Best Campgrounds near Waycross, GA

Should you find yourself near the FL / GA line and are on the lookout for a classic natural surrounding that is unique to Georgia, check out Charlton Co Traders Hill Recreation Area & Campground for ample Ancient and Live Oaks dripping with Spanish Moss. As my post from a bit more than a year ago provided quite a bit of detail on this campground, I’m following up on that review by sharing more fotos as well as providing a topline update: 

Highlights: (1) Great boat dock with EZ boat / kayak access; (2) Substantial peace & quiet;(3) Nice level ground to park an RV; (4) This place is very affordable for both residents and visitors; (5) Excellent boat ramp with quick & EZ access to dark frackish waters; (6) Decent fishing pier and solid nature trails; and (7) Small CG market 

Lowlights: (1) The restroom and shower facilities are some of the worst I’ve ever seen; (2) You will be covered by so much shade you will be convinced that the sun isn’t out; (3) The grounds could have been better groomed – there were a lot of downed tree branches, leaves and other debris; (3) You will want to drive very slow and cautiously on the roads here as you will be greeted by some serious potholes; and (4) Apart from the little CG market, which doesn’t have a whole lot, there’s nothing around this area if you need to load up on supplies or food, so bring what you need with you 

Happy Camping!

With an Australian theme (yeah, Walkabout didn’t initially impress upon me that Aussies were in our own backyard, silently and slowly planning to take over the country, one RV park at a time, but they’re here – and actually pretty nice!), complete with street names hailing aboriginal animal names, such as Kangaroo Lane, Kuala Bear Drive (OK, you get the picture), this place is very well kept, has decent open spaces and feels somewhat communal. 

You’ll go for a decent drive to the middle of nowhere to find this spot, but it’s pretty well worth it. Here you’ll find amenities such as a decent size pool that is very well maintained, an actual petting zoo complete with egg-laying chickens, 'all-eating' goats (that also serve as non-stop lawn mowers) and a raccoon dressed up like a Kuala Bear (OK, that last one isn’t true, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if I had seen one). For the kiddos, there’s a play area, slides, swings and a big tire hanging from the tree just begging to be pushed around.  There's also a beach volleyball, pickleball and basketball courts for fun diversions of any age.

The space itself is just a simple single loop with a couple dozen or so slots for the RV-minded camper offering all of the standard FHUs.  There's a proper clubhouse complete with stand-up bar along with excellent laundry facilities as well as a complete gym along with complimentary WiFi (that was spotty at best).  The residents were all very welcoming and get together just about every night for a proper sundowner near the pool where the Aussies who run the place, come out and tell stories from their fabled lands. 

Happy Camping!

Nice campground but looks worn down. Roads are poor, rutted and full of holes. Campsites are mostly close but have shrubbery, overgrowth between which helps. Loaded with bunnies and squirrels who don’t mind humans. Drove our dog crazy the first day! Close to restaurants, shopping and Jekyll island. Bathroom clean. Didn’t use the shower. Staff at front office can be a bit abrupt almost coming off as dismissive. One reviewer called them the “ gestapo” which came close! Tried to make reservations on line, kept saying full and unsuccessful. Called directly and got a site. And while there saw many empty sites. It’s sad at how they’ve let it run down. Could trim tress, fix roads, repair broken, laying down “ marker” lights. Says concrete pad but that’s for the picnic table. RV parking site is sand base. We had a large pull thru which was level. The park assigned the spot.

Friendly staff. Easy check in. Very clean park. Sites aren’t really big, but are separated by bushes, trees so provides some privacy. They are very pet friendly. We travel with a dog and they have a dog park. It’s not big (for larger dogs) and it would be nicer with a different surface (stone or chips) as it had really muddy areas. And of course there are always those pet owners who don’t bother to pick up there dog’s poop. So not the fault of the campground. Another camper told me they are adding a doggie grooming daycare facility. Which would be great to be able to leave your dog for the day while site seeing . Restrooms very clean. Nice showers. Doors locked and keyed with code. ice machine (free!) Didn’t use the laundry room but poked my head in and it was clean, all top loading washers. Great area to walk (like a boardwalk) around the pond. Close to stores, islands, restaurants. We would stop again for a few nights if traveling thru that area again. Restful and felt safe.

We camped here in November of 2023, and it beat our expectations! A beautiful big open area for camping with lots of spots right by the water. Wonderfully managed by locals, I only wish there wasn't a limit on the stay because we would've camped there much longer! This park has a bathroom with showers! And the showers have hot water!!!! Amazing! They are not great to look at, but that's to be expected in any area with humidity. The long sandy road coming in is often washboard and occasionally has big dips or ruts. So drive very mindfully. Overall, it's a fantastic spot, and we hope it reopens soon so we can visit again!

This is such a beautiful park! The grounds were always clean. The trails were always clean. The boardwalk was significantly damaged by hurricane Helene, so part of that trail is closed. It’s quiet and dark at night. We loved sitting at the gazebo and just watching the water. It’s so nice to see the playground area for the kids. They even have an outdoor workout gym area. There are a ton of places to sit under pavilions. The outdoor areas are so amazing.

I wish I knew more about our site when I booked it. Our site was very unlevel thanks to tree roots. How dare they grow there. 🤣🤣 Our site did not have any room in the back and it was oddly placed with two other sites. Thankfully we had nice neighbors, so it wasn’t a concern. I felt bad sitting near our rug because we were looking into the back of another RV. I didn’t want them to feel creeped out by us, so we tried to put our chairs at the front of our RV. We also had a power line in our spot, so we had to go at an angle to stay clear of it. If we go back, I would definitely go for a spot on the outer ring. I do have to say, this is the only park we’ve been to where people just cut through sites to get over to the bathhouse. We were sitting outside and people were only a few feet away from us to cut through. I know it’s not a written rule, but just etiquette. They easily could’ve walked ten feet to the right to cut through the empty space instead of our site.

The bathhouse near our site is definitely on the older side (we didn’t investigate the other one since it wasn’t near us). The water pressure was on the lower end and one showers was missing a shower head. Yes, we use the bathhouse because there are four of us and our site did not have full hookups. We also prefer to stretch out in the shower versus the tiny shower in our RV. That is our choice. They do have washers ($0.75) and dryers ($1.00).

The camp hosts were nice. All of the state park employees were very nice and helpful.

We found this place using this app on a trip to the Okefenokee Swamp. It is a small campground but well maintained. I just called ahead to make sure there were spaces available. Walter met us later that day. We settled at spot 13 with our 22 ft camper. A few sites have covered landings with fireplaces or fire pits. Ours had a fire pit. You can also take a short drive to the back of the property and put in a kayak or small boat into the Suwannee River. I would recommend this campground if you are looking for a quiet place to camp and/or visit the swamp. Walter was very nice and although the place is a little worn down it is well loved. It has also been around for a very long time. I will return.