry, group lodging, etc. Super friendly and pretty clean!

We enjoyed our stay at the East Rim Campground. Our site was fairly level and we loved being close to waterfall trails and East Rim trail. Our neighbors were noisy with 2 different tent campers with babies and toddlers and a dog that stayed off leash. It chased the deer that were feeding across the road away which was frustrating. Camp bathroom was clean. Trail to waterfall trails between cabins 1 & 2.

Cloudland Canyon State Park was worth the drive! Below Chattanooga, Tn off of GA I59 at Trenton .

The drive through the Georgia countryside was enjoyable with some fun roads (if you like snaking roads) and excellent views.

The staff was super helpful and informative and the campground selection good (reserve ahead!) RV , Cabins, yurts, backcountry sites as well as walkin campsites. The RV sites are gravel with picnic table and fire ring; plenty big to spread out in . Clean, newer facilities and well maintained.

The walk in campsites are large, spaced well apart, with picnic table and fire ring . There are connector trails near all of the different areas which links pretty much everything within the park. So once you walk into your dwelling of choice you do not have to use your vehicle again to get to the many trails and activities

The trails are moderate to strenuous and take you to some pretty awesome sights. From overlooks, to waterfalls and Georgia foliage there is a lot to discover. 5 Points Recreation Area is nearby( also has a connector trail) and offers bike, horse and hiking trails) Bear Creak is a 7+ mile back country loop that is challenging.

Campground Review:

Overall summary: A great campground with sites for tents, RVs, and even cabins. Well organized so that different camping experiences have designated spaces making for better experiences for everyone.

My wife and I stayed at this campground with another couple who are friends of ours from Atlanta while bike packing parts of the Silver Comet Trail. We spent the whole day covering about 35 miles on our bikes with gear on the back having an amazing time. We were even able to stop for lunch in Rockmart and take a nice break. Since I knew it was going to be one of the first beautiful weekends of fall and that there would probably be a crowd I emailed the campground in advance to make a reservation. They told me that they don’t have staff on the premise working over the weekend but that they would hold a site for us. When we arrive that afternoon we found many sites available along the road so we just went and grabbed and envelope to pay and set up camp in a semi-private area next to what looked like a vacant small cabin.

Getting settled we were also able to explore around the site a little more and found that it was set up to have several different campground areas divided for different purposes. There is a huge field right along the main entrance that is designed for groups of bike campers where you can set up wherever then use the picnic and gazebo area for cooking and hanging out. This is also the area with the bathrooms (a retrofitted trailer) and there are several benches and swings. Continuing along the main road in the ground to the right are many small campgrounds for private groups interspersed with a couple small cabins. On the other side of the road are RV sites for people wishing to stay for a couple nights only. If you continue on and head up the hill there is a whole separate section of the camp set up for long term RV sites with monthly rental options. Additionally, right across the road from where we stayed were 2 small shower rooms that have a sink but no toilet and hot water for showers.

After getting settled in we began working on getting a fire going and were trying to use a small knife to break down some larger logs we found. The gentleman staying in the cabin saw us struggling and offered to grab his chainsaw and break down the wood for us. We happily obliged and got to chatting with him. He told us that it is actually his father-in-law who owns the place and that he stays in the cabins sometimes when they aren’t being used. Later on the owner came by to pick him up and I cannot express just how wonderful, welcoming, and friendly they both were. It was an amazing experience and they could not have been more gracious hosts. The only downside was that many of the tent sites are close together but everything else about the site is very well managed and organized. You can tell that the owner really takes good care of everything and values the environment he has built.

We had a restful night sleep and continued on our trek the next day. If you are in the area and have a chance to spend the night here I would highly recommend it!

……………………….

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to try out new and interesting products at campgrounds I visit. On this trip, I tried out the Renogy E.TUNES Solar Bluetooth Speaker. My takeaways from using the combo speaker/solar charger are:

1. The solar panel actually works and is effective if you have full sun and can leave it out to be exposed for a while. I found a great spot was on the dashboard of the car while we were biking for the day. It has an indicator light that lets you know if you have it angled correctly and if it is charging. Then there are lights that blink and fill in as it charges so you can know when it is done. A couple hours out in the sun is enough to recharge the battery completely and give you several hours of music time.
2. Wow the speaker has some serious umph. I will be honest that I wasn’t expecting much from this speaker. I thought it would be a small thing that would be good for those occasions where I want to listen outside on a short hike or at a campground in the evening but the sound from this thing is no joke. It actually has a separate bass built in so you get really loud high quality sound. The speaker itself doesn’t have volume control so you will need to use the bluetooth connected music device to adjust that. However, you can skip songs and pause/play so that is a nice feature. I have actually started using this speaker at home in parallel with another when we project movies outside since it gives such a nice addition to the sound.
3. USB outlet for phone charging. This was a wonderful feature for a car camping trip where we weren’t worried about the extra weight but didn’t want to have to bring along another battery pack to keep up with at the campground. We could just charge our phone and play music all in one device.
4. Finally, the speaker is very well built and durable especially with the additional rubber bumper you can add on. I have accidentally dropped it a couple times already with not even any visible wear let alone effect on the functionality.

Overall, I would say this speaker is well worth the value and an amazing addition not only to your camping gear but also perfect for around the house or just a day at the beach. It charges quickly, puts out some wonderful sound, and comes with a slew of extra features.

I wasn’t sure what to expect judging by their website pictures but camping here in June on a waterfront lot we had a beautiful view of the river and mountain out our back dining area window. The pool closes when the office closes so in the heat of the afternoon around 4 o’clock the pool closed. That was unfortunate because the heat index the last couple days has been at 110 degrees. Too hot to sit outside and the pool was closed. There was a mayfly hatch overnight and the office and floating cabins were covered with them.

We camped here just before all of the COVID-19 shutdowns began happening, hoping to get in a family trip that didn't involve a long drive from home/Chattanooga. We chose Fort Mountain for the variety of camping options they had, specifically the platform sites. As one of our primary requirements for camping is privacy and a place our kids can run around without bothering anyone else, having a place slightly off the main road sounded perfect--and it was. 

Fort Mountain is a huge campground, offering 70 drive-in campsites for tents/campers, 6 platform sites, 4 walk in sites, 4 backcountry sites, and 3 pioneer sites. The platform sites are a short walk from a parking area near the lake so you can make multiple trips to the car if necessary, while the backcountry sites are up to a 3 mile hike in, so all gear, food, and water will need to be packed in. Be mindful of wildlife as well, even in March we saw a copperhead near the creek by Platform 1.

As with most campgrounds there is large variety in the sites available, ranging from smaller sites near the main road through the campground (31-44), to larger sites right on the lake (46-50), to sites near the center of the campground with easy access to the many amenities the park has to offer, including the docks/boat rental, beach, and a mini golf course. Site 45 is very large but the trail around the lake and to the platform sites cuts past it so there may be some foot traffic past the site, particularly during busy times. Sites 46, 47, and 49 have amazing lakeside views, which completely make up for the visibility from one site to another. Site 48 is very small and more suited for a pull-through camper, as it has little privacy and the trail from the parking lot for the platform sites walks above it. 

(Note about the platform sites--the map is misleading. There is a small trail that runs to the sites from the lakeside trail, and the start with 1 closest to the lake and head up a rather steep climb to 6. There is a secondary trail that crosses a small creek and intersections with platform 1 to the right and 2-6 to the left.)

Loop #1 does not have any lakefront sites, and is closed to drive-thru traffic without reservations so we were not able to look closely at the sites, but it looks overall like it is wooded and shady, though smaller than the sites in loop #2. 

Cottage #5 is the only true lakefront cabin, with a long staircase walking from the cabin to the lakeside trail. It is three bedrooms and would be great for large family gatherings. 

We did not make it to the Fire Tower the state park is named for, but as a homeschool family we are always excited to find CCC buildings as living history and political science lessons, and the only trail we got to explore was the lakeside trail, which was short but scenic, although even at the time we were there was already quite crowded, so I imagine during the busy season it would be hard to find solitude. 

This is a great vacation spot. Between the variety of campsites, hiking, boat rentals, beach, and family activities, it would be easy to spend a week here in a camper or an RV and not even notice how fast the time was flying. As for a one or two night stay, we typically prefer places with fewer activities so we can just enjoy CAMPING--but the platform and backcountry campsites still provide for those with similar camping styles. And being so close to both Chattanooga and Atlanta, this is an amazing find for families. We would definitely return, and stay in either one of the platform sites again (my husband in particular loved that we did not have to worry about  a tent!), or try and reserve one of the sites along the lake so we could enjoy time at camp while taking in the views.

Fort Mountain State Park in Georgia was a fantastic getaway for my family. We spent five nights there and could not have been happier. The hiking trails are great, the lookouts on the east and west sides of the mountain offer phenomenal views, and we couldn't have found a better campsite if we had tried! The best part of the trip, besides awesome weather, was the fact that halfway up the mountain that the state park is on, we lost cell service and didn't get it back until we went back down the mountain! The park office does offer free wifi, that is always on, so you can get connected in the middle of the night if you absolutely have to, but if you're camping to get away from it all, why bother? Happy Camping!

We stayed at this campground in the middle of November 2020 around Veterans Day.  We booked one of the cabins which was perfect (there are several at various sizes).  The one we stayed in had two rooms; one to sleep in (a double and a bunkbed) with a small fridge, microwave, and coffee maker and a bathroom with a walk in shower.  The campground was clean and quiet.  There was a Landry room at the bathhouse, which we were able to wash our clothes before heading home.  You are minutes from Chattanooga and other sites like Ruby Falls and Lookout Mountain/Rock City (it's best to purchase ticket online and recommended by the sites).  The staff was awesome and polite, easy to talk to.  There was a hiking trail.  You can tour the cavern for a cost, which was separate from the park office.  We look forward to staying again, hopefully by then in a RV.