“the longest covered bridge in the state”
Known as one of the most picturesque state parks in Georgia, Watson Mill Bridge contains the longest covered bridge in the state, spanning 229 feet across the South Fork River. Built in 1885 by Washington (W.W.) King, son of freed slave and famous covered-bridge builder, Horace King, the bridge is supported by a town lattice truss system held firmly together with wooden pins. At one time, Georgia had more than 200 covered bridges, today, less than 20 remain. The park is an ideal spot for an afternoon picnic or an overnight stay at the campground. Hiking, biking and horseback riding trails allow visitors to enjoy the thick forest along the river or travel into the park’s backcountry. During summer, visitors often play in the cool river shoals just below the bridge.
Reviews of Watson Mill Bridge State Park
16 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G
Confirmed by 7 users | Last reported on March 12, 2023AT&T 4G
Confirmed by 5 users | Last reported on October 30, 2023T-Mobile 4G
Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on October 03, 2021We did biking and had a picnic here. It's a great afternoon place to visit. The air is very refreshing. The sound of water is very relaxing.
So there's one private park a bit closer to Athens and there's a Walmart that's supposed to allow parking, but this state park is definitely a gem. Small loop of maybe 30 RV sites and a short walk to the beautiful old covered bridge with a really coo area beneath that stays really shallow on a rock slope and makes for great wading and swimming (may depend on the time of the year, we were here in Spring).
Pretty winding country roads out to the park and about 30 mins from downtown Athens. Check out the Saturday morning farmer's market and the World of Wonderland playground If you've got kids.
Cell connection is rpugh. AT&T is on and of one bar and the JetPack has no service without an external antenna. Connected to the omni or directional, we were getting 2 usable bars of 4G, a little better in the cradle booster.
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 6
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
AT&T 4G
We loved this park as a quiet retreat after some hectic travel days. The cell signal wasn't strong, but what it lacks in towers it makes up for with huge pull through sites with ample hammock-hanging opportunities. We loved walking around the park, taking runs on the trails, and hanging by the river.
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 5
Site Number: -
There were also lovely trails for hiking and biking. We tried the bike trail, and it kicked our asses a bit. Which is fine. We need more of that.
Watson Mill Bridge State Park would be a refreshing choice for camping during the warmer months. The park closes for winter December through February.
When we left the campground, our RV GPS tried to route us through the covered bridge. Maybe it was smoking crack that day. Thankfully the campground entrance is right by one end of the bridge, so we knew better than to go that way. You do want to pay attention to how you’re routed to the park though.
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
Watson Mill Bridge State Park in Comer, GA is probably my favorite place so far for quiet and having a mini-retreat from it all. Follow the signs to the state park and not necessarily your GPS to make sure you don't find yourself on the wrong side of the bridge with your camper. We stayed several nights while my husband was speaking at a conference in Athens, GA.
Watson Mill Bridge was built in 1885 and is quite a sight still. The musty, woodsy smell captures and transports you back to another time. We drove, walked, and biked across. It is the longest covered bridge in Georgia and spans across the South Fork River. The construction is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The builders used huge, thick beams with wooden pegs for rivets. It's rustically gorgeous. In 1973 it was restored, but they were careful to not detract from the original beauty. The result is a safe and strong bridge that will likely be around for a long time to come.
We stayed at site #14. There are only 21 sites in the park, but they are very well situated and most have plenty of privacy. Pines and oaks were on our site. We were startled more than once by acorns plunking down on our camper's roof during the windiest part of our stay, so justs a "heads up" for the fall campers. The restroom facility was easy to get to from even the farthest sites. There was a real well beside it that we thought was pretty cool. If you are a tent camper you may really enjoy the secluded sites by the river.
The park has several hiking, biking, and even horse trails. If you like mountain biking and are an expert you may enjoy the 2.5 mile trail right by the bridge. We wound up securing our bikes and hiking that one because it was way too advanced for us. We enjoyed biking the 1.5 mile trail just a bit farther along on the opposite side of the road (Beaver Creek Trail) because we found it to be more for the intermediate biker. One thing we noticed was that blazes were not painted on the trees so you have to pay close attention to the paths. In the fall that can be a little more difficult than you might expect with the leaves obscuring the trails.
Whether you plan to stay overnight or you just want to spend a few hours, Watson Mill Bridge State Park is a must-see.
Watson Mill Bridge State Park
650 Watson Mill Rd
Comer, Georgia 30629
Phone: 706-783-5349
Sites: 21
Recent Rate: $30
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 4
Site Number: 14
We spent a long weekend here in early April. This is a popular park, especially with families from nearby towns. It seems to be difficult to get reservations, so plan early!
Most of the campground sites are pull-through but not many are very level. Most are well spaced. Sites 15, 17, 19 and 21 are on a bit of a bluff with a low fence around the back and feel like they have more privacy than some of the others. No. 14 seems almost double, although it's not listed as such.
The bath house was fine and there is a washer and dryer (sheltered) at the entrance. It's a .4 mile walk on the road to the covered bridge, falls and overlooks. The trails leaving the campground are well used and good for a run. They connect with other trails in the park as well.
My favorite sites in the park are the 3 dry "pioneer" sites. One and 2 are on a separate unpaved road which was still closed when we were there. Both are huge and overlook a good-sized fast-flowing creek. It doesn't appear that anything but a small off-road vehicle could get to #1 but #2 might be approachable. I suspect these are popular with scout troops and other groups. Both give the feel of your own private campground but are just a short walk to the bathhouse of the main campground. The trails in this area are more remote and less used than the others, and with no one around, the dogs loved the chance freely play.
The third pioneer site is down a short but rough road from the campground. While the straight section of this road is fine, the one turn on it is badly eroded and rutted. It would be a no-go for any low-clearance trailer. The campers we saw there were in a Subaru wagon. It's a great site though: secluded and on the creek and trail. Like the others, it feels like your own private spot.
The park has a few miles of multi-use trails of which we ran and biked sections. There are many more miles of horse trails bordered by their own campground with stables.
The park well is used by locals for picnics, weddings (we saw 2) and prom pictures. Despite the cold water, lots of folks we're playing in the shallow falls. In the summer, you can rent canoes/kayaks for use in the area above the falls. The park makes a nice day trip too - it's less than 2 hours from intown Atlanta, Augusta GA or Greenville, SC.
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 19
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
AT&T 4G
Others have detailed why this is a great place. I want to add a foolproof way for getting here that if not followed could lead to a very complicated situation.
Once you have put this campground into your GPS, add an intermediary stop for cComer. That will route you through this tiny village and bring you into this campground the correct way. If you come in the wrong way, you will be on the other side of the historic Watson Mill Bridge, which is the geographical centerpiece of this beautiful little park. You cannot cross the bridge with over 6000 pounds. It’s also difficult to find a place to turn around.
At the campground office they told me there was no AT&T signal in the campground. This is untrue. I got one bar. Athens is about 30-35minutes away. There’s a nice Kroger there.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 4
Site Number: 15
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
Wonderful park, shaded, quiet with good walking trails.
Nightly Rate: $32.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 165
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
A little tight for big rigs. Watch the leaning trees and low hanging limbs. But if you’re careful you can do it. Campground hosts are great people. We recommend this park.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 2
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
AT&T 4G
T-Mobile 4G
Great stay while visiting family in Athens. Stay in 3rd week of March and camp ground was almost empty. Nice level sites with fire rings, water and power. Good bathroom with shower and laundry machines. Walking trails are nice but do need a little attention this early in the year. As I have noticed at many camp grounds the fire wood is expensive and green, not very useable.
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 5
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
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Watson Mill Bridge State Park
Hours
- Sun - Sat: 7:00 am - 10:00 pm
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Last Nightly Rate
- 36.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 30.0
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 35.0
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Laundry
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Propane
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Showers
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Big Rigs
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Boondock
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Firewood
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Fifty Amp
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Cabin Sites
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Full Hookup
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Dump Station
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Mobile Homes
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Public Water
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Pull Through
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Reservations
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Sewer Hookup
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Water Hookup
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Potable Water
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Age Restricted
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Dispersed Sites
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Open Seasonally
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Permit Required
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Group Tent Sites
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Fulltime Residents
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Pull Through RV Sites
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