Best Tent Camping near Sparta, GA

Tent campsites near Sparta, Georgia include several established and dispersed options within driving distance. Ocmulgee River Camp offers primitive tent camping with drive-in and walk-in access, while Tyler Hunt Camp provides basic dispersed tent sites. Raysville Marina and Soap Creek Marina also accommodate tent campers, with Raysville earning higher ratings from visitors.

Most tent campgrounds in the Sparta region have minimal amenities. Ocmulgee River Camp features open spaces for camping but lacks facilities such as drinking water, toilets, or trash service. Campers must pack in all supplies and pack out all waste. Fire pits are available at some locations, and fires are generally permitted, though seasonal restrictions may apply. The access road to Ocmulgee River Camp is described as bumpy but manageable, with approximately one mile of travel from the main road. Tyler Hunt Camp similarly offers basic tent sites without amenities, requiring self-sufficiency from visitors.

Areas farther from developed facilities offer deeper seclusion for tent campers. Ocmulgee River Camp provides flat terrain with ample space between campsites, making it suitable for tent setup. Wildlife sightings are common, with visitors reporting deer and occasional hunting activity in the vicinity. Tyler Hunt Camp offers a more secluded experience during daylight hours but has reported vehicle traffic after dark. Soap Creek Marina includes tent spots with fire pits and picnic tables, plus access to walking trails. A camper noted, "It was nice and warm even in December! Almost 70 degrees! Spot with a nice horse trail to hike - saw some deer and a mystery black animal, maybe a boar or a bear."

Best Tent Sites Near Sparta, Georgia (6)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Sparta, GA

1 Photos of 6 Sparta Campgrounds


Tent Camping Reviews near Sparta, GA

287 Reviews of 6 Sparta Campgrounds


  • Andy S.
    Sep. 16, 2019

    Mistletoe State Park Campground

    Nice!

    This is a review of the four walk-in tent sites at Mistletoe State Park.  I personally stayed in #4 and had a look at the others. 

    The best site is definitely #2 -- feet from the water, spacious, suitable for more than one tent or hammock (better for tents as it is mostly open, but there are places for hammocks along the edges). 

    Site #4 is probably second best, better for a hammocks probably (which is what I had) as no great level ground. It is not right on the water but has it's own private path to the water(couple hundred feet to the water).

    Sites #1 & #3 do not really have access to the water without climbing down something steeply dangerous or through thick trees.  (The water access from the other sites is right in the middle of those other sites so you couldn't really share that unless they are empty or occupied by friends.)  Still #1 is a pretty good site.  #3 is the least interesting and smallest, but still secluded -- I wouldn't call any of these bad.

    None of these sites have groomed tent pads -- just gravelly ground.   They do each have a table, fire pit, and lantern pole.  #1 & #2 are best for tents.  There is good separation between all sites.  Sites #2 & #3 are within shouting distance of each other and you'd be able to see tents, etc at one from the other.  There is an outhouse between sites #1 & #2, and another another between sites #3 & #4.  It is a 5 minute (or so) walk to the real bathroom (which also has showers) back in the main campground.

    Other than the lake itself at sites #2 & #4, I didn't see any dedicated water source for these sites.  (The lake is silty -- pre-filtering recommended if you are using a filter.)  So you'd have to bring in water or get it from the bathroom area or maybe from an empty RV site which all have spigots.  You'll have to pack out your trash, and there are definitely critters around that will get in your trash so it should be secured somehow.  (Hanging it from the lantern pole isn't good enough -- you'll wake up to find a hole in the bag and it strewn around, ask me how I know.)

    Everything in the park was very clean and well-maintained, although when I was here in September (during the week), the whole place was basically deserted anyway.

    The water access at sites #2 & #4 is nice but it is not a real beach -- it is all large rocks for the most part and they were very slippery even when dry so be careful.  The water level was also extremely low when I was there so some of those rocks are probably covered by water earlier in the year.

  • Mo F.
    Aug. 26, 2016

    Mistletoe State Park Campground

    Waterfront seclusion

    We camped in one of the tent only walk-in sites located on a peninsula jutting into the lake. We had a ton of stuff, not realizing it was an uphill and pretty long trek, but it was totally worth it. We had the whole place to ourselves, no neighbors, in late March. The sun setting over the water was beautiful, it was quiet even as a few motor boats came in for the night. There is a tiny beach on the tip of the peninsula, picnic tables, and an outhouse. It was my favorite spot of everywhere we stayed on an Alabama-Georgia-South Carolina roadtrip including AirBnB and bed and breakfast.

  • D
    Jun. 20, 2022

    Wildwood County Park

    Not perfect, but really good!

    Our favorite park is Mistletoe, a GA state owned park. This park is just a few miles away from Mistletoe and we only stayed here because we could not get a site at Mistletoe. In the end, we are glad that we did as this park is about 35% less expensive than Mistletoe and provides the same great lake views (ok, Mistletoe is still our favorite, but for the money this is a no brainer).

    We stayed on two sites as nothing was available for our entire duration. So, we started on site 38 and then moved to 58 after a couple of days (we can be quite fast at breaking down/setting up for in-park moves).

    Site 38 was interesting because we had about 100 whitetail deer in our back yard every night. The camp host apparently was feeding them, and he set up spot lights so that they could be watched as they ate. The deer had no fear (not sure that is good), but I am sure the appreciated the food. The only bad side to this is that the lights stayed on very late and it was impossible to block the light from our windows. I can overlook this, though.

    Site 38 was large enough and had big, flat, surface for the picnic table, fire ring, camper, and truck. Beyond this pad there was not much distance before you got to the next site, which just had a tent camper (who mostly was gone because this time we visited during a VERY cold spell and I don't think the tent camper would have survived the night!).

    Site 38 had views of the water, kind of like a finger cover, but it was not very close to the camper. Still nice though as the walk through the woods to the water was easy. 

    We moved to site 58 after a couple of days and it was directly on the water. This site was smaller than 38, and was only one of a handful of RV sites that are situated in an yurt camping area (if you have family that does not have an RV, you could stay in your RV and they could stay in the really upscale yurts!). 

    The weather, as noted already, was very cold and moving to a true waterfront lot made going outside something only for the brave! It was 40 degrees with 60 mph wind gusts that day...kind of fun!

    We walked around to see what the park had on that side, and it included a nice sandy beach, picnic tables under the shade, and a really cool primitive camping area that was out on a peninsula.

    As noted at the start, a nice park for the money. The cost was only $25 a night in March 2022 and that is hard to beat. If this were $40 a night I would de-rate it to 4 stars.

    All of the photos are from site 38 except the white caps on the lake, which was taken On our walk near 58.

  • E
    Jun. 20, 2021

    A. H. Stephens State Park Campground

    Quiet and nice clean

    While the tropical storm weather cut our trip to AH Stephens Historic Park we still very much enjoyed our visit.

    We stayed in 2 sites with the grandparents. #9 & #12

    Site 12 was a very nice straight site with the picnic table and fire ring down a few steps off the back of the main pad. Nicely wooded there was a tree very close to the hook up that caused us to park forward a bit to allow for a slide and side bunk to fully function.

    Site 9 (handicapped site) was perfect for the grandparents as there was a short paved walkway straight to the bath house.

    Both sites were nicely graveled and level.

  • Everette G.
    Oct. 18, 2020

    Lawrence Shoals Campground

    Quaint, Rustic Campground, Not Very Tent Friendly

    My wife and I booked site 1 after there was nothing else available, literally, in the entire state. We arrived Friday afternoon, first impression is that the park is extremely well maintained. The hosts were very friendly, and very accommodating after learning that our site actually wasn't suitable for our tent. We moved to site 36, which, unlike site 1, was flat and long enough for our admittedly huge tent. Each site had a grill and either a grated iron fire ring or stone fire ring. The facilities were well maintained although the hardware was fairly dated. There were laundry machines at the facilities as well. The park itself was very quaint and rustic, with some very well maintained trails that catered to both hikers and bikers. There is a very cool rock effigy with a multi story observation tower, and lots of very cool information. It's like an outdoor museum. This campground isn't particularly tent friendly, but it's not a bad option if you want something local or need it as a backup. Definitely choose your site with care if you are in a tent, as not all of the sites are flat or have gravel pads. The campground is far enough from major light pollution to see a good amount of stars in the sky, but they do have huge floodlights at the entrance of the campground. Overall, I'm glad to know that it is there in case we are unable to go to one of our go-to campgrounds, but I wouldn't call it my favorite.

  • Shannon L.
    Jun. 30, 2018

    Mistletoe State Park Campground

    Very nice!

    Veryn good area to walk in and camp, hike in and camp or even drive in!! I've done both hike in and walk in. Had my dog with me both times also. It won't let me post a pic though.

  • Andy S.
    Sep. 16, 2019

    Mistletoe State Park Campground

    Deep forest, buggy backcountry!

    This review is of the three backcountry hike-in sites at Mistletoe State Park along the Rock Dam Trail.  I didn't stay in any of these, but checked them out as I hiked the Rock Dam Trail.  This trail was supposed to involve several water crossings, but when I was here in September, the water level was extremely low and nothing was flowing beyond a trickle.  Water in the streams was mostly still and quite murky.   If you are filtering water (and you surely will be if you are camping back here), you'll need to pre-filter well to not clog your filter (at least when it is low and murky).

    If you hike the trail from the Mistletoe parking lot counter-clockwise, site #1 is about 2.8 miles in, site #2 about 4.1 miles in, and site #3 about 4.8 miles in.  (So sites #2 & #3 would be closer going clockwise.)  Water sources: sites #1 & #2 are near the stream, and #3 is near a small lake.  If the water is low like it was when I was here, the lake water was not accessible -- you'd have to trudge through 50 fifty feet of mud to get to it and you'd probably get swallowed or it would really suck anyway.  So save #3 for the springtime only I think.  The other two water was there but murky as I said.  (Apparently when the water is high the streams are really flowing and possibly near waist level to hike through at some points.)

    Site #1 was the best in the most interesting location, spacious, level, pretty nice site for tents or hammocks.  Site #2 was more boring, smaller and without really good ground for a tent, although workable.  No shortage of trees for hammocks though.  Site #3 was decent (and the closest to start if you hike the trail clockwise), but again only when the lake water is high or there won't be any water (see pic).

    All of these sites are in the forest and I'm sure it is quite buggy almost always, so be prepared with thermacells, bug nets, etc.  All sites had a table and fire pit.  All trash must be packed out.  The trail itself was pretty good, moderately strenuous with a fair amount of ups & downs and parts where you are in a very narrow ravine.  If the water crossings really involved water (as they do in the spring apparently) it would be even more strenuous.

  • Rachel G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 18, 2019

    Mistletoe State Park Campground

    Water and land

    The main feature is the lake. Fishing, boating, kayaking, swimming. Stayed at site #12. Waterfront excellent view of lake but sunny site. Sites had water, electric, concrete table, fire ring, and lantern hook. Not much barrier between sites but sites were good size just open. Everyone was very friendly. During week it was relatively empty but on Friday the campground started to fill up. Sites in the 60-90 loop looked the best with water views and shade and most were pull through. The bathrooms were ok and there is a laundry room. The bathrooms were quite far from some sites requiring a long walk or drive. Park had a great store selling souvenirs, ice, firewood, worms for fishing. Campground staff and host were very friendly. Not much around outside park. There was a dollar general about 12 miles away for supplies. You could pull your boat up to your waterfront campsite. They also have kayak rentals.

  • Jodi P.
    Jan. 25, 2019

    Ridge Road - J Strom Thurmond Lake

    Great campground!

    Nice roomy sites with plenty of space between. Picnic tables, grills and fire rings at each campsite. Bathrooms aren’t bad. Friendly caretakers. Pets allowed. Playground and beaches. Fish cleaning station. Boat ramp. Dump station.


Guide to Sparta

Tent campsites near Sparta, Georgia range from dispersed sites to established camping areas with varying levels of amenities. The region experiences hot, humid summers with temperatures regularly exceeding 90°F and mild winters where overnight temperatures rarely fall below freezing. Several camping areas around Sparta provide access to central Georgia's waterways and forest lands, with sites typically situated on relatively flat terrain amid pine and hardwood forests.

What to do

Hiking trails: The area surrounding Towaliga River Retreat offers walking paths through Georgia woodlands. Near Soap Creek Marina, campers can explore nature paths where wildlife sightings are common. A camper noted, "Nice walking trails which makes this a great getaway spot."

Fishing opportunities: Water access at several campgrounds allows for productive fishing. The Ocmulgee River Camp provides river access for anglers seeking catfish, bass and bream. Raysville Marina connects campers to Clarks Hill Lake with boat access. A visitor commented, "Marina - fantastic. Customer service when open in the off season! Friendly, accommodating, very responsive."

Wildlife observation: Many campsites offer opportunities to spot local wildlife. At Ocmulgee River Camp, a camper reported, "Beautiful campsite, just a few neighbors, tons of flat space and a few fire pits. There are hunters around and we heard a good deal of shots. Saw some deer on a walk."

What campers like

Peace and quiet: Many campers appreciate the solitude available at dispersed sites. A visitor to Ocmulgee River Camp shared, "Very nice a bit bumpy on the drive in but no major holes. Quiet and peaceful 2 neighbors great amount of space to find a nice spot."

Cell service reliability: For campers needing connectivity, some sites offer surprisingly good coverage. One Ocmulgee River Camp reviewer specifically mentioned, "Peaceful beautiful Verizon works perfectly."

Dark skies for stargazing: The limited light pollution around Tyler Hunt Camp creates excellent night sky viewing conditions. A camper observed, "This place is a refuge. There are privately owned homes around but the folks keep to themselves. It's quiet, super dark at night and beautiful."

What you should know

Pack in, pack out requirements: Most dispersed camping areas have no facilities. About Tyler Hunt Camp, a camper advised, "No amenities, you pack it in, you pack it out. The state keeps it and the road in nice."

Road conditions: Access roads to some campsites require careful driving. Regarding Ocmulgee River Camp, a visitor noted, "Nice open camp site with plenty of spots for camping. Only a mile off the road, which is a little bumpy but manageable."

Security considerations: Some camping areas experience varied nighttime activity. A Soap Creek Marina visitor mentioned amenities but limited security: "Pull-up RV or tent spots with fire pits and picnic tables. There are also a few cabins available to rent. To use the boat launch it costs $5."

Seasonal temperature variations: Winter camping can be unexpectedly comfortable. An Ocmulgee River Camp visitor shared, "Open spaces and very quiet this time of the year (January) train horn in the distance and gunshots in the distance as well from hunters here and there but all around a great spot to really enjoy."

Tips for camping with families

Choose established campgrounds: For families, sites with basic amenities provide more comfort. Soap Creek Marina offers picnic tables and fire pits which help with meal preparation and evening activities.

Be aware of hunting seasons: Several camping areas border hunting lands. A camper at Ocmulgee River Camp reported, "It was nice and warm even in December! Almost 70 degrees! Spot with a nice horse trail to hike - saw some deer and a mystery black animal, maybe a boar or a bear - unsure."

Consider weekday visits: Weekend traffic can change the camping experience. At The Washington Grass Inn, tent camping areas provide more seclusion on weekdays when visitation decreases.

Tips from RVers

Limited hookup options: Most tent campsites near Sparta lack RV-specific amenities. The Towaliga River Retreat accommodates tents and has toilets and showers but no hookups for RVs.

Marina alternatives: For RVers seeking partial services, Raysville Marina offers longer-term options. A visitor noted, "Absolutely love this place. However hard to get a spot because so many people pay monthly and leave there campers. Staff is wonderful. No bathhouse."

Be prepared for primitive conditions: RVers must be self-contained at most sites. While Tyler Hunt Camp allows drive-in access, it provides no water, electric or waste disposal facilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Sparta, GA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Sparta, GA is The Washington Grass Inn with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Sparta, GA?

TheDyrt.com has all 6 tent camping locations near Sparta, GA, with real photos and reviews from campers.