Free camping near Dahlonega, GA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Dahlonega, GA there are 46 camps: 36 free, 10 fee. The closest is A.T. Gooch Mountain Shelter, 9.6 miles north-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is A.T. Gooch Mountain Shelter, 9.6 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at.
Who manages them: 28 on the Forest Service; 16 on Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division; 2 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.T. Gooch Mountain Shelter | 9.6 | Free | Blackwell Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Sarah | — |
| Dockery Lake Recreation Area | 10.0 | Fee | — | 10.0 mi to Dahlonega | — |
| Dicks Creek Dispersed Area | 11 | Free | Dicks Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Porter Springs | — |
| Union CountyDave slept here | 11 | Free | — | 11 mi to Dahlonega | — |
| Montgomery Creek Dispersed Area | 11 | Free | West Fork Montgomery Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Three Forks | — |
| Jones Creek Dispersed Area | 11 | Free | Jones Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Nimblewill | — |
| Nimblewill Dispersed Area | 12 | Free | Nimblewill Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Nimblewill | — |
| Desoto Falls Recreation Area | 13 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Yonah | — |
| A.T. Hawk Mountain Shelter | 13 | Free | Rock Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Three Forks | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA Primitive Campground #4 | 13 | Free | — | 2.8 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| A.T. Black Mountain Gap Shelter | 14 | Free | Lance Creek (stream) | 3.3 mi to Three Forks | — |
| A.T. Springer Mountain Shelter | 14 | Free | Jones Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Three Forks | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA Primitive Campground #3 | 14 | Free | — | 3.9 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| A.T. Woods Hole Shelter | 14 | Free | Slaughter Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Hood | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA Primitive Campground #5 | 14 | Free | — | 4.1 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| Lake Winfield Scott Campground | 14 | Fee | — | 9.6 mi to Blairsville | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA Primitive Campground #2 | 14 | Free | — | 3.9 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA Primitive Campground #1 | 15 | Free | — | 4.0 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA Primitive Campground #6 | 15 | Free | — | 4.3 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| A.T. Blood Mountain Shelter | 15 | Free | Slaughter Creek (stream) | 4.0 mi to Hood | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA Primitive Campground #7 | 15 | Free | — | 4.3 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| A.T. Stover Creek Shelter | 15 | Free | Stover Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Three Forks | — |
| A.T. Whitley Gap Shelter | 15 | Free | Dodd Creek (stream) | 4.2 mi to Hood | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA Primitive Campground #10 | 15 | Free | — | 4.7 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA Primitive Campground #8 | 15 | Free | — | 4.7 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| Frank Gross Recreation Area | 15 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Morganton | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA - Six Mile / Lindy Ford | 15 | Free | — | 7.4 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA Primitive Campground #9 | 16 | Free | — | 5.1 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| Rock Creek Dispersed Area | 16 | Free | Little Rock Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Cooper Creek | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — Union County, GA | 16 | Free | — | — | — |
| Fannin CountyDave slept here | 16 | Free | Noontootla Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Three Forks | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA Primitive Campground #11 | 16 | Free | — | 6.0 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA - Baptising Hole | 17 | Free | — | 9.4 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA Primitive Campground #12 | 17 | Free | — | 6.2 mi to Dawsonville | — |
| Cooper Creek Campground | 17 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Blairsville | — |
| Deep Hole Recreation Area | 17 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Morganton | — |
| Dawson Forest WMA - Wildcat | 17 | Free | — | 9.0 mi to Jasper | — |
| Noontootla Dispersed Area | 17 | Free | Noontootla Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Stock Hill | — |
| Low Gap Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Helen | — |
| A.T. Low Gap Shelter | 19 | Free | Low Gap Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Hood | — |
| Upper Chattahoochee River Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 6.3 mi to Helen | — |
| Andrew'S Cove | 22 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Helen | — |
| A.T. Blue Mountain Shelter | 23 | Free | Watkins Branch (stream) | 3.8 mi to Mountain Scene | — |
| Toccoa River -Sandy Bottoms Campground | 23 | Fee | — | 5.9 mi to Morganton | — |
| Wilson Shoals WMA - Wilson Shoals Campground | 24 | Free | — | 2.6 mi to Alto | — |
| Indian Grave Gap Road Dispersed Campsite 1 | 25 | Free | Hiwassee River (stream) | 2.6 mi to Mountain Scene | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Dahlonega, GA, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.