Best Camping in Georgia

Georgia's state park system offers 63 parks with diverse camping options — from mountain tent camping to coastal island primitive sites. The national forests and national parks round out excellent options.

Vogel State Park (Blairsville)
One of Georgia's most beloved mountain parks, situated in a valley at the foot of Blood Mountain. The 36-site campground fills quickly in fall foliage season (mid-October). Bear Hair Gap Trail (4 miles) loops to scenic mountain views; Trahlyta Lake offers swimming. The CCC-built stone infrastructure from the 1930s gives the park a classic character.

Cloudland Canyon State Park (Rising Fawn)
An impressive canyon park in northwest Georgia offering both standard and backcountry camping. The primitive walk-in sites at the canyon rim (with fire rings and a view across the gorge) are among the most scenic in the Georgia state park system. Sites fill months in advance for fall and spring weekends.

Amicalola Falls State Park
Camping near the base of the tallest cascading waterfall in the eastern US — the 729-foot Amicalola Falls. The park serves as the formal start of the Appalachian Trail approach and is a major staging point for AT thru-hikers. A hiker hostel (open year-round) and tent sites are available.

Cumberland Island National Seashore (Primitive Camping)
Four primitive campgrounds on the island, accessible only by ferry from St. Marys. Staffed Sea Camp is the most accessible; Hickory Hill, Yankee Paradise, and Brickhill Bluff are backcountry sites requiring a longer hike. Wild horses may walk through your campsite at night — an experience unlike any other in Georgia.

Chattahoochee National Forest Dispersed Camping
The 750,000-acre national forest in north Georgia allows dispersed camping in most areas outside designated campgrounds. The Cohutta Wilderness, the Blood Mountain Wilderness, and the Southern Nantahala Wilderness all offer backcountry camping with a wilderness feel rare east of the Mississippi.