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4.5
113 votes

Don Carter State Park

5000 N. Browning Bridge Rd., Gainesville, Georgia 30506 USA

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Closed Now
Opens Fri 7a
  • Independent
  • Credit Cards
    Accepted
  • Pet Friendly
  • Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
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“Plan Your Natural Getaway Today!”

Don Carter is Georgia’s newest state park, as well as the first state park on 38,000-acre Lake Lanier. Situated on the north end of the reservoir, the park offers outstanding recreation for water lovers. Guests can stay cool at a large, sand swimming beach with bath house. Boat ramps provide quick access to the lake, while a paved, multi-use trail welcome hikers and bikers to explore the hardwood forest. This new park offers several choices for overnight getaways as well. Two-bedroom cabins are perched on wooded hillsides near the lake. One campground is designed specifically for RVs, while another primitive camping area is just for tents and hammocks. The campground and cottage loop are gated, providing access to overnight guests only. The park is named in honor of real-estate executive Don Carter who served on the Georgia Department of Natural Resources board for 29 years and worked to establish Lake Lanier’s first state park.

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Reviews of Don Carter State Park

16 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

4.6 Access
4.6 Location
5.0 Cleanliness
4.9 Site Quality
4.8 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G/5G

Confirmed by 6 users | Last reported on July 23, 2023

AT&T 4G/5G

Confirmed by 3 users | Last reported on June 25, 2023

T-Mobile 4G

Confirmed by 3 users | Last reported on November 20, 2021
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Reviewed by
rachel.pevey1

  • 10 Reviews
  • 6 Helpful
November 25, 2016
Rated 5.0

We stayed here one night in our Popup camper. Campground is very nice, paved areas for setting up, each spot has picnic table, fire ring (burn ban so didn't use). Bathrooms are clean, nice showers. We took a few hiking trials while hear. It looks like a great place to be during the summer, they have a lot of water activities. Negative: Heard a nearby train all night. Can't reserve specific spots it's first come first serve.

2 people found this review helpful
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Reviewed by
Campendium

May 18, 2015
Rated

We have camped over 45 days at Don Carter State Park during the last years. The campground is only about 2 years old and it is very nice with great water views and a boat ramp. This park is very close to our kids and grandkids so we spend a lot of time here. The park has cable, 50 amp electric, water and low volume grey water discharge which allows for longer stays. Some of the sites have leveling issues but we were able to get level though our steps for pretty high (Site 11). Site 7 is probably the best site in the park with killer view. The kids love the playground and the beach area.

Most of the sites are big rig friendly. There is a 14 day limit but that is waved during the off-season (read Christmas time). Verizon service is adequate but not great. ATT is a bit worse.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $30.00

Days Stayed: 30

Site Number: 11

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

  • 40 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
August 12, 2016
Rated

We were looking for a quick little getaway near Atlanta so we decided to give this park a shot. I knew it was a relatively new park so I was looking forward to checking it out. Overall it's a great park with some room for improvement.

We arrived on a Thursday morning during the school year so it was expectedly quiet and empty which was nice. Check-in was easy (though Ranger lady wasn't friendly or helpful at all) and we were off to find our campsite. The campground layout is CONFUSING...and this is an understatement. Being a Georgia State Park you have to go hunting for your site since you can't reserve a specific site and let me tell you, I literally got lost driving through. There are some places that you have like 4 options straight ahead of you and you don't know which is the road and which are sites. Some sites literally look like the road and you’re 50 yards into it and realize it's really a campsite. It is a strange, strange layout and I'm not a fan. Some sites are all by themselves with nice privacy and others are stacked up on top of each other 4 deep.

The sites are relatively level and they are all paved. Many have nice stacked stone walls which is a nice touch. All the RV sites have charcoal grey water cans which was really nice. Keep in mind, the RV sites do not have tent pads so you’re better off at the tent sites if you're not in an RV. One big disappointment is how few sites have lake views. We saw stayed at site 10 and had an amazing (albeit very woodsy) view of the lake with lots of room for the kids to play. Site 7 is probably the best site in the park. If lake viewing is your thing, look for a COE campground…they excel at Lake front camping. Of all the campsites here, I would only want to stay at 4-5 of them. Coming into the campground, the left side of the campground is way less confusing and a more normal layout. Most of the confusing layout is the right side of the campground.

The beach is amazing. They actually have real sand, not the granular rocky sand so common at lake beach sites. The water level was down a little bit but we still had a blast swimming and floating in the tubes at the beach. The beach also has a nice covered Pavilion, bathroom, outdoor showers and overpriced kayak rentals.

There are a few nice trails, though none are very long. One nice little nugget we found was a hidden dock. It is just below site 7 and was off a little spur trail. It is a 10x15 regular boat dock that offered us tons of fun swimming and jumping and floating in the lake. IF you were lucky enough to land site 6 or 7 you could use it as your own personal boat dock if you brought a boat...but there's no guarantees here.

This campground is definitely one of the most unique campgrounds I've been to. My kids had more fun here than Vogel and other state parks we've been to so we would probably come back some time. But we did luck out with the second best campsite in the park (7 is the best) so I think our experience would have been less amazing had we not had direct access to the lake from our site.

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roadtripper5705311 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $30.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 10

4 Access
4 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

T-Mobile 4G

Reviewed by
guindy

  • 33 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
February 21, 2018
Rated

The is one of Georgia's newest state parks and it shows!

Even if you don't get one of the lake view sites (we did), the sites are roomy, shady, and well spaced from your neighbors.
Our stay here over president's day weekend was the maiden voyage of our new Airstream. This trip had one purpose-- to use every feature of the trailer and identify any problems. For that reason, we didn't use the on-site water or grey water drain (a new thing for us!).
We had reservations and the staff at check-in were very friendly. They explained the park thoroughly and even advised us on sites. Since our trailer backing skills are...uh... weak, we wanted a drive-through site and there were many! We lucked out with # 5 which has a direct path to the fishing dock.
No problem with cell service, even inside the aluminum can. No power issues and no faults with our surge protector. The bathhouses were new and clean as was the dump station. Over the air TV reception was non-existent for us. We have a fixed antenna. I did see others with extendables watching though.
Now the important stuff: what to do! I wouldn't call this a hiking destination. There are trails, and they're well-blazed and easy. These are great for runners and you could probably put 2-3 miles together. I saw hawks, herons and deer as I passed through. Combine that with the roads (hilly-- this is North GA!) you could easily do 6 or more. Outside the park, I would guess that the roads nearby are safe enough to for a proper long run.
This park would also be nice for family biking but keep those hills in mind! Ididn;t see any MTB trails.
The best activities here are water-based. In the warmer seasons, kayaks and other watercraft are available for rent. There's a swimming beach, several boat/fishing docks and 2 launch ramps with parking.
The park is an easy hour from the Atlanta perimeter (I-285) outisde of rush hours.

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guindy would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $30.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: 5

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
- Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

June 27, 2018
Rated

There is a little controversy whether this park is actually by Lake Lanier or by the Chattahoochee River, but it doesn't really matter. It's near water, and lots of it. Kayaks, paddleboards, and water cycles are available for rental. There is a nicely manicured beachfront close enough to hike to from the RV sites, but driving is better if you have a lot of picnic items to haul. We loved getting on the water and exploring with their rentals.

I loved our site. It was #10. Great for privacy and plenty of space. We got a lot of rain the week we stayed so parts of our paved, pull-thru site became a mini-mud pond. Still, our views were great. Site #7 had better drainage and was more private. Most sites tend to be pretty close and don't have water views. Also, there's not quite enough room for a camper and a tent at most sites.

The park is very hilly, so bring good walking shoes (and even a walking stick) if you want to get out on the trails or simply walk to the restrooms. The sites and facilities were all very clean and the staff was friendly. All the sites I saw had grey water hookups. They are doing a great job with recycling and water conservation. They might have taken it too far with the inserts in the back of the toilets. There is simply too little water when you need it, if you get my drift. LOL So, there's a lot more flushing, and waiting for refilling, and flushing, etc. going on.

Biking here is interesting. You really should have a bike with gears and be a strong rider around this campground because of the hills. Not all of the trails allow bikes so just find out before you ride. We took our bikes to the trail by the primitive campsites. It was a little confusing to follow, but we figured it out. Make sure your brakes are good before you go. That area has a nice fishing pier and a place to put kayaks in the water. It even had a fish cleaning station. Nice touches like these are all over the park.

We discovered that The Market on Limestone has an incredible salad bar inside with plenty of seating. It was full of fresh choices. We enjoyed lunch there.  Wish we had one of these grocery stores near us!

Our absolute favorite excursion while staying here (and that we went to several times) was the closeby Mountain Fresh Creamery. They do a wonderful job producing quality dairy with a smile. They have tours of their farm, too. The chocolate milk was divine, as was the ice cream. They have cute souvenirs for sale, too.

For the kid in you, consider driving on over to Babyland General to see where the Cabbage Patch Kids come from. It's adorable. You check in with an LPN ("Licensed Patch Nurse") before perusing around. We saw a cabbage patch baby being delivered. LOL I enjoyed looking at all the signed pictures of actors and performers who either visited Babyland, had their own Cabbage Patch Kid, or had met manufacturer Xavier Roberts.

We were able to get a good signal on our Verizon phones. The cable tv hookup worked fine the few times we tried it. It was a bonus to have an actual grey water hook up at the site. The dump station was clean and easy to use. I would like to come back someday, but I really wish all of their sites were as nice as this one and site #7.

Don Carter State Park
5000 N Browning Bridge Rd.
Gainesville, Georgia 30506
Phone: (678) 450-7726
Sites: 44 RV and 12 Primitive
Recent Rate: $30

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $30.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 7

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise
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Reviewed by
Campendium

June 12, 2019
Rated

Could not say enough good things about this campground. It was an awesome stay clean bathhouse, nice sites, water cool breeze. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: -

Days Stayed: 4

Site Number: -

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise
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Reviewed by
Campendium

February 06, 2020
Rated

This was our first actual camping night in our new RV & luckily everything went smoothly. We were right on the lake, unfortunately it was cold & rainy so we could not enjoy the park. But the facilities were nice & new & super clean. We will return when we can truly enjoy the park

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $36.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 10

4 Access
4 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise
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Reviewed by
Campendium

April 27, 2020
Rated

Best park so far! We stayed for a week (4/17/2020) amidst the Covid crisis. The park is relatively new and its shows. Great amenities, including cable.
Check in was seamless (and people-less)
All the sites are paved and plenty big for bigger rigs. Each site offer a gray water drain system that came in handy.
The dump stations are big and easy to access.
The park is pretty large and offers plenty of hiking and biking routes

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $34.00

Days Stayed: 5

Site Number: 31

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

September 07, 2020
Rated

This is a relatively new state park with very nice amenities, but confusing layout. The check-in was over the phone due to Covid and we were told to go directly to our site. The campground is very separate from the day use area which is a nice feature, but finding our site was quite the challenge. The signs were minimal and led us a very difficult to access way to our campsite. There were no signs that indicated an easier access path and we weren't given that information. The map was not much more help.

Once at the site, it was very nice. The site was paved, 50 amp, water, gray tank dump with a large gravel picnic area. Our site had trees and bushes between it and other sites, so felt spacious and private. There are other sites in the campground that are pull-throughs and in rows side by side that were not nearly as appealing, esp. as a number of sites had outdoor speakers playing a cacophony of different stations intermingled with screaming kids and adults. Our site was happily surrounded by quietness.

The park has a very well maintained white sand beach with swimming area, boat ramps, fishing docks, kayak launch areas, and playgrounds. One playground/workout area is within the gated campground area so very uncrowded. There are quite a few paved and unpaved trails through the woods and some good geocaches. The water was very pleasant to swim in for both humans and dogs!

The biggest negatives were the confusing layout and the crowded beach (it was Labor Day weekend, so not a big surprise). The positives were the quality of the campsites and the variety of things to do in the park.

Verizon was 2-3 bars, but enough bandwidth to stream video the few times we checked.

Rate reflects 20% Friends of GA State Parks discount

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $27.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: 40

3 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

December 23, 2020
Rated

Seems we found a gem on Lake Lanier...open in the winter and perfectly maintained. Our site 8 was an island side which we did not really realize till we settled in. This meant we had lake views on both sides of the camper what more can you ask for. It was lightly tight in length to fit our 39 foot hauler with Deck outback and crew cab dually. Camp hosts were fantastic and friendly even Santa Came to visit passing out candy canes!

The park is definitely in the North Georgia hills expect some ups and downs while enjoying the many miles of hiking trails.

We are early into our full-timing journey and learned real quick that many GA state parks do not have full hook up's mainly greywater only as is the case here at Don Carter.

Thanks, Don Carter for donating this beautiful piece of land for many to enjoy. This campground has a very nice area for horseback riding. We did not contact any of the vendors or offer horseback rides but sounded very tempting.

A great Grocery store is 10 miles which also includes many fast food options, a nice Mexican restaurant and be sure to check out the unique Ace hardware.

The only downgrades were for the 10 miles to the grocery store (many may find this to be a blessing) and for the noise you can barely hear a faint rumble from the interstate that is a few miles away.

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Nightly Rate: $34.00

Days Stayed: 14

Site Number: 8

5 Access
4 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

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Don Carter State Park

5000 N. Browning Bridge Rd.
Gainesville, Georgia
30506 USA
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Hours

Closed Now
  • Sun - Sat: 7:00 am - 10:00 pm

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  • Unavailable
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    Pets Allowed
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  • Unknown
    Wifi
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    Credit Cards Accepted
Affiliation
State park or forest
Last Nightly Rate
30.0
Longest Vehicle Length Reported
39.0
Lowest Nightly Rate
27.0
Max Stay
14
Sites Count
44
Standard Tent Sites Count
12
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    Paved Sites
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    Fifty Amp
  • Unavailable
    Full Hookup
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    Big Rigs
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    Open Seasonally
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    Age Restricted
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    Mobile Homes
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    Permit Required
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    Potable Water
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    Public Water
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through RV Sites
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