We met some friends here in the late afternoon Sunday of July 4th weekend. They already had a site (#51) which was nice with a beautiful view over the lake. The site had a nice big area with fire pit, picnic table, grill and room for a big tent. It also had a paved area down below where you can set up chairs with a great view of the water. The bath house was just a walk away. It did not have a great beach area, you have to climb or jump down the embankment but it is doable, just be mindful of young ones and pets. There is a main beach area in the campgrounds down the street but we wanted privacy for our group. The water is rocky so be careful. Once in the water we had a blast, great view of the islands in the water, boaters and jet skiers going by and nobody else on our beach. The bathrooms and showers were not great but there if you need them. They definitely don't want alcohol in the park. My friends said someone came by and told them to make sure they don't have alcohol earlier that day but I never saw one park ranger the whole time we were there. The other sites were kind of close but we got lucky and they all left earlier in the day. The sunrise was beautiful over the lake, we got to see some fireworks over across the lake at lanier world.

Shoal Creek Campground is about a 30-45 min drive from Atlanta. You camp right on Lake Lanier and most of the campsites have a mini beach area. Our particular campsite had a nice big area with beach and firepit down by the water. It is great for kids, dogs and families and friends. You can bring kayaks or canoes and paddle in the water. On our way in we went to fishtales and had lunch and drinks, then headed to the campsite to hang out for the night. Very relaxing, they had bathrooms not too far away. Book in advance especially if you know which site you want.

This is a really beautiful park that makes you think you are out west somewhere and definitely not in the south. It is about a 2.5 hours drive south of Atlanta. Call in advance to book a campsite, you book one of the sites but have to hike down and pick one that isn't filled yet. So you don't know how long your hike is going to be until you get there. It is about a 7 mile loop. The campsites are along the ridge and not in the canyon. This is nice because you get some tree cover and it is nice and secluded. There are some campsites right off the trail and some back in the woods a bit more. It just depends which ones are taken first. We hiked in, made camp and hung out for night. In the morning we packed up hiked back to our car to get fresh water and unload our packs, then made our way back down to explore the canyons. You will definitely get a lot of mileage with this trip. Be prepared to bring lots of water as it gets hot during the summer. Pack it in, pack it out. They are dog friendly but they are supposed to be on a leash. I would wear shoes that can get wet and muddy as the canyon trail is a small riverbed. The camp check-in has bathrooms and general store where you can purchase things you may have forgot. They also have vending machines and that ice cold sports drink was amazing when we were done. Overall we had a great time and would recommend it to everyone.