Free camping near Morganton, GA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Morganton, GA there are 41 camps: 28 free, 13 fee. The closest is Morganton Point Recreation Area, 0.4 miles south of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Padena Dispersed Area, 1.3 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at. The circle crosses a state line: GA and NC and TN.
Who manages them: 39 on the Forest Service; 2 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morganton Point Recreation Area | 0.4 | Fee | — | 0.4 mi to Morganton | — |
| Padena Dispersed Area | 1.3 | Free | Star Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Padena | — |
| Toccoa River -Sandy Bottoms Campground | 5.9 | Fee | — | 5.9 mi to Morganton | — |
| Deep Hole Recreation Area | 11 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Morganton | — |
| Rock Creek Dispersed Area | 12 | Free | Little Rock Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Cooper Creek | — |
| Noontootla Dispersed Area | 13 | Free | Noontootla Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Stock Hill | — |
| Cooper Creek Campground | 13 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Blairsville | — |
| Frank Gross Recreation Area | 13 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Morganton | — |
| Fannin CountyDave slept here | 14 | Free | Noontootla Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Three Forks | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — Union County, GA | 15 | Free | — | — | — |
| Jack'S River Fields Campground | 15 | Fee | — | 9.4 mi to Cherry Log | — |
| A.T. Hawk Mountain Shelter | 16 | Free | Rock Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Three Forks | — |
| A.T. Stover Creek Shelter | 16 | Free | Stover Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Three Forks | — |
| Tumbling Creek Campground | 16 | Free | Tumbling Creek (stream) | 1.9 mi to Grassy Creek | — |
| Union CountyDave slept here | 17 | Free | — | 11 mi to Dahlonega | — |
| A.T. Springer Mountain Shelter | 17 | Free | Jones Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Three Forks | — |
| A.T. Black Mountain Gap Shelter | 18 | Free | Lance Creek (stream) | 3.3 mi to Three Forks | — |
| Montgomery Creek Dispersed Area | 18 | Free | West Fork Montgomery Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Three Forks | — |
| Lake Winfield Scott Campground | 18 | Fee | — | 9.6 mi to Blairsville | — |
| Hanging Dog Campground | 18 | Free | Hanging Dog Creek (stream) | 0.7 mi to Grape Creek | — |
| Bear Creek Campground | 18 | Free | Bear Creek (stream) | 3.9 mi to Mountaintown | — |
| Bear Creek Dispersed Camping Area | 18 | Free | Bear Creek (stream) | 4.1 mi to Mountaintown | — |
| A.T. Gooch Mountain Shelter | 19 | Free | Blackwell Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Sarah | — |
| A.T. Woods Hole Shelter | 19 | Free | Slaughter Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Hood | — |
| Jones Creek Dispersed Area | 19 | Free | Jones Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Nimblewill | — |
| Thunder Rock Cg | 19 | Fee | — | 6.3 mi to Ducktown | — |
| A.T. Blood Mountain Shelter | 20 | Free | Slaughter Creek (stream) | 4.0 mi to Hood | — |
| Nimblewill Dispersed Area | 20 | Free | Nimblewill Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Nimblewill | — |
| Dockery Lake Recreation Area | 21 | Fee | — | 10.0 mi to Dahlonega | — |
| Desoto Falls Recreation Area | 22 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Yonah | — |
| Dicks Creek Dispersed Area | 22 | Free | Dicks Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Porter Springs | — |
| Sylco Campground | 23 | Free | Sylco Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to Sylco | — |
| Sylco Campground | 23 | Free | Sylco Creek (stream) | 0.2 mi to Sylco | — |
| Lake Conasauga Overflow | 23 | Fee | — | 7.0 mi to Eton | — |
| Ball Field Camping Area | 23 | Free | Lake Conasauga (water) | 3.7 mi to Hasslers Mill | — |
| Lost Creek Campground | 23 | Free | Big Lost Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to Probst | — |
| Lake Conasauga Campground Area | 23 | Fee | — | 6.7 mi to Eton | — |
| Conasauga River Campground | 24 | Free | Jacks River (stream) | 0.2 mi to Alaculsy | — |
| Cottonwood Patch Area | 24 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Conasauga | — |
| Hickey Gap Forest Service Camping Area | 24 | Free | Mill Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Cohutta Springs | — |
| A.T. Low Gap Shelter | 25 | Free | Low Gap Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Hood | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Morganton, 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.