Agency-listedUSFSFee
Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · GA · 34.49251, -83.50084
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,059 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Lake Russell Recreation Area CampgroundNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground · Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests · GA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel2 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- HHardware2 mi
- LLaundry2 mi
- @Mail2 mi
- RxPharmacy3 mi
- EVEV fast charger3 mi
- OOutfitter4 mi
- MMechanic5 mi
- WWater12 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- ShShower18 mi
- DDump18 mi
- AAir-up29 mi
- PPropane36 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 2 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,059 ft
State
GA
Coordinates
34.49251, -83.50084
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground · Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests · GA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townMount Airy · ~2.2 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelValero · ~1.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~18.3 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~1.7 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~2.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicToccoa Clinic · ~12.0 mi
- HardwareHabersham Hardware & Home Center · ~1.9 mi
EV charging — from Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground · Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests · GA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger2.9 mi straight-line NW — GEORGIA POWER CORNELIA DC1 · ChargePoint Network · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach15 within 25 mi · 76 within 50 · 407 within 100 · 658 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO2.9 mi — GEORGIA POWER CORNELIA DC2, Cornelia
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)2.0 mi — City of Cornelia - Train Depot (at a park) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-05-12 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 199173 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground · Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests · GA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomLake Russell Boat Launch And Beach Areas · ~0.3 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNancytown Day Use And Trailhead · ~1.3 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLocust Stake Ohv Trailhead And Trail · ~8.6 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPanther Creek Falls Picnic & Trailhead · ~15.0 mi N · USFS
Open Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Wilson Shoals WMA - Wilson Shoals Campground~6.1 mi
- Lake Rabun Beach Recreation Area Campground~18.4 mi · fee
- A.T. Tray Mountain Shelter~23.7 mi
- Andrew'S Cove~23.8 mi · fee
The unit that manages Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground are set by Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground
Camping near a reservoir →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Camping with a dog →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →