Best Tent Camping near Sandy Springs, GA

Red Top Mountain State Park is beautiful and Lake Allatoona is large.  Campsite 50 is a premium tent only walk-in site (a few dollars more).  It sits on a point that sticks out in the lake.  There is no shade or tree cover, so it's not "private".  There are 3 other sites near by on the walk-in area and there are no boundaries or barriers between so your neighbors are in full view.  There is no electric near the tent pad, the electric pole is 150+ feet away near the parking area.  You probably could run 175 feet of electric extension cord... but it would have to run past the three other sites... so don't plan for electric.  There is water right by the pad with a ton of pressure.  The tent pad was large but extremely hard to drive tent stakes into... smaller stakes worked better.  The bathhouse was an uphill hike probably 300 ft away but was modern and clean with hot showers and good water pressure.  The park is clean and scenic.  The staff is very courteous, friendly and helpful.  There are plenty of opportunities to hike, fish and boat.

This park is about 30-40 minutes outside of Atlanta right off of I-75.  If you are in a tent... you will hear I-75 traffic all night so keep in mind, that while it looks like country, you are not deep in nature... the drone of the highway will remind you.  There is a train that blows its whistle that will wake you up 3 times each night and also remind you that you are not deep in the woods.  The winding roads through the park outside the campground also seemed to be very popular with motorcyclists who like loud pipes.

The name Red Top Mountain is derived from the red soil in the area that was popular for the mining of abundant iron ore.  But don't look for "mountains" here... you have to travel further north for more dramatic elevation.  

Overall, a nice park, pretty scenery but not as secluded, quiet and relaxing as expected for tent camping.

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 +

"SITE# 47, Pull-Thru, Not FHU, 50A, Water, Dump LENGTH OF STAY: Stayed 9 Nights, RATE:$30.56/ Night with No Discount/ 0% Discount BATH HOUSE: Clean but Outdated LAUNDRY: Not Recorded STAFF: Friendly PARK IMPRESSIONS: Nice, We would stay here again RV PAD: Concrete, ESTIMATED RV PAD LENGTH: 40 Feet, Tow Vehicle Could NOT Stay Connected and Parking was away from site SITE SLOPE: Door side Tire Blocks needed ROADS: Adequate, MANEUVERABILITY: Narrow PEDESTAL PLACEMENT: Center of site length, SHADE: 30% GRASS AREA: At-Site, DESIGNATED PET AREA: Not Recorded PICNIC TABLE: Yes, FIRE RING: Yes, VERIZON Signal(bars): 5G-3, SPEED: 394 Mbs Download, 47 Mbs Upload T-MOBILE Signal(bars): 5G-5, SPEED: 714 Mbs Download, 124 Mbs Upload No WiFi, OTA TV CHANNELS: 75, CABLE TV: No, PLAYGROUND: Yes POOL: No, WATER FEATURE: Lake, FIREWOOD: Yes, STORE: No CLUBHOUSE: No, PROPANE AVAILABILITY: No Original site was# 46(back-in) but was VERY small. Moved to site 47(Pull-Thru) but due to road slope pull-thru is un-usable. Lower numbered sites(less than 30) appear somewhat better. Empty camp ground host side byhind 47 cannot be used unless site 47 is emprty due to sloping road. One single use dump station. One campground host presently in the park- their site was not marked. Appears that most sites are back-in and set sideways to a hillside and lakefront leaving very little level space for chairs. Fire rings are frequently located 12-20 feet away from picnic table and 3 to 9 feet below site level on a slope. Reservation Software used by office was down upon Saturday arrival with no IT help until Monday- two days away leaving office staff frustrated and using their own phone to access the reservation system customers use instead of management side of software. Staff stated it goes down frequently with no IT support on weekends. Six bathhouses in park. Bathhouse nearest beach closed awaiting replacement of fixtures after renovation. Shower has outdated fixtures- several shower heads had significant mineral deposits restricting flow. Men's side closed at another bathhouse. Many shower stalls had no hook or fixture to hang a towel or clothing. Several showers had broken shower valves making them unusable. Stayed 9 nights and did not see anyone working on bathhouses. Beach area parking is limited to 6 or 7 spaces and one handicap space however, there is a larger parking lot a little further away. Bathhouse showers have a pull string valve next to the shower head that had to be held down to get water with many strings broken, missing and too short to allow shorter people, children, or handicaped wheel-chair use. Some sites have precarious/dangerous sloping driveways for RVs to get into. Newly installed sites are near completion but they make sites very close together. Many sites do not have a fire pit and many do not have a grill. Many sites arer too small to park a second vhicle even if the camper is small. Parking on dirt or grass is prohibited by rules but appears to be selectively enforced. The campground has a boat ramp and reasonably large parking area. Extra careful site selection is warranted. Four docks in River Forks Park. Firewood is available at the office. CHECK-IN: 01:00 PM CHECK-OUT: 12:00 PM RIG: 42ft- 17,000 lb 5th Wheel"

Our site had a beautiful view of the water and awoke to sun on the water. Very few mosquitos and lovely weather. Long parking pad for RVs, tho' ours is a 17' travel trailer. Our site was near access to walk-in camping (which did not turn out to be a problem since we set up facing the water) and a long walk to the bathroom, which was reasonably clean with hot shower but no electrical outlet for my hair dryer (but hey, we were camping). Gate is locked at 10:30 PM; after that you have to park outside the entrance and walk to your site. Even with park full for weekend, it didn't feel crowded. Folks were friendly; almost everyone we passed said hi.

We stayed in a tent on the one tent-only electric site. A lot of the sites have electricity and power. People adhered to the quiet hours. The bath house is about a 5 minute walk from most of the sites, and they are clean and well-maintained (they were better than I expected). 

As for things to do, the campground is a short drive from downtown Ellijay. Within the campground, there's a boat ramp to Carters Lake, and the lake is beautiful. Most of the sites overlook the lake, although the views are partly blocked by trees. 

The sites are private and not on top of each other, which is nice. The website will say that the tent needs to be of a certain dimension to be on the wooden platform, but you can also set up the tent on the gravel area in front of the wooden platform.

We paid $24/night, with water and electricity.

I was actually shocked at how terrible our actual campsite was; we stayed at site 29, which was supposedly intended for tent camping.

Pros

• The front gate staff was very nice; check in and general store staff were average
• The general store was very convenient and decently stocked
• The bathrooms and showers were pretty nice
• Beautiful lake view. It was nice to watch kayakers and rowing teams go by
• Nice tree placement for hammock
• Close to all Stone Mountain activities
• Garbage pickup each morning (but no metal trash can to store it in??)

Cons

• The site is on a freaking hill; there is no flat surface at all and no clearing, so you have no choice but to sleep on sticks/rocks. Thank God to REI for footprints and decent sleeping pads
• Site was dirty when I arrived
• No tent pad
• Parking area is crap; it's somewhere between gravel and nothing
• $20 parking fee

There is no way I would stay at this campground again; it was definitely made for RVs.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Red Top Mountain State Park. The campground itself is spread out with large sites. There are plenty of options for waterfront sites and most all sites are shaded with canopy cover. Our site specifically that we chose 56, was perfect for our roof top tent. We parked on a flat pad below a small staircase up to a tent pad surrounded by large boulders and equipped with a picnic table and fire ring. Firewood laying around was abundant. My only complaint about this campground were the comfort station showers. If you don’t need or desire to shower I would have zero hesitation sending anyone to this campground. However if you desire or need to shower as my wife and I do, be warned they are disgusting. They are probably the worst I have experienced anywhere as far as cleanliness. They serve their purpose as far as sufficient water pressure and hot water but outside of that, they are far from pleasant.

My amazing Appalachian Trail hiking adventure officially began when we reached Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Just past where it all begins in Georgia, there is the very first shelter that you see when you are northbound, and it's called Springer Mountain Shelter. This is where I chose to have Mountain House Homestyle Turkey Dinner Casserole to celebrate my first night on the trail!

CAMPGROUND REVIEW:

Along the Appalachian trail, in addition to tentpads and campfire rings, there are three sided shelters that you are encouraged to use at night. They are made of wood, generally have a loft for extra sleeping, can fit about 10-12 people (more if it's raining, of course) and are raised and covered. My first night on the trail, my friend and I stayed at one of the most notable shelters on the AT…Springer Mountain Shelter. It's kind of where it all begins if you are headed north for the 2190 mile journey to Maine.

It's kind of cool. If you approach it in the evening, you'll likely hear the chatter of other hikers, earlier to arrive than you, before you see anyone. But when you come around the bend and see it for the first time, it's magical. Your first stop on the AT.

It's a three sided, wooden cabin-like structure with a big stone step to get inside. Simple in nature, it's a big open room with a loft where you throw down for the night. Pegs line up around the wall so you can hang a pack, your clothes, a flashlight or whatever you like. Not fancy, but exactly what you should expect when hiking this trail. There is a privy down the hill, and it's elevated and surrounded by "walls" for privacy. Just down another small trail is a stream for water. Very reliable in rainy season, but you MUST purify it before drinking. This location also has a bear box/locker for storing food at night so that you don't have to hang your bear bag. Everyone puts their food bags in and the clamp type lock goes on for the night. There were about 12 of us at the shelter the night we were there, and there was still plenty of room in the bear box.

There are also plenty of tent pads around the shelter, if you decide you'd rather have a bit more privacy.

Disclaimer: the shelters, because they are in the woods, and are essentially part of nature, are notorious for their critters. Come prepared for (and expect) mice. Bears may visit also, so please be aware, please be safe, and please don't leave a Snickers in your sleeping bag.

PRODUCT REVIEW:

As a Ranger for They Dyrt, I have the amazing opportunity to receive products in exchange for an honest review. This time, Mountain House sent me one of their super yummy Homestyle Turkey Casserole Dinners to try. So I kept it safe in my backpack until my first night, when I knew I'd be famished!

As is true with Mountain House products, this one did not disappoint. They are so darn easy to make and perfect when you need good food fast. The package says "2 servings", but that depends on your appetite. I was so hungry, I ended up eating the entire package myself!

Inside, it's all freeze dried. The meat, the veggies and the stuffing. That's right, the stuffing is in there too. No joke…it's seriously awesome! Add the water that is says to add (boiling, of course), zip the bag shut, and wait a bit. Open, stir, wait a minute or so more, and enjoy! Almost like homemade, and yet it was freeze dried! Personally, I found the flavors to be perfectly balanced. Not too salty, reminded me of Thanksgiving Dinner! I'm a chef, and picky about my food. This one hit it home!

Things I liked:

1. The ease of use - very simple to make a full, satisfying dinner as long as you can boil water.
2. Full flavor - I felt like I was eating a turkey dinner. Just like at Thanksgiving!
3. Lightweight - adds very little pack weight for it's worth in your belly.

Something I didn't like: Not a fan of how much space it takes up in my pack. But I get it...it's a convenience food. I totally understand how it works, and it works well. But a pack full of these meals is going to be bulky.

Bottom line, if I need a few good, solid, hot meals in my bag, these are my go to food. All in one, easy to use, satisfying and flavorful. This one is a winner!