lake hartwell state park

With excellent lake access right off of I-85, this is a south Oconee County gem. Because it is local for us, we visit once a week (with our annual pass) throughout the year to walk or bike ride. Our dog loves to splash in the lake at the boat launch (there are two...one with a courtesy dock and one without), and we never tire of the changing scenery.

My experience with the Camper Cabin was wonderful. I was able to pre-register online. I called ahead & arranged a late arrival & check-in. The park ranger even offered to turn on the heat for us. our key was ready when we arrived. The cabin was clean, warm, with electrical outlets. There is a large porch, grill, & fire rings. It was right on the lake & Very peaceful. You have to do all cooking outdoors, but that added to our camping experience. Bring along a camp stove & you're all set. There is a comfort station a short distance from the cabin with heat & warm water for showers. Clean & well-maintained. We enjoyed our visit, plan to come back & bring along other family members/rent both cabins next time.

First I’ll talk big rig then I’ll tell you about the park. The park is right off I85 so there is some road noise but not much. The road past the visitor center is narrow and has some pretty big potholes so go slow, all roads and sites in the park are paved but showing their age. Some turns in the park are tight for a big rig but manageable. There are a variety of fairly level sites that you can put a 40 footer in but getting a clear sky for your satellite will be challenging as the whole park is well treed. Each campsite has a fire ring and picnic table. No WIFI at campsites but Sprint 3G and phone worked well. Sites 103 and 104 are good pull thrus for large rigs and you can get Direct TV with a portable satellite.This Recreational Area has a lot of potential to be a great park but without the interest and effort from the park Rangers and staff this park falls far short of its potential. It is obvious there is no pride taken in the care and upkeep of this facility. Between campers the sites are not checked or cleaned for trash. Several sites had fire rings full of garbage and with litter scattered about. Other sites had leaves so thick you couldn’t tell where the pavement began or ended. The bathrooms were not cleaned, maintained, or resupplied daily. We stayed for 6 nights and on the 5th night we were so disgusted by the bathrooms not being cleaned I called the front office to complain and got a very snotty they are cleaned every morning speech. I assured the lady the same trash that was on the floor when we arrived was still there and there was little if any toilet paper left. A short time later a Ranger did come out to the bathrooms but only picked up a few of the largest pieces of trash and set toilet paper rolls on the back of toilet tanks and then left, no cleaning or taking out the trash was done. The next day a Ranger stopped again only this time he splashed some bleached into the toilet bowls and left. This seems to be typical of how the entire park is maintained, there doesn’t seem to be any accountability or oversight for maintaining what could be a first rate recreation area. The only laundry room is at the visitor center not near the campsites and while we were there only one washer and one dryer was working, the others had “out of service” signs on them that appeared to have been there for a while. The campsite numbers are painted on the ground and most are so faded and worn you cannot see them. The speed limit in the park is 15 MPH; it would be nice if the Rangers set the example. If being a Ranger at this park means you must clean bathrooms, pick up trash, blow leaves, paint numbers, drive slow, and be polite, please take pride in each or get another job, we campers would appreciate it

The dirtiest bathrooms I have ever seen and I CampHost myself. I would be ashamed if I were the host here. Volume of campers very low in our area, so time is no excuse. They looked like they had not been cleaned in days.

I stayed here in late January in the primitive tent sites. Nice and chilly 20 degrees both nights. The primitive area is down a small set of stairs. The higher numbers are closer to the parking area. Take a cart if you need to haul firewood. The tent sites are relatively small and close together. I prefer my primitive sites a little more spread out. Anything more than a whisper conversation will be heard by your neighbors. I was the only one dumb enough to be camping in 20 degree weather that weekend though. The bath houses are clean and warm and entry of hot water, which was nice given the outside temps. The campground is well kept and has a very nice lodge with free wifi and small store. I'm glad a went at least once, but for me the primitive sites here are just too small and too close together.

nice place for a picnic or a walk. there is a pretty good playground and great views of the lake and dam.

A nice afternoon on the South side of Anderson.. Peaceful and a great place for a little swimming (beware the bottom is mucky), fishing (remember your license) and picnicking.

It seems to go on forever. When we first moved here I was so happy to hear about it; but upon exploration I was let down ONLY by the fact that there weren't any neat little coves with restaurants on it to visit. Love to do that. BUT the scenery and its upkeep are beautiful

There is water in the boat ramp when the lake is low. A good place to launch your boat of jet ski. A good place to camp for a few days also.

What a Great place to camp. They have 2 cabins, and 2 RV spots that are side by side. That meant the entire family could be all together. The camping sites are well kept. Clean and very lush with flora and fauna. It was a short walk to the beach area, which was perfect for swimming ! The staff were laid back and very friendly, not up tight about how many cars at the sites. If you pay, as long as the cars fit on your site , let it be, don't be a pain in the A#$. Some state parks have rangers that forget we are there for fun, and if it wasn't for us they would have no JOBS.

clean and lots of new walkways and paths.lots of signs and staff was very nice.

Unfortunately, due to budget cutbacks, this park is no longer officially a state park. It is an outdoor recreation area with self-registration campsites. Some sites have their own boat docks.

call it the time of year or the weather or both, but my husband and i were not impressed with this place at all. we both love the autumn, it's our favorite time of year, and had decided to go camping at lake hartwell but were disappointed with the site we reserved that was right on the lake, and the lake itself. maybe at a different time of year or to go there just for a day would be different but we will definitely not be going back to get away and camp there.