Red Top Mountain State Park, Cartersville GA
Lakeside Trail, Iron Hill Bike Trail, White Tail Trail, Homestead Trail,
Sweetgum Lodge Loop Trail and Visitor Center Loop Trail
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LOCATION:
50 Lodge Road SE Cartersville, GA 30102 PHONE: 770-975-0055 Reserve: 800-864-7275 RATES: $23 - $25 $5 parking fee Reservations cannot be made for a particular site. CHECK IN/OUT: Check in at 1 pm/Check out at 1 pm. ACCESS: Coded Gate MAPS: At Visitor Center SITES: 92 mixed RV and tent sites (color coded) PULL THRUS: Yes WATERFRONT: Yes PICNIC SHELTERS: Yes SITE SURFACE: Gravel HOOK-UPS: Water & 30/50 Amp WIFI: Pay. Great TMobile CABLE: No SEWER: No BATH: Yes LAUNDRY: Yes DUMP STATION: Yes SHADE TREES: Yes POOL: No BOAT RAMP: Yes FEATURES: Lake for fishing, swimming and boating RANKING: 8 PET FRIENDLY: Yes NEARBY ATTRACTIONS Etowah Indian Mounds Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History |
Red Top Mountain State Park is named for the soils rich red color caused by high iron-ore content. This mountain was once an important mining area and a historically significant battlefield. The park maintains Allatoona Pass Battlefield for the public.
This park is popular as it sits on Lake Allatoona and is ideal for swimming, water skiing and fishing. There are two boat launching ramps and a privately operated marina. A lakeside beach offers swimming with a miniature golf course nearby. There are 18 cottages and one yurt for rent. We camped here in August 2018 in our Travato Van and the park was very quiet due to school starting. The sites sit up from the water but the woods are welcome shade. The road through the campground is very narrow and curvy. There is one section just for big rigs with pull-through sites. The paved Lakeside Trail is a 3/4 mile loop trail that is ADA accessible. Trail is not blazed and no bicycles are allowed. The Iron Hill Bike Trail is 4 miles and a favorite with mountain bikers. We only had occasional views of Lake Allatoona but it was easy to get to the water and explore.The parking lot for this trail is located off Red Top Mountain Road just past the campground. It's a graveled trail and used for hiking and bicycling. The 1/2 mile White Tail Trail begins at the Park Office parking area and shares a trailhead with the Sweet Gum trail. The 5.5 mile Homestead Trail is a loop and rated moderate. This trail begins at the front porch of the park Visitor Center. The loop portion follows the lakeshore for approximately half its length. This trail is named after one of several homesteads which were once located in the loop portion. The trail is blazed yellow and is not accessible to bicycles. The Sweetgum Lodge Loop Trail is 3.5 miles and begins at the Visitor Center parking area. The Campground Trail which connects to the campground, allows campers to access the park trail without driving. There are sections of the trail where Homestead and Sweet Gum share the same pathway. These sections are marked with yellow and red blazes. The trail is not accessible to bicycles. The Visitor Center Loop Trail is a 3/4 mile loop and rated moderate. It begins one hundred yards down the beginning of the Sweet Gum Trail from the Visitor Center Parking area. This trail is blazed green and is not accessible to bicycles. DIRECTIONS FROM ATLANTA:
I-75 N to exit 285 (Red top Mountain Road) Turn right at the end of the ramp and travel 1.8 miles to the Visitor Center.         |
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