Best Tent Camping near Watkinsville, GA

Tent camping options near Watkinsville, Georgia include several established sites within a short drive. James Shackleford Memorial Park offers tent-friendly campsites with lake access, while Tyler Hunt Camp provides more primitive dispersed camping approximately 45 minutes south in Jasper County. Panola Mountain State Park Campground, located about an hour from Watkinsville, features walk-in tent sites around a pond.

Most tent campgrounds in the area provide basic amenities with varying levels of development. James Shackleford Memorial Park includes picnic tables, drinking water, and toilets for campers, while maintaining a natural setting. At Panola Mountain, tent sites require a 3/4-mile walk from the parking area, with limited shade and basic toilets. Tyler Hunt Camp represents true primitive camping with no facilities, requiring campers to pack in all supplies and pack out all waste. During summer months, sites can become busy, particularly at locations with water access or swimming areas.

The tent camping experience near Watkinsville offers varied terrain and accessibility options. Panola Mountain provides open spaces around a small pond with limited tree cover but good access to hiking trails. The sites attract both solo campers and families seeking an accessible introduction to primitive camping. Tyler Hunt Camp offers more seclusion but may experience occasional vehicle traffic at night. As one camper noted, "It's quiet, super dark at night and beautiful. No amenities, you pack it in, you pack it out." Laurel Park offers more developed camping with cemented tent pads and hot water facilities, popular with those wanting lake access with modern conveniences.

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Best Tent Sites Near Watkinsville, Georgia (11)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Watkinsville, GA

3 Photos of 11 Watkinsville Campgrounds


Tent Camping Reviews near Watkinsville, GA

610 Reviews of 11 Watkinsville Campgrounds


  • Everette G.
    Oct. 18, 2020

    Victoria Bryant State Park Campground

    Great Camping in any Season

    Victoria Bryant State Park is probably one of my most frequented camping spots in the last few years. All of the tent sites are sheltered platforms, with electricity, potable water and an overhead light. Rain or shine, you can have a good time (and stay dry) at Victoria Bryant. There are only about 8 platforms, and one is ADA only, so they book up quick. They are all spaced pretty far apart, privacy isn't too hard to maintain (except maybe site 7&8). 1-4 are down a hill, 4 being the furthest away at about 40 feet, down the steepest incline. There are facilities right across the parking lot, that have always been clean and well maintained, and heated in the colder months. Camp hosts and office have firewood. There are several miles of trails that are lower difficulty, save for some hilly spots. In October, the park does a pretty cool little haunted trail. There's obvious reasons we enjoy VBSP, staying dry in the rain, nice, dense forested areas, and awesome campgrounds make it an easy choice.

  • Michael C.
    Apr. 12, 2025

    River Forks Park & Campground

    Great views but...

    "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"

  • CThe Dyrt PRO User
    May. 2, 2021

    Bolding Mill

    Gorgeous view of Lake Lanier

    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.

  • Connor L.
    Jul. 2, 2021

    Bald Ridge Creek

    Good lakeside camping for RVs and cars

    Camped right on the lake in my hammock. I reccomend hammock or RV. You're not allowed to set up tents off of the concrete pad so it would be a bit uncomfortable. Super easy to swim, kayak, waterski in the lake. No alcohol allowed but no one came by my campsite all evening.

    Plenty of firewood at the site and at nearby gas stations. You can also burn deadwood and I found plenty of that as well.

  • Travyl Couple !.
    Dec. 7, 2019

    Tugaloo State Park Campground

    One of our Favorite Parks in North Georgia

    Tugaloo state Park: This Georgia State Park offers a multitude of activities from hiking, paddling, boating, fishing, swimming, putt putt, tennis/pickleball court and biking the park roads to name a few things. This park appears to be a local favorite and weekends were more active than weekdays during our 10 night stay at the camp ground. We really felt at home here due to the friendliness of the park staff and camphost volunteers. We loved the gravel sites, good Verizon cell reception 📶 and best of all the ease of access to our kayaks🛶. (Do check with the park office because some things like putt putt may be seasonal) 🔔 Another thing- should you want to rent a patio boat ⛴ - the park office has some numbers for you.

    We stayed here in late October for 10 days and didn’t want to leave. The campground is laid out well with gravel sites, concrete picnic tables, fire pit, water, 30 amp and grey water drains throughout the campsite areas. 🚍Larger rigs—> Bring a dogleg/bone for double 30 amp.👍. Also- be aware some of the pull thru sites are almost buddy sites - your truck hauling your trailer will fit but your trailer won’t because another camper is sharing the pull thru lane with you. Rv’s with Tows won’t have this same issue. 🏡Cabins- I shared on the video that cabins 1-10 have less stairs if that is important to you. Yurts- some of these are on a hill- this means a walk up to restrooms ...but don’t worry, there is a nicely paved sidewalk. 🏕 no electricity at the walk in sites- you do have water, fire pit and picnic table. There is a group campground too.

    We did 2 videos of this park- so there is lots of info about all the amenities at this park. ***This is a park we have put on our favorite list to camp host here in the future.

  • W
    Feb. 12, 2021

    Tugaloo State Park Campground

    Nearby, but not at the top of my go-to places.

    Although a nice campground several things turned me off about this campground.  Mainly the lack of enforcement of dogs running loose, owners not cleaning up after their dogs and enforcement of number of people on a site.  The roads into the campground loops are narrow in spots and not well marked at all.  Backing our 30' motorhome into our site required asking the neighbor to move his truck off our site and maneuvering around other vehicles parked in the road.  The site was fairly level and offered a picnic table and fire ring with quite a bit of grassy area. Unfortunately, the neighbor on that side decided it belonged to them and set up games in it, then near dark other people joined them and set up a third tent in that area. Sites are 30/20 electric and water, but there is a dump station.  This has the potential to be a very nice campground, and I'll go back sometime. Perhaps we just had one bad experience so we'll try it again sometime.

  • E
    Sep. 23, 2019

    Stone Mountain Park Campground

    Terrible for tent campers

    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.

  • G
    Sep. 27, 2022

    Tugaloo State Park Campground

    Walk-In Sites 9, 10 & 11

    Stayed at site 10 while our friends were at site 11.  Sites are connected by a path but are not visible to one another.  Sites 9 & 10 would be a better combination if you are camping together and especially if you plan to share resources. All three sites are a short walk in from the parking lot but site 11 is closest to the paved path with minimal slope on the path. Site 10 is the furthest from the paved path. 9 & 10 must leave the paved path and go down a pretty good slope.  Site 10 is the only one with a direct view of the lake.  There is a path from the site down to a nice beach area where the kids swam and launched our kayaks.  This path is also fairly steep and winds around a bit.  Each of these sites has power and water right at the tent pad.  The tent pads are decent sized and filled with small gravel with lots of larger rock just below the surface.  It was a bit of challenge getting all the tent stakes into the ground.  All of my stake tips have been blunted.  The bathrooms are a short walk from the sites and were clean during our stay.  The park offered many activities, but my review is getting too long.

  • Justin S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 6, 2021

    Calhoun Falls State Park Campground

    Primitive Tent Sites

    I stayed in primitive tent site 10 but all of these primitive sites are great! Well kept and spacious. Some sites have a decent walk in distance but others are close to the parking areas. There’s water points to get fresh water if needed throughout the site areas. Definitely will stay here often when “car” camping instead of backpacking.


Guide to Watkinsville

Tent campsites near Watkinsville, Georgia range from primitive wilderness spots to more developed sites with lake access. The region sits in Georgia's Piedmont physiographic province, characterized by gently rolling hills and hardwood forests at elevations averaging 500-800 feet above sea level. Summer camping conditions typically feature high humidity with daytime temperatures averaging 85-95°F between June and August.

What to do

Fishing opportunities: Laurel Park offers multiple access points to Lake Lanier for anglers. "It has plenty of access to lake Lanier, and plenty of room for grilling out," notes Josh D.

Swimming and water activities: Water recreation options abound during warmer months. "They have a seasonal swimming area with sand. You will get the Georgia red clay on your clothes if you go in the water," mentions Ginny about facilities at Buford Dam Park Shelters.

Nature education: Take advantage of ranger-led programs at state parks within driving distance. "We took the guided tour of the Mountain and it was awesome. We ate Pine Trees and they explained about likenand the red fungus. Highly recommended," shares Holly B. about her experience at Panola Mountain.

Stargazing: Dark skies at more remote sites provide excellent night sky viewing. LeeAnne T. describes Tyler Hunt Camp as having "super dark at night" conditions ideal for stargazing.

What campers like

Quick nature access: Camping options within 30-45 minutes of Watkinsville provide fast escapes from urban areas. "Just a few campsites around a pond. Not many trees around and no commodities. Close to a few hiking places but you have to drive to get to them. Close to the city as well," explains Jessica D. about Panola Mountain State Park Campground.

Easy water access: Lakefront sites remain popular for their recreational options. "Amazing sunsets and much fun," reports Gianni E. about their stay at Laurel Park.

Wildlife encounters: Several campgrounds offer opportunities to experience local wildlife. Michael T. reports from Panola Mountain: "Very peaceful and even had the sounds of a vibrant coyote pack."

Low-traffic locations: Some sites provide quiet weekday experiences. "Not much to say about it pretty much all the sites around the lake area the same in Hall county Gwinnett it was very peaceful nice people was able to find plenty of outdoor stuff to do," shares Neil R. about James Shackleford Memorial Park.

What you should know

Varied terrain and facilities: Tent camping surfaces range from natural ground to cement pads depending on location. "The campground was on cemented floor, which we did not realize till we got there. Regardless, we appreciate the hot water in the bathroom," notes Vivian T. about her stay at Laurel Park.

Access challenges: Some campgrounds require significant walking to reach sites. "Camped overnight on a primitive site," writes Sarah E., who rated Panola Mountain 4 stars but noted it was "tough to get to."

Evening traffic patterns: At more remote camping areas, vehicle traffic patterns can change after dark. "I was the only one camping at this site. As night fell, I began preparing for bed, but I noticed vehicles coming and going—at least three within an hour," reports Micah C. about Tyler Hunt Camp.

Limited services: Many sites have no nearby stores or facilities. Ginny warns about Buford Dam Park: "The bathrooms were locked when we went so make sure you keep that in mind when coming here. There is not a convenience store for miles, the nearest is 20-30 mins drive away."

Tips for camping with families

Splash pad access: During summer, some parks offer water features specifically designed for children. Josh D. recommends Laurel Park: "It has a splash pad that's operating from late spring through summer."

Walk-in distance considerations: When planning family camping trips, factor in the distance from parking to campsites. Michael T. confirms that at Panola Mountain State Park, "Getting to the campsite was simple enough and it is the quoted 3/4 mile walk in. It was great to see some families utilizing the space."

Pet policies: Most campgrounds near Watkinsville allow pets, but policies vary by location. "We enjoyed my stay here during the day," notes Micah C. about Tyler Hunt Camp, adding that pets are permitted but should remain under control.

Bathroom facilities: Hot water availability varies significantly between locations. Ashley C. reports staff at Panola Mountain "was awesome and very accommodating" regarding facility questions.

Tips from RVers

Limited hookups: RVers should note most tent-focused campgrounds near Watkinsville offer limited or no hookup options. "Amazing! But dark!" warns Destiny J. about Panola Mountain, highlighting the need for self-sufficient power solutions.

Parking restrictions: RV access can be limited at some locations. Ginny advises about Buford Dam: "Parking is off of the main road and there is not a lot of room for oversized vehicles."

Crowding concerns: Popular water-access sites fill quickly during peak season. "Wonderful walks, good fishing most of the year. Can be heavily used at times," cautions R G. about Buford Dam Park Shelters.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Watkinsville, GA is James Shackleford Memorial Park with a 4-star rating from 1 review.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 11 tent camping locations near Watkinsville, GA, with real photos and reviews from campers.