Best Cabin Camping near Winder, GA

Nicest state park cabin I’ve never stayed in! The furnishings were beautiful and the screened porch was amazing. I really appreciated that the bedding and towels were plush and extremely comfortable-very unlike most state parks or other rental cabins. It was also impeccably clean, AND the bathrooms had handcrafted local soaps!

As a side note, my husband is a wheelchair user and this was the most accessible vacation rental we’ve ever encountered (and we travel a lot). The picnic table had a seat cutout, the fire pit and grill were on a level surface, and the kitchen sink was roll under! 10/10 thank you HLC for the thoughtful attention to accessibility.

Fort Yargo is in the Winder Ga area and is close to Helen, Jefferson, Athens and Atlanta. Entering the campground is a nice paved road and leads to tent camping, cabins, yurts and RV sites.

Very clean park and has Historical area, playground, tennis court, bike and hike trails. Not to mention beach and boating area.

Picnics, camping, boating biking and camping or just day use areas. Pet friendly and all around great park.

There is a small general store, but you are so close to everything if you need it, it's there.

Gread for the Georgia Bulldog crowd as its less then 30 minutes!

I recommend this park highly.

Less than a mile from the heart of Helen, Georgia. This campground is a one woman show. Liz, the owner, has done it all and theres no sign of stopping her - to the cabins, the decor, and expanding campsites. 

Cabins: 

There are three cabins on this property that are fully set up(everything provided) and ready for you. Two cabins are nice couple cabins while the third is a beautiful three bedroom home with a full yard and outdoor space with room for an RV or tenting, perfect for a group or reunion. 

RV spaces: 

Five spaces are towards the front of the property and are all large. When we were there each space was filled with 30+’ trailers there for Oktoberfest. Each site has water and electric, picnic tables, fire rings and some have hammocks. 

Further on the property are 5 more sites. Each with water, electric, and tables. The three furthest are a bit smaller, but are being expanded upon each day. We stayed in the smaller of the spaces in the back as we have a small trailer. The spot had a perfect mix of shade and sun for our solar panels to charge if we had needed them, but the electric was clean and ample. The wifi was strong and our T-Mobile service also worked. Since we are a small trailer, we do not have our own facilities, so we did have to walk to the bathroom. 

Tent camping: 

Think primitive. They’re dirt spots with fire rings. I can see in the future they’ll be expanded upon and significantly improved. The owner has really amazing ideas for these spots and I’ll be very interested in seeing them say a year from now. 

Bathroom facilities: 

There is a portapotty and an outhouse- no flushing toilets. In the bathhouse, there are two shower stalls with very high pressure hot showers. While the facilities left a bit to be desired, they did the job and remember, this is a one woman show renovating the entire property! If you have your own facilities in your RV or trailer this isn’t an issue.

 The property overall: 

The property overall is fun to explore! Theres a natural spring that runs down the hill to a little pond where you can swim or fish from your own sandy beach. We were there after one of the last storms really destroyed the GA, SC, and NC general area so the pond was a bit cloudy and a lot of timber/branches have fallen around the property. There are tons of hang out spaces with hammocks and hammock chairs, so if you’re into reading, theres a spot for you. 

One of the most interesting things about this property is the“Makers Space”, an arts and crafts area where you can paint, create, and share what you’ve made. Hidden throughout the property are amazing little details. From a mini fairy village to faces in the trees, and beautifully painted rocks hidden in nooks and crannies. 

You can see the creativity and love Liz has put into making this place her vision. Remember to leave no trace, lend a helping hand, and to stay and chat for a while.

Stone Mountain hardly needs another glowing review, but it is a pleasure to stay there. First, everything is contained and available. The views of the lake, and, yes, the mountain are gorgeous. There is a nice spacious check-in store. Your trash is picked up constantly from your site. Each site has a deck, a grill with a propane tank already attached, a picnic table, and a fire pit, electric and sewer hook ups. The sites are close together, but the decks are pretty private. If you bike, hike, run or like trails, boating and fishing, all are right there. It helps to have a car/truck, as the place is pretty immense, but my neighbors had a Class C and were throughly enjoying mountain biking to everything. Another neighbor with a gorgeous Class A was driving his towed truck to a neighboring Petco. There is everything. Deer roam in the morning and at night, and if golf is your sport of choice, Stone Mountain has a highly rated public course. The staff is very friendly. I liked the purple area near the playground and pool. The sites seemed a little more private. It’s not cheap, and I don’t know what discounts might be available. But, if you’re in or around Atlanta, this is the place to go. It will NOT disappoint.

This is formerly "The Hiker Hostel" and has been renovated but holds true to its thru hiker roots. The closest crossing on the AT is at Woody Gap but they will shuttle you to and from most nearby crossings for an additional fee and will go as far down as North Springs MARTA station in Atlanta. There is a 6 bunk bunkhouse with beds for $35 a night and they have added small cabins, eco cabins, and a 2 br house. The place is well cared for, well marked, and very reasonably priced. This is a great place to meet up for support on the trail with a special someone. Dahlonega is a few miles down the road and there are lots of good eats. Think Guinness burger at Shenanigans. It's also a great getaway for couples as there are wineries and vineyards close by.

The room we stayed in was the deluxe hotel room for $95 (weekday rate). There was a Roku TV with Netflix, Hulu, etc. and a claw foot tub. There is a coffee maker in the room and actual real coffee for you to make, not any weird hotel coffee!

Breakfast is served in the morning in the communal eating area. They have coffee, cereal, muffins, toast and jam, as well as a menu where you can purchase more substantial food.

I spoke with the manager Justin Mizell, and he showed me around and told me that many thru hikers will stop here and go enjoy the nearby wineries. They also offer shuttles to town. They offer kayak rentals and shuttle to nearby Lake Swerner where guests can kayak up yahoola creek. A .5 mile hiking trail shows you around the property.

Lastly, I want to give a shoutout to the manager Justin. As we were talking he spotted a guest carrying her luggage and went to offer to help get it to the car. He later told me she had had knee replacement surgery. It's clear he takes the time to get to know his guests and the proof is in the details in the care of the property.

Very nice quiet park with a small campground (21 sites, all with electric and water). The sites are shaded, and flat with a gravel drive and tent pad. We hadn’t planned on staying here but were pleasantly surprised to find a few vacancies on the first Saturday in November. There is also an equestrian campground located several miles from the main campground. The main feature is a covered bridge, the longest one in Georgia, that is located ¾ of a mile from the campground (an easy walk). 

A nice perk was laundry facilities outside the restrooms. The restrooms were very clean. 

There are seven miles of hiking trails, five miles of bike trails, canoe rentals, and we saw several people fishing. 

There was also a nice day-use area with picnic tables within view of the covered bridge.

Ok so reading my title might be a bit deceiving. I went to Don Carter mid week after a holiday and the place was pretty empty. While usually that would be a bit weird this park made it one of the most amazing feelings on earth.

I pulled in late afternoon, deer were grazing in the primitive camp zones. I walked one of the trails and then headed over to explore the lake area. I was so pleased by the facility which had a nice sandy beach, outdoor showers, large restrooms and swings ideal for sitting and enjoying a meal by the lake.

I took a dip in the cool waters and though they were not a clear blue they were clear and I could see to the bottom all the way out to the edge of the swimming zone. It was beautiful!!!!

Pricing was very inexpensive for primitive camping which included fire rings and picnic tables and spacing was great!!

I ventured over to the RV area and those site also seemed to be spacious and though there were a few campers in that region it was still very light. I would for sure suggest weekday stay here!!

Tips:

• If you are wanting to check out a rental of a canoe make sure you call in advance, these are only available during certain times. When I arrived I arrived late in the day and they were not available. The following day I also realized they were not open
• Do some animal watching or photography. From 6 in the evening and beyond you will find deer grazing in late summer and early fall, also raccoons and other small animals can be spotted roaming in some of the open areas