Free camping near Helen, GA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Helen, GA there are 37 camps: 20 free, 17 fee. The closest is Low Gap Campground, 4.3 miles north-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is A.T. Whitley Gap Shelter, 6.0 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at. The circle crosses a state line: GA and NC.
Who manages them: 35 on the Forest Service; 1 on an agency our record does not name; 1 on Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Gap Campground | 4.3 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Helen | — |
| Andrew'S Cove | 4.8 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Helen | — |
| A.T. Whitley Gap Shelter | 6.0 | Free | Dodd Creek (stream) | 4.2 mi to Hood | — |
| Upper Chattahoochee River Campground | 6.3 | Fee | — | 6.3 mi to Helen | — |
| A.T. Tray Mountain Shelter | 7.2 | Free | Mossy Cove Branch (stream) | 4.5 mi to Mountain Scene | — |
| A.T. Low Gap Shelter | 7.2 | Free | Low Gap Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Hood | — |
| Indian Grave Gap Road Dispersed Campsite 1 | 7.8 | Free | Hiwassee River (stream) | 2.6 mi to Mountain Scene | — |
| A.T. Blue Mountain Shelter | 7.8 | Free | Watkins Branch (stream) | 3.8 mi to Mountain Scene | — |
| Wildcat Campground #1 | 10 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Sautee-Nacoochee | — |
| Wildcat Campground #2 | 10 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Helen | — |
| Desoto Falls Recreation Area | 11 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Yonah | — |
| Dicks Creek Dispersed Area | 12 | Free | Dicks Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Porter Springs | — |
| A.T. Blood Mountain Shelter | 12 | Free | Slaughter Creek (stream) | 4.0 mi to Hood | — |
| A.T. Deep Gap Shelter | 13 | Free | Chastain Creek (stream) | 4.1 mi to Osborn | — |
| A.T. Woods Hole Shelter | 13 | Free | Slaughter Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Hood | — |
| Lake Winfield Scott Campground | 14 | Fee | — | 9.6 mi to Blairsville | — |
| Dockery Lake Recreation Area | 14 | Fee | — | 10.0 mi to Dahlonega | — |
| Lake Rabun Beach Recreation Area Campground | 15 | Fee | — | 5.5 mi to Tallulah Falls | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — Union County, GA | 17 | Free | — | — | — |
| Lake Chatuge Recreation Area | 17 | Free | Hog Creek (stream) | 0.8 mi to Friendship | — |
| A.T. Plum Orchard Shelter | 18 | Free | Plumorchard Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Titus | — |
| Tallulah River | 18 | Fee | — | 3.4 mi to Tate | — |
| A.T. Gooch Mountain Shelter | 19 | Free | Blackwell Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Sarah | — |
| Cooper Creek Campground | 20 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Blairsville | — |
| Tate Branch Campground | 20 | Fee | — | 1.5 mi to Tate | — |
| Lake Russell Recreation Area Campground | 20 | Fee | — | 2.2 mi to Mount Airy | — |
| Sandy Bottoms Recreation Area (Campground) | 20 | Fee | — | 1.1 mi to Tate | — |
| Jackrabbit Mountain Campground | 21 | Fee | Shooting Creek (stream) | 1.5 mi to Elf | — |
| Union CountyDave slept here | 21 | Free | — | 11 mi to Dahlonega | — |
| Wilson Shoals WMA - Wilson Shoals Campground | 21 | Free | — | 2.6 mi to Alto | — |
| Rock Creek Dispersed Area | 23 | Free | Little Rock Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Cooper Creek | — |
| A.T. Muskrat Creek Shelter | 23 | Free | Muskrat Branch (stream) | 3.1 mi to Tate City | — |
| A.T. Hawk Mountain Shelter | 23 | Free | Rock Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Three Forks | — |
| Deep Hole Recreation Area | 24 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Morganton | — |
| Montgomery Creek Dispersed Area | 24 | Free | West Fork Montgomery Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Three Forks | — |
| Frank Gross Recreation Area | 24 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Morganton | — |
| A.T. Carter Gap Shelter | 24 | Free | — | 3.5 mi to Tate | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Helen, 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.