Best Tent Camping near Sandy Springs, GA

We had 3 couples who spent the long weekend for 4th of July (2016) on two sites in the walk-in tent camping area. There are (non-flush) potties at the tent camping area, but if you're grossed out by those, it's a couple of minutes drive to the closest bath house. The bath house was very satisfactory and pretty clean, plus plenty of hot water. There's a (steep!) trail from the tent camping area down to the lake with some good places for swimming. It would probably be tough to walk a kayak down to the water from tent sites, though. We found the gravel tent pads well maintained and clean.

The location near Ellijay is great. We visited a couple of area wineries, and there's a fun mountain bike trail at Woodring Branch rec area (directly across the lake from Doll Mtn. Campground, but no direct route to get there, so it's about a 45 minute drive.)

This place is great if you still want some of the comforts of home. Water spouts are dropped around the sites and there is a bathhouse with showers and hot water accessible to all who camp there! The sites for tent camping are fairly close together-you can definitely see the next site because there aren’t a whole lot of trees but still far enough away to feel comfortable. The tent spots have gravel that is hard to get tent states into but also include a picnic table and a fire pit. Wood can be purchased for $5 from the host but you can also forage from the fallen trees on site. You may have to search around a bit but it worked well enough for my crew.

The lake was so beautiful even in the middle of winter and was such a great spot to camp. Some hikes are close by but none are big for elevation changes or waterfalls or anything like that. Still lots of places to go and get off your campsite. Maybe the best part of this park is the disc golf! My crew enjoyed the course and spent a few good hours there!

I would definitely come back and maybe try out one of the tent sites in the woods for a bit more privacy.

We had a great experience. We camped in a tent on the lakeside and had a lot of room, the facilities were clean and the campsite was amazing. Great for beginner campers :)

This is Georgia's newest state park (2013) and it is a beautiful park! The staff is great and there is plenty to see/do! The park is located on Lake Lanier with plenty of opportunities for fishing, swimming and boating! There's even a fish cleaning station (located near the main boat ramp entrance).

There are hiking trails, geocaches, a beach area, picnic shelters, cottages and a brand new equestrian trail system!

As far as camping goes, there are primitive tent/hammock sites and an RV campground. The RV campground features all paved campsites so it would be tough camping in a tent (no way to stake your tent).

Now, the ASPHALT is part of the reason for the review's title, coupled with the fact that this is a new park and tree coverage is a bit sparse for the time being. Once the canopy fills out, it will be shady.

We camped in our trusty pop up camper so direct sun is always an issue (non-insulated bunk ends) but a travel trailer/RV would probably fare well (as far as temp goes).

We'll be back but in the Fall when it is a bit cooler!

The campground hosts were friendly and they kept the bath houses/laundry facilities spotless!

This is a beautiful park and we highly recommend it, in the proper weather or camper!

Campground Review:

Red Top Mountain State Park is located in Acworth, GA. The park is located around 12,000-acre Lake Allatoona, which made it perfect for summer camping. The park has about 15 miles worth of shaded trails for hiking and mountain biking. The park also has RV, yurt, and cottage options for camping. We rented a first come first serve RV/Tent campsite during our visit, and the price was $35 for one night. The campsite was gate access and had electric/water hookups with 2 car spaces, a BBQ grill, picnic table, and a lot of trees. We had access to a public restroom, showers, and laundry. There were also primitive campsites available to rent, which were closer to the lake. Our group decided to stay at this park because we wanted to utilize the lake. The lake is beautiful; however, it was very crowded the weekend we went. The park overall has a lot of “things to do” and is family friendly, but it was given 4 stars because of how busy and crowded it was during our visit.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, I had the opportunity to test the Tentsile Flite +, which is a tent and hammock fusion. I was super excited to use this product because I am a hammock camper and there are times I wish I had the option of tent camping. The design and uniqueness of Tentsile Flite + is amazing, and I would consider it more of a tent instead of a hammock, because of how flat it lays when suspended in the air.

Pros:

• Comfortable to lay in and no need for sleeping pads or cushions.
• If you are a hammock camper, you can share this tent with another person comfortably.
• The rainfly is clutch and depending on preference it can be attached to the tent, staked to the ground, or tied to the trees.
• The Tensile Flite + is light and can be ideal for backpacking.
• The tent roof is all netting which is great for having ventilation during the summer, keeping bugs out, and also good for sky gazing.

Cons:

• Setup time and the difficulty of getting the right angle and tension.
• It was difficult finding the right trees suspend to.

Overall the Tentsile Flite + is perfect for someone who loves hammock camping, but want to enjoy some of the features tents have. I love the design and the wow factor it has on people. Also the company’s mission is very noble and how they help people in need and the environment.

Here is a video of setting up the Tensile Flite +

Beautiful campground with great hiking. I wish there were more tent sites.  Very friendly staff.

I slept really well last night here, and the camp host and guests were just great. Heated bathhouse with warm shower was definitely a highlight on a chilly morning!

Only downside in my mind was that I booked a tent site, only to find that the tent sites are down the hill from all the other sites, so if you book them you will have to haul your stuff down to the lake. It did sound like the night-time fishing would be awesome though!

They have water Front camping on the weather and Forrest for RV’s of all sizes pull through and back in . Full hook-ups and dump station to boot . Also tent camping .

We tent camped here..we were up on a steep hill, but it was beautiful!! The bathrooms were close to the site. We had a great family time here!! Deer were roaming thru the campsite.. so many!! I loved the fresh Georgia air and the atmosphere was just so relaxing!! I do know there is a whole other area for RV camping.. looks fun and nice in that area as well!!

My wife and I did the walk-in tent camping. We had a nice, relatively secluded spot. This area of Lake Lanier is pretty quiet. Great for kayaking or paddle boarding.

Second time tent camping here, but easily my tenth time coming here for the scenery. I bring all out of town visitors here for a great hike and dip in the rapids. Great amenities and wildlife to boot.

Beautiful area with hiking trails and plenty to do in general. Not far from the lodge with restaurant. Folks camping next door were super nice and even offered me hot food when tent camping in -0 degree weather. Overall pleasant experience and plenty to do and see.

beautiful campground, but if you tent camp, be aware that the tent pads are on a hill and vary greatly in size! so, if you have a bigger tent, scout out a bigger site. the bathroom and shower facilities were fine, functional and clean. the shower floor doesn’t drain super well, so if lots of folks are showering that day, the floor will be wet. the pool is very nice and so is the playground.

This State Park has only 10 yurts and 5 walk in tent sites. There are no RV sites and no dump station. Check the website to verify.

I think people are mixing Sweetwater Creek State Park up with Sweetwater Campground (which is 54 miles away on Lake Allatoona)