View Full Version : Camping options at Amicalola State Park
My wife and I will be driving down to Amicalola SP from Nashville on Friday March 18th and wanted to camp for a couple of nights before she heads back home and I start my thru-hike via the approach trail. Im wondering if anyone has any info on primative/walk-in campsites in the park. The only info I found on their website was for the RV/Tent sites for $28/night with full electric and water hook-up. Any info from those who have camped at the park in the past is much appreciated. Thanks!
Lone Wolf
02-21-2011, 13:25
they are very nice sites. easy walk to the lodge for buffet meals
The campsite just above the lodge is not primitive - they have the hook-ups and a shower/toilet facility. You park and pitch your tent. It does cost, but for the thrifty: park at the visitor's center and stay in the shelter just behind it, or hike up the approach trail a ways and find a spot.
MichaelnStl
02-21-2011, 14:09
I stayed at the Squirrels nest in October - was a terrific experience...not something you get to do often...I would recommend giving it a try if its not too cold.
My wife and I will be driving down to Amicalola SP from Nashville on Friday March 18th and wanted to camp for a couple of nights before she heads back home and I start my thru-hike via the approach trail. Im wondering if anyone has any info on primative/walk-in campsites in the park. The only info I found on their website was for the RV/Tent sites for $28/night with full electric and water hook-up. Any info from those who have camped at the park in the past is much appreciated. Thanks!
My wife and I went there on our honeymoon and were thoroughly disappointed to find what we paid for was for a motor home and not a tent! We wanted primitive camping and there was no other option. We went to the lodge and asked around. We ended up getting all of our money back (which was awesome), and finding a very secluded primitive site.
Here's what you do: Enter the park and head up the steep road to cottages 6-14. Turn on the same road the cottages are on (after getting your money back at the lodge). At the end of the road, it turns into a gravel drive. We were in a rental HHR, so that was super fun! You head down this gravel drive and see many primitive sites off to your left and right.
Look on the right for a dirt turnoff to a fairly open area that has no fire pit, but a great, slow moving stream right next to the camping area. I would post a picture from our honeymoon, but it's on an external drive that's at home. Down that gravel road are plenty of primitive camp sites. The gravel road itself is super long, and goes through many twists and turns! Along it somewhere on the right hand side is a super small pipe spouting out a small amount of water. I was told by an avid hiker that this is the best water he's ever tasted. We never got the chance to try it, but we do wish we had.
If you can get to it, there is a church somewhere along that road that always has its doors unlocked. Many hikers have gone in and left messages in their guestbook (myself one of them!). I did not go past the church on the gravel road, but I can't imagine it goes too much farther.
We did drive up to the lodge for a bite to eat one night at the buffet, good food, great big glass windows overlooking the park. We also did some of the trails in the area (including the AT approach trail), and also all the steps. It was a great trip, and I can definitely see us going back there for a vacation with our newborn when he's older.
Before you do your thru, jump back on here and let me know how it went! I too will get on here with my drive and show you our campsite, it was magnificent!
[QUOTE=DVNDSN;1117879]My wife and I went there on our honeymoon and were thoroughly disappointed to find what we paid for was for a motor home and not a tent!
Thanks DVNDSN! That's exactly what we were hoping to avoid. We usually try to avoid the state park sites that are built for RV's. It just downgrades the expereince IMO... Not to mention you end up paying for services that you didnt really want in the first place. It sounds like we'll find what we're looking for down the gravel road! I'll be sure to post a picture of our campsite on my blog before I start out on the approach trail. I'd love to see a photo of your site if you find the time to uplaod it later. Thanks agin for sharing!
The Squirrels Nest looks awesome. I'll look into that as well. Not sure how far that is from Amicalola Falls SP. Thanks for passing that along MichaelInStl!
Sorry about the "zipped" file, my images were wayyy too big to upload. Let me know if you can't get them open!
Image 1015 is of the creek right next to our campsite.
Image 1016 is of my wife... just kidding, it does have my wife in it, but its from the opposite side of the creek looking back at our campsite.
0997 is of our campsite as we arrived. that bench was super comfy!!!!
BTW, sorry it took so long, my wife and I had a date night last night and came home late. Took my external hard drive to class where I'm at right now and got the images uploaded!