Tugaloo State Park

This park is close to home, about 30 minutes so we decided to give it a try earlier this year during the Covid lockdown because Georgia state parks were open. First I'll give the pros: waterfront with great view, back in site but easy entry, level-no blocking necessary. Now the cons: campground roads and signage is wonky and hard to follow, sites are laid out terrible with some pull throughspots so close to road I'd be concerned someone would hit the slideout, firepit way too close to parking (almost under awning). The rules were barely enforced if at all--dog droppings everywhere, dogs running loose, neighbors played music so loud we went inside, then while we were inside they set up a cornhole game on our campsite, later on in the afternoon another group showed up and set up a tent on an area that was questionably part of our campsite but definitely not on a tentpad. Narrow roads and vehicles parked on the shoulder. And yes, I'm going to give it another try sometime, it was possibly full of riff-raff because few other parks were open. It's quite a ways from shopping.

Kind of a love/hate here. Pros: Great location, park is nice and well kept, lots of things to do. That said, I'm not overly impressed with the camping layout. Forgive me here.

Sites can be a bit of a challenge, and in some cases oddly laid out. Many are simply a wide spot in the road where you have a site, but your slides may be sitting right on the edge of the road. Others are very short, and not very level. Not that they're not nice sites - the occasional one is beautiful, but your picnic table and fire ring may be behind you, or on the backside of you, or where you'd expect. I'll attribute it to the campsites/park were built in the 60's. Now that negative noted, the bathhouses were plentiful and well situated, and pristine. The lake was beautiful although the shoreline tended to be red clay. Staff were wonderful. We'd stay here again if in the area, but wouldn't consider this as a destination location.

Tugaloo State Park is great and is situated on Lake Hartwell. We stayed for 2 days and took advantage of several activities including a beach, kayaking, fishing, hiking, and playgrounds.

Due to traffic had a late sign-in which went seamlessly. Park Rangers and staff are great.

Only downside to the specific site I was in regards to the location of the picnic table and fire pit which was located about 20' from back of trailer. This is a personal preference as we travel with a pet and prefer to have these off curb side of trailer.

Overall great state park and will stay in again if in the area.

Stayed here for a week. I was sick so didnt get to do too much. Bathhouses very clean. Had to go far away for laundry the ones nearby didnt work. No problem though. Site 44 was great but for the time of year 42 would do better with more sun exposure. The park rangers and staff were great. No complaints at all. They were paving a area at the time so there was a bit of noise, it was also half off for winter.

The state park as a whole was wonderful! Complete with a beach, lots of areas to fish, boating, kayaking, two playgrounds and a few other little hidden gems. We stayed at the tent-only walk in campsite. There was water and 4 electrical outlets, which was a huge plus! Our site was lake-front with an awesome little path leading down to a natural beach area perfect for swimming and fishing. The campsite was clean and there were two trash bins at the located at the top of the path leading to the parking lot. The comfort station was just a short walk away and the bathrooms and showers were a lot cleaner than I expected. The only thing was only one of the sinks worked in the women's room and I was told that none of the sinks worked in the men's room. Hopefully the park will have that fixed soon.

Tugaloo State Park is an amazing deal for the money. Our experience was that it felt more like a resort than a state park with the many sites situated by huge Lake Hartwell. Many people dock their boats on the beaches by their sites and spend half their time exploring the miles and miles of lake. Waves actually lap the shores due to jet skis, speed boats, and the fastest pontoons I've ever seen careening across the surface from place to place. It is a fun atmosphere. At night it is just as fun to watch with boaters turning on their fancy lights as they slowly return back to the docks and beaches. If boating or boat watching is not your thing, you are still in luck because there are many sites not on the lake that offer a good deal of privacy and are closer to the trails. From our walks around the campground we found that the sites are just so well-situated wherever you finally set up. We stayed at site #52. Beautiful.

We hiked the Sassafras and the Muscadine Trails. Sassafras was around 4 miles and was strenuous. The trail was overgrown in a few places, but we still were able to make it back without any scratches to our shins or poison ivy. Muscadine Trail was a little less than a mile and was more moderate in difficulty. Both times we hiked we saw many deer. Their tails were a lot longer than the ones we've seen before. Maybe I just noticed because they were so close! The hardwoods along the way are sure to be absolutely stunning in the fall.

I totally recommend renting a canoe or kayak from the Visitors Center. It was only $10 for an hour and included a canoe, paddles, and vests. There's nothing like viewing the area from the lake. We got out there at 8 a.m. and enjoyed the peacefulness. A crane flew across the lake in front of us. The sky was blue and it was still in the upper 70's. Wonderful experience.

One day we drove into Lavonia, GA. It was so sweet and retained much of it's original charm. There's a lot of history in that town. Around 1909 the women of the town came together and decided that the depot building was in an unattractive location so they had it sold and moved to Vanna, GA and  then had a new depot built and placed in a different location to better the flow of the storefronts and public area. Smart. The railroad tracks going right through the town remind us of the way business was conducted so long ago. We enjoyed the Saturday morning farmers market, shopping at Southern Alpaca Connection, drinking coffee at Alpaca Bean, buying charms and a tea towel at Vintage Owl, and eating some yummy Mediterranean food at Downtown Cafe & Pizzeria.

We loved this park and definitely plan to return!

Tugaloo State Park
1763 Tugalo State Park Rd.
Lavonia, Georgia 30553
Phone: (706) 356-4362
Sites: 113
Recent Rate: $35

Tugaloo is a lovely state park with many campsites with water-views. The lake-front sites are considered premium and cost a little bit more than the regular sites. Even with a reservation, the sites themselves are first come first serve. We heard some people complaining that it's hard to get spots next to your friends when it's busy.

Our site had a fantastic view of the lake, though isn't any privacy between sites and voices carry.

The roads in the campground are really bumpy from the tree growth, and they're also quite narrow. So if you're arriving while it's busy, navigating the roads can be a bit hairy.

The state park property is huge, and the beach and playground area look fantastic. It's probably quite popular during the summer. We enjoyed walking the campground loops and noticed that some of the regular spots were quite nice and some even private.

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Site #48, my favorite site. I would have never imagined that I would like this spot if I had neighbors on both sides and yet I did. Perhaps it is because I had great neighbors and it really was only for the weekend. I was here in November so the campground was not real full, obviously more campers on the weekend. Also this site may or not be noisy when in the summer, the lake is full of boats and jet skis. I just really enjoyed the view and the park. There are a few trails from the campground that were nice for hiking and I kayaked out to the island one day. Other campers bring their boat and dock it near their campsite.

Many of the sites in this campground, overlook the water so you may prefer a pull thru site. I really think the majority of the sites are very good. The beauty is with Georgia State campgrounds, you don't reserve a unique spot and can choose your site when arriving at the campground. Want a plus? There is cable TV, not digital but could get all of the cable stations.