Free camping near Young Harris, GA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Young Harris, GA there are 53 camps: 31 free, 22 fee. The closest is Lake Chatuge Recreation Area, 4.1 miles east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Lake Chatuge Recreation Area, 4.1 miles out. 2 of them are camps Dave has slept at. The circle crosses a state line: GA and NC.
Who manages them: 51 on the Forest Service; 2 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Chatuge Recreation Area | 4.1 | Free | Hog Creek (stream) | 0.8 mi to Friendship | — |
| Jackrabbit Mountain Campground | 6.8 | Fee | Shooting Creek (stream) | 1.5 mi to Elf | — |
| A.T. Blue Mountain Shelter | 9.3 | Free | Watkins Branch (stream) | 3.8 mi to Mountain Scene | — |
| Indian Grave Gap Road Dispersed Campsite 1 | 10 | Free | Hiwassee River (stream) | 2.6 mi to Mountain Scene | — |
| Fires Creek Campground | 11 | Free | Huskins Branch (stream) | 0.8 mi to Fires Creek | — |
| Upper Chattahoochee River Campground | 11 | Fee | — | 6.3 mi to Helen | — |
| A.T. Low Gap Shelter | 11 | Free | Low Gap Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Hood | — |
| A.T. Deep Gap Shelter | 12 | Free | Chastain Creek (stream) | 4.1 mi to Osborn | — |
| Bristol Horse Camp | 12 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Hayesville | — |
| Andrew'S Cove | 13 | Fee | — | 4.8 mi to Helen | — |
| Low Gap Campground | 13 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Helen | — |
| A.T. Tray Mountain Shelter | 13 | Free | Mossy Cove Branch (stream) | 4.5 mi to Mountain Scene | — |
| A.T. Blood Mountain Shelter | 14 | Free | Slaughter Creek (stream) | 4.0 mi to Hood | — |
| Wildcat Campground #2 | 14 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Helen | — |
| A.T. Plum Orchard Shelter | 15 | Free | Plumorchard Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Titus | — |
| Wildcat Campground #1 | 15 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Sautee-Nacoochee | — |
| A.T. Woods Hole Shelter | 15 | Free | Slaughter Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Hood | — |
| Lake Winfield Scott Campground | 15 | Fee | — | 9.6 mi to Blairsville | — |
| A.T. Whitley Gap Shelter | 15 | Free | Dodd Creek (stream) | 4.2 mi to Hood | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — Union County, GA | 16 | Free | — | — | — |
| A.T. Muskrat Creek Shelter | 16 | Free | Muskrat Branch (stream) | 3.1 mi to Tate City | — |
| Desoto Falls Recreation Area | 16 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Yonah | — |
| Sandy Bottoms Recreation Area (Campground) | 17 | Fee | — | 1.1 mi to Tate | — |
| Tate Branch Campground | 17 | Fee | — | 1.5 mi to Tate | — |
| Cooper Creek Campground | 17 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Blairsville | — |
| Tallulah River | 17 | Fee | — | 3.4 mi to Tate | — |
| Hanging Dog Campground | 18 | Free | Hanging Dog Creek (stream) | 0.7 mi to Grape Creek | — |
| Dicks Creek Dispersed Area | 18 | Free | Dicks Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Porter Springs | — |
| Nantahala Lake Dispersed Camping Site - Lake Access | 19 | Free | Johnson Branch (stream) | 3.6 mi to Aquone | — |
| Dockery Lake Recreation Area | 19 | Fee | — | 10.0 mi to Dahlonega | — |
| Kimsey Creek Group Campground | 20 | Fee | — | 6.7 mi to Tate | — |
| A.T. Carter Gap Shelter | 20 | Free | — | 3.5 mi to Tate | — |
| Hurricane Creek Horse & Primitive Camp | 21 | Fee | — | 5.9 mi to Tate | — |
| A.T. Siler Bald Shelter | 21 | Free | Right Prong Rough Fork (stream) | 3.5 mi to Rainbow Springs | — |
| A.T. Rock Gap Shelter | 21 | Free | Little Rock Branch (stream) | 2.4 mi to Rainbow Springs | — |
| Wine Spring Horse Camp | 21 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Andrews | — |
| Deep Hole Recreation Area | 21 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Morganton | — |
| A.T. Long Branch Shelter | 22 | Free | Long Branch (stream) | 3.5 mi to Teresita | — |
| Rock Creek Dispersed Area | 22 | Free | Little Rock Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Cooper Creek | — |
| A.T. Standing Indian Shelter | 22 | Free | Bearpen Creek (stream) | 4.4 mi to McDonald Mill | — |
| Padena Dispersed Area | 22 | Free | Star Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Padena | — |
| A.T. Gooch Mountain Shelter | 22 | Free | Blackwell Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Sarah | — |
| Macon CountyDave slept here | 23 | Free | Shope Fork (stream) | 4.1 mi to McDonald Mill | — |
| Appletree Group Camp | 23 | Free | Appletree Branch (stream) | 2.3 mi to Aquone | — |
| Morganton Point Recreation Area | 23 | Fee | — | 0.4 mi to Morganton | — |
| Frank Gross Recreation Area | 23 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Morganton | — |
| Union CountyDave slept here | 24 | Free | — | 11 mi to Dahlonega | — |
| A.T. Wayah Bald Shelter | 24 | Free | Little Laurel Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Slickrock Ford | — |
| Big Snowbird Rd USFS Free Campground | 24 | Free | Polecat Branch (stream) | 1.7 mi to Dentons | — |
| Lake Rabun Beach Recreation Area Campground | 24 | Fee | — | 5.5 mi to Tallulah Falls | — |
The other 3 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Young Harris, GA.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Young Harris, 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.