Upper Chattahoochee River

Makes more sense for this to now be 19 campsites. You can see the improvements that are ongoing. Will be happy when it reopens in mid-March for the 2024 season.

Literally one of the prettiest places I have ever camped, if not the prettiest. It is a 30 minute drive off of the paved road, but the road is well maintained and easy to follow. There are currently four porta-poddies at the campground. No running water, however, it looks like there once was.  The number of sites has been reduced from what it once was due to damage from past storms.

Just outside Helen, this site offers great spots and plenty of area to hike and explore. Great for tent camping and even some RVs and pull-behinds. The hidden magic is when you explore the upper area and find the waterfalls and walkable area. One of the other great features is the proximity to Helen. You’re only a short drive from town, food, and shopping. A great way to spend part of your day while otherwise isolated in the woods for some unplugging.

I admit, I'm not a fan of most established campgrounds - the "official" campground is $16/night. It has potable water. Opens April -October. Sites vary from tent-walk-in, to some spots that are spacious and more private to others tiny, out in open with little shade in summer. Some sites are along the creek. I walked thru the closed campground to access Horse Trough Falls in March - a lot of trees had come down, so the FS had been chopping up the trees - many sites had lots of wood piled up!

However, if you are a bit more rustic, there are a number of dispersed sites before you get to the Upper Hooch. Bring your own tables, water - but there are large (free!) spaces to camp.

Regardless, be bear aware. I saw 2 cubs and fresh scat on my last visit. They ran from me - but no need in tormenting them.

Found this wonderful spot and was lucky enough to get in because it was a weeknight. The only reason I gave rating of 4 is because some persons may not like this nearly primitive camping - but I love it! You can actually get away! We saw 2 other persons the night we camped in passing. WE are light packers from long time experience backpacking and found the perfect spot. Was a little buggy in the woods so we stayed closer to the water - but wow! Best midweek camping ever for us!

I hope that writing this is ok - we had to work really hard when we moved to GA to find camping like this. This is supposed to be for the Upper Chattahoochee River Campground, but we have spent quite a few weekends discovering all of the wonderful dispersed camping in that area. All along the river and its branches are some neat dispersed camping opportunities if you like that kind of camping. We usually have to clean up a bit before we set up camp - as always, some people don't appreciate the amazing gift of being able to camp in places like this.

My fiancé and I LOVE it here! We try to camp here every couple of months! We were there this past weekend and had the most amazing time! It's secluded, peaceful, and just what we needed! 🏕

It was interesting to see a little bit of history that occurred on the Appalachian Trail we got to see some petroglyphs as well as many other historic sites along the way very cool place to visit if you are into American history and natural history

This campground is a first come, first camp campground, no reservations. I love the seclusion of it, tucked deep in the Chattahoochee. There are a few campsites along the water. Facilities consist of a hand pump/flush toilet and water well, no showers. You can also find hiking trails, including a short hike to a beautiful waterfall. The campground will fill up on holidays and summer weekends. If you manage to get up there early enough, there are several free campsites along the gravel road going down to the official campground. These sites are a gem for people who love secluded camping. You'll have to pack everything in though, including your drinking water.

Don't expect any cell service once you pass Helen and head up the mountain.