Campgrounds 13
Campgrounds on the water. Most are seasonal.
Since the counties took the campgrounds over, several book through county portals rather than Recreation.gov. Check which system a site uses before you plan around it.
North end 5
Gainesville, Clermont and up the Chattahoochee and Chestatee arms.
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Bolding Mill Campground
Around 88 to 97 sites with electric and water, no sewer, plus nine tent-only primitive sites, bathhouses, laundry and two dump stations. Hall County runs it and lists it as open year round except the week of Christmas; reserve through Hall County's online system.
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Don Carter State Park Campground and Cottages
44 electric sites for tents, trailers and RVs, 16 primitive tent sites and eight two-bedroom cottages at the north end of the lake. Open year round and booked through Georgia State Parks online or at 800-864-7275; the daily ParkPass is charged once per vehicle for the stay and is not included in the site fee.
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Duckett Mill Campground
Roughly 97 water and electric sites plus 14 tent-only sites, with bathhouses, laundry, a playground and a swim beach for campers; the boat ramp is just outside the gate. Hall County handles operations and reservations, and the season is set by the county rather than the Corps.
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Toto Creek Campground
Nine tent-only primitive sites with no hookups and no dump station, each with a pad, table, fire pit and lantern hanger, plus a bathhouse and a shared water hydrant. Dawson County runs it at $25 a night, open March 1 to October 31, reservations online only, gates lock at 10:30 p.m.
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War Hill Park Campground
14 primitive campsites with no hookups and no dump station, but with a bathhouse that has restrooms and showers, four boat ramps and a pier on site. Dawson County runs it at $25 a night, open March 1 to October 31, and reservations are online only.
Mid lake 3
Flowery Branch, Cumming and the middle of the lake.
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Bald Ridge Creek Campground
82 sites with electric and water but no sewer, plus a swim beach, boat ramp, bathhouses, laundry and a dump station. Forsyth County now handles day-to-day operations and reservations, so book through Forsyth County Parks rather than Recreation.gov, and it runs on a spring-through-fall season.
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Old Federal Campground
84 sites in total: 65 with electric and water, 12 primitive tent sites and 7 walk-ins, with bathhouses, laundry, two picnic shelters and a dump station. Swim beach and boat ramp are right there; Hall County runs reservations and sets the open dates.
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River Forks Park & Campground
Hall County campground with 63 RV sites on electric and water, 10 tent sites with electric and water, and six glamping tents, open year round. Gated campground with a sewer pump-out, dump station, restrooms and showers, beach, boat ramp and two playgrounds; reserve through Hall County's online portal.
South end 4
Buford, the islands and the water near the dam.
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Camp Margaritaville RV Resort Lanier Islands
Private RV resort on the Lanier Islands property with full hookups at every RV site, plus waterfront cabins and glamping tent cottages. Reservations go through Campspot, and stays of two nights or more include a pass to the resort's water park and snow park.
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Sawnee Campground
59 sites on Buford Dam Road: 43 standard with electric and water, 5 tent walk-ins with water and electric, and 11 walk-ins with no hookups. Sandy swim beach, boat ramp, playground, bathhouses and laundry; Forsyth County runs reservations and sets the open dates, and it closes for the winter.
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Shady Grove Campground
Forsyth County campground of about 110 tent, RV and group sites on 109 acres, with some sites on water and 30 or 50 amp power. Beach and swim area, boat ramp with courtesy dock, playground and restrooms with showers; it opens in early March and books through Forsyth County Parks online, by phone or at the visitor center.
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Shoal Creek Campground
Corps campground less than a mile east of Buford Dam, leased and run by Lanier Islands, with wooded and lakefront sites both with and without hookups plus primitive lakeside sites. Showers, restrooms, laundry, dump station, picnic pavilion, boat ramp, swim area, playground and rustic walking trails; reservations go through Lanier Islands rather than Recreation.gov.
Across the lake 1
Notes that apply to every Corps campground on the lake.
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Corps of Engineers campground season
The Corps campgrounds on Lanier are seasonal, not year round. Old Federal and Bald Ridge Creek open earliest, around late March, and run into November; Duckett Mill, Bolding Mill, Sawnee and Van Pugh South typically run April into mid-September. All of them book on Recreation.gov and lakefront sites go fast for summer holiday weekends.
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