Rocky Mountain Recreation Area - Armuchee Georgia

Peace, quiet, fishing.  -  More

Rocky Mountain Recreation Area is located off the beaten path in Northwest Georgia near Armuchee (pronounced ar-mer-chee). The 5,000 acre park is the product of a partnership between Oglethorpe Power and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Rocky Mountain Recreation Area is a wonderful local resource that is almost free ($5 parking fee) for the public to use. There are two lakes, a beach, a playground, and a beautiful campground with water and electricity.

The campground is filled with tall hardwoods and pines that go right down to the edge of the water. As can be expected lakeside camping sites are not very level (typical for lakeside campsites), but they are large and shady. Non-lakeside campsites seem much more level. One of the best things about Rocky Mountain Recreation Area is the ability to pull your fishing boat (or canoe or kayak) right up to you campsite. You have to make sure to secure your watercraft though because water levels fluctuate based on electricity demand. Water is pumped into a reservoir on top of the mountain during low-demand times, then released to generate electricity as the demand increases. It's like a battery.

The fresh lake water provides more than just electricity, it's also a cool refuge from the heat of the day. The beach is big and sandy, and the water is cool and refreshing. The park's beach is pretty popular with the locals, so it can be just a little crowded on holidays and weekends. Fishing is another way to enjoy the lake, and fishing is great here. Antioch lake is known for largemouth bass and sunfish, but there are plenty more species than that in the lake. Rocky Mountain Recreation area's second body of water is Heath Lake. Heath Lake is open the first ten days of each month.

 
Rocky Mountain Recreation Area is a great place to get away and relax. All activities here lend themselves to peace and quiet. If you want some additional adventure, the park is planted in one of the best areas for adventure. It's near Rome, Taylors Ridge, James H Floyd State Park, Ridge Ferry Park, the Chieftains' Museum, Cave Spring, Cedar Creek Park, Rome Braves Baseball, the Heritage Park Bike Path, and so much more. This is one of our all-time favorite areas in north Georgia.

Click here for pictures and details about Rocky Mountain Recreation Area.

Vogel State Park - Blairsville, Georgia

One of Georgia's Oldest and Most Popular State Parks
Vogel State Park is located near Blairsville in the north Georgia mountains. As one of the first state parks in Georgia, Vogel was constructed primarily by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s. Vogel is also one of the most popular state parks in Georgia, so reserving a campsite there is sometimes difficult. The park features a beautiful lake with a sandy beach and pedal boats, two playgrounds, miniature golf, a CCC museum (call the park for museum hours), and a very nice camp store and gift shop. Regarding the park's campground, Vogel upholds Georgia's high standards by providing large RV sites with water and electric hookups (sorry, no sewer).

The park has plenty of hiking, biking, and other outdoor recreation opportunities. A small creek runs through the campground providing a nice soundtrack for family adventure. If you take bikes, be aware that the ride from the campground is a breeze, but the ride back is all uphill. Vogel is in the Chattahoochee National Forest, so wildlife abounds. Be aware of black bears. They're very common.

Being just minutes from Blairsville is very convenient, especially considering the numerous events and festivals that take place in the small mountain town. Other local attractions include the Appalachian Trail, Brasstown bald (the highest point in Georgia), Helton Falls, Track Rock Gap, Helen (alpine village), Unicoi State Park, Cleveland (Gold and Gem Grubbing), Hiawassee, Blue Ridge, Franklin North Carolina (ruby mining), and much more.

For detailed Adventure journal entries and dozens of pictures of Vogel State Park, click here.

Lake Allatoona - A Favorite Destination of North Georgia Natives

When the weather is hot in Dixie, Lake Allatoona is always a cool relief. On this hot trip, we stayed at McKinney Campground, one of our all-time favorite places to camp. Unfortunately, we decided to stay here at the last minute, so we got one of our last choices for a campsite. However, there really is no bad campsite at McKinney, so it was ok. No, we weren't directly on the water, but we had a very private pull-through site with wonderful view just walking distance from the beach and brand new playground.
While at Lake Allatoona on this visit, we had some great company. Some very good friends came and spent the day with us at the beach swimming, and on the boat tubing. All day long we alternated between the campsite (eating), the beach, and the boat. What FUN!

McKinney Campground has built a brand new playground near the beach. It's not as grand as the kids had hoped, but very entertaining just the same. (we'd been promised a new playground on our last visit)

 We always like to visit the marina at Allatoona Landing while at Lake Allatoona. They are our source for fuel and Slush Puppies (frozen drinks). However, thee are numerous marinas located all over the lake. On this visit, we made our obligatory stop at the marina for snacks and gas.

As usual, we saw deer and other wildlife on this trip to Lake Allatoona. McKinney is very unique in that aspect. Especially deer. Lots of deer.

Another unique aspect of Lake Allatoona is the abundance of rockhounding opportunities. Minerals abound -- quartz of varying colors, fossils, chert, and much more, maybe even gold! On this trip, we traveled up river to Kellogg Creek to check out Payne Campground. Kellogg creek is a known gold bearing tributary, and I figured Payne campground would be a great home-base for doing a little panning. Ideally, panning would be best in the Autumn and Winter months when the water levels are low. Unfortunately, Payne campground is closed in the Winter. Further investigation is required.


For more Lake Allatoona information and lots of pictures, click here.

John Tanner Park - a fun but busy county park

John Tanner Park is a "former" Georgia State Park located in Carroll County near Carrollton. Today the park is operated by Carroll County. This is a relatively small park with a unique history, there are several pros and cons to visiting here.
 

John Tanner Park has two lakes, one with a rather large beach and paddle boats. The story of John Tanner and his little "piece of Florida" in Carrollton Georgia is very interesting. During the 1950's, John Tanner decided to build a Florida resort in Georgia. He had 8 train-car loads of Florida sand hauled in for the beach, planted palm trees along the shoreline, and draped Spanish moss from the trees. During the 50's and 60's, the park was a popular destination. The park was even frequented by Carrollton native Rita Hayworth (a famous actress in her day to you youngsters).

Eventually, the resort became a state park. It's hard to imagine the park as a state park today. It is now very much a local county park with lots (and lots) of locals enjoying the accommodations. The beach is still there, but the palm trees and  Spanish moss are long gone. The campground needs some updating, but isn't half bad. The only draw-back to camping here (on the weekends anyway) is the large crowd of beach patrons.

Click here for more pictures and an Adventure Journal entry and review.