We love camping at McKinney ! Campgrounds are well kept and clean,always a great camping experience as we've camped here several times. Beautiful waterfront lots is what we love to reserve as our camper at the end has a full size window. Lake Allatoona has to be the most prettiest lake I've seen and camped on. Only one little complaint ,the eldery lady at check in does all the work as the man stands around and watches her . She's not friendly at times and takes it out on campers instead of coworkers. Think they both need to retire LOL read more

McKinney Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Acworth, Georgia

The place is beautiful and quiet and very well taken care of. The only complaint is the check in process needs to handled more efficient read more

McKinney Campground - We are in spot 21 that you can see the lake. Very quiet and clean campground. They allow 3 dogs - Campgrounds Near Me - Acworth, Georgia

We have stayed several times at McKinney and as RV owners, many other state parks, etc. I must say the negative reviews are from people who read/agreed with the signs and instructions initially yet were not okay when these rules were enforced on THEM. This park is clean, the hosts are not there to be your friend or kind, just let you in and out and maintain a safe environment for a ton of strangers every day with tons of different issues. There is a leash law in this area, so just keep your 3 or less dogs on a leash and all will be fine. These rules are in place for a reason. If you try to break the rules, chances are your experience will not be a good one. Additionally, if there is an emergency, there IS something that can be done, yet no one that is complaining actually had an emergency or they would have known that and not complained about it. 5 stars to McKinney. They serve my camping needs well. I would recommend this spot to couples, families and animal lovers. read more

Excellent campground for Army Corp parks. Clean and friendly staff. Highly recommend!!!!

Very nice campground, kind of crazy staff. When I go to the office to check in the lady and the old man in the office just started bickering back and forth, one saying to do it this way and the other the other way. Anyways it was rather odd, but whatever got checked in. Unfortunately it was raining for the 2 days we spent here, however we could tell it was a very nice place. It was just a last minute stop on our way back to FL from CA so we didn't really plan it. If we come back I would like to get one of the spots over looking the lake. They look amazing. They also have a decent laundry which is a nice plus. read more

While the campgrounds are decent (notwithstanding the wooden steps that no less than 4 people from our group slipped and fell on when it rained), this 1 star is due to the unbelievably hostile and rude hosts. I went there to visit some friends at one of the sites. Pulled up at the completely deserted check in station and jogged up to the window in the rain. I was immediately told to move my car back a few feet behind a line, and then I could check in. So I ran back to my car, backed up a little bit, then ran back up and got the third degree about which sites I was visiting, how many people/vehicles/pets were already there, when I was leaving, etc. etc. Finally got the parking pass and went inside. A little inconvenient, but ok I guess. Then later that night I got a text and had to get home, but I lost track of time and it was just after the end of visiting hours, so when I tried to leave I was greeted by a locked gate blocking the only way in or out of the campground (seriously, you're literally trapped inside the park). God help anyone who has an emergency and needs EMS or the police at this place after hours. Had to knock on the door of the attendant's camper... I apologized several times asking him as nicely as I could if he would please unlock the gate, but this guy yelled in my face for a solid 10 seconds, angrily berating me for waking him up and jabbing his finger at the closing time on my parking pass. After which he finally, begrudgingly, unlocked the gate. I get that I was in the wrong but his behavior was unacceptable. As evidenced by the other horror stories on here about the hosts, these are angry, petty people who don't deserve your money or time. There are 2-3 campgrounds right in the same area with very similar amenities. I recommend going elsewhere so you can have the experience AND be served by hosts that are pleasant and accommodating. read more

My husband and I are traveling for several weeks and stopped at McKinney for three nights....wonderful!!! Our site had a beautiful view of the lake and lots of space. Only used the restroom once, but was clean and fresh smelling. I was a little surprised to read some more negative reviews...not our experience at all!! read more

McKinney Campground - Sunset at McKinney - Campgrounds Near Me - Acworth, Georgia

Could give this campground five stars if they allowed more than two dogs and if everyone at the gate was friendly. Some are, some are grumpy. Wrote a review of our trip there in a blog post. Check it out! https://imaginecamper.com/2018/01/19/the-journey-begins/ read more

What a beautiful place 30 minutes from are home. We have stayed in this campground multiple time and all were a great experience. I read all these thing about rude host and we have never experienced anything other then kind and professional service. read more

We love camping here.....sites are mostly all large and have hookups for water and power, contain fire pits and grills ( we never use). A couple years back they raised the rate to camp here and since then this campground has gone downhill?!? The campsites are no longer cleaned/checked after someone checks out...they used to have someone that scooped out the pits and ensured the site was acceptable for the next campers....now it's your responsibility to clean up after those before you. My hot button issue is the bathrooms.....mold up the showers and between the stalls which show me that bleach or a brush hasn't been run over it for a while. Shower heads that are broken, missing or unattached and the overall unpleasantness of it all. There are people who 'clean' here....they ride around and do the trash and what seems to be evident minimal cleaning work....you can typically see these folks parked in random spots throughout the campground reading a paper or taking a nap. I love coming here and will continue to do so but I bring things now to scoop the pit and fix my bathroom stalls.... It wouldn't take much to make things nicer....I'd offer my services to paint/refresh the bathrooms....but definitely feel some more motivated folks around here would help! The Rangers do a great job patrolling around and educating! read more

McKinney Campground - Cicada on the awning - Campgrounds Near Me - Acworth, Georgia

Beautiful lakefront sites if you reserve them in time. Sites are private and roomy but some have hills. The only downfall is that on day 2, we woke up with a camper full of ants. It wasn't until we went for a walk that we noticed everyone had baking soda sprinkled around their tents, tires, and leveling jacks ( which acts as a barrier to prevent ants). I would stay again but only if I could get a lake site! We read more

I really enjoyed my stay at McKinney Campground with my three dogs and my partner. The entry into the park grounds was very smooth and I even showed up a day earlier and the older couple that was attending the campgrounds where very nice and professional they said no problem and I ended up exactly where I had reserved my original spot. I say all in all it was an amazing trip to Georgia I would definitely go camping again in an rv for sure it was an awesome vacation read more

This is a very nice corp of engineers campground. The grounds and facilities are very well kept. Sites have power and water but no sewer. There is a dump station at gate though. Nice wooded sites on the bank of Lake Acworth. The only reason I did not give them a 5 star is because of one set of hosts at the gate. If they are not arguing with each other they can be very rude to guest checking in. Luckily if they are on duty, once you check in you don't really have to deal with them again. Nice beach and playground. Plenty of places to go and site see if you want within 30~45 minutes like the train museum in Kennesaw GA. read more

McKinney Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Acworth, Georgia

When I read other reviews to see why the rating was so low I was not surprised about the host comments. Having been a COE contractor on this lake in the past I somewhat understand both sides. I will just say COE civil servants have a lot of pressure put on them by their higher ups to do more with less. The contractors work inhumanly long hours under constant pressure. If the public had any understanding of how it is to work 15 hours, go to sleep and then be awakened by a irate camp visitor who wasn't ready to leave at closing time, at least three times at week, I think they would understand the contractors poor sense of humor to say the least. The public can sometimes be a bit rough and every bit as rude as these host have been reported to be. On my visit, 20Nov2017 I found a perfectly professional set of contractors (hosts) manning the gate house. That being said, now the park; beautiful sites most well improved , fire pits, tables, hanger for trash, water and electric. ( 50 amps). Dump station. We stayed at #56 which was great for us in a 32' motor home, though I noticed many previous campers on the site scraped their tongue on the asphalt because of the grade going in. The site itself was dead flat, paved, with pea gravel in the none paved areas. The site is a "waterfront" or premium site, however the little creek nearby is not my idea of waterfront. As with most COE parks maintenance contractors clean the bathrooms and they were acceptable. This park is pretty much all on mountainous Terran, the sites are woven into gullies and ravines along the paved roads. Great atmosphere, but do not try to set up in darkness unless you have intimate knowledge of the park. It is difficult to move a large RV into some of the sites in daylight, much less darkness. The narrow roads are great in the daytime, but all look the same at night, some of the roads don't have signs to assist you knowing where you are going. Mind you this is a fairly large park. I would recommend this facility, it is priced affordably and is well kept. read more

Update: a) To be fair, some of the folks there are quite nice and it's unkind to "tar them all with the same brush" as the saying goes. Last time there in Aug, "Frau Blucher" was not at the office, instead a very pleasant lady who we've seen there before was manning the booth. But the overall culture of extreme strictness and the unfriendly attitude is still tolerated. Which brings me to b) The "Gate locked at 10:30" policy is not at all unusual, many campgrounds lock the gates at night - but have a COMBINATION KEYPAD so campers can enter late if necessary. But locked for EXIT??? Reckless, and possibly illegal. Imagine you're camping and you get a call - your (next of kin) was severely injured or arrested, your house is on fire, etc...or your spouse or child at the campsite becomes acutely ill or injured - and you can't leave! Unacceptable, and the CoE really needs to do something about it. read more

Campground is pretty bare during the week and during winter months. Campground allows 3 dogs in 2018. We needed to babysit our daughter's 7 lb. chihuahua for one week. We were staying 2 weeks at the campground. We have 3 chihuahuas. Total weight for all dogs less than 50 lbs. Dogs are quiet, never any complaints. We pick up dog messes. Our daughter had an emergency leave, and we offered to watch her dog while staying at the campground in our RV. We were kicked out of the park, for having a 4th tiny dog for 1 week, or we had to get rid of one dog. Overkill on making no exceptions. A bit ridiculous on policy sticklers. I could understand if dogs were a nuisance and bothersome,and people were complaining. Anyway, too bad rules are a bit ridiculous,even when the park is pretty bare and empty during the week. read more

The campground was nice but the staff was horrible. We went to look before reserving and Mrs Yearwood must have been in a bad mood she was annoyed with our questions. We are new to camping but her constant sighing and rolling the eyes was a bit much. She even said "I have answered that already ". And the crabby old man with her yelled at us leaving saying we had to be out by 3. We said we were out we were at the dump station trying to figure out how to do it but rather than showing any sympathy for us women I might add he was like too bad out of park by 3 is the rules. And the park having restricted hours in or out is ridiculous. How would emergency get in after hours. The park is pretty and clean but get rid if the geezer police. read more

The hosts are terrible!!!!! We preregistered thinking that the check in process would be quicker. They didn't even bother to look at the preregistration so I had to do it at the window. I clearly stated that we were having an additional car with 4 guests coming to stay the night with us and asked to have a pass ready for them. When my guests showed the host didn't have the pass ready, then provided my guest with a day pass only and when my guest reminded him that they were staying through the night, he grabbed the initial pass crumbled it up and threw it, got huffy and rewrote a pass and while handing my guest the pass mumbled under his breath "some people".... We camp a lot but this we will NEVER return to this campground again. read more

If you can make it past the extremely rude lady, Caroline, at the check in, then you may have a good time. I didn't know Barney Fife ran a campground! It has put such a bad taste in my mouth. Georgia has so many beautiful places pick elsewhere. My sister came in from Iowa and they didn't want to let my family go see her because it would exceed 8 people. Just hanging out! Not even camping. read more

Campground is nice and well kept. They need a serious house cleaning of the old folks at the gate though. Who hires these old farts that treat this place like they own it? read more

Not getting the negative reviews here, stayed at McKinney for the 1st time this weekend and found all the hosts I dealt with to be both friendly and professional, our campsite was incredible #149 and the restroom was spotless,our favorite campground so far, we cannot wait to stay again. Thank you very much guys, Irish Joe and Family read more

I'm giving 2 stars for the lakeside camp sites. I do not recommend tent camping here. The sites are all hard gravel which is cool if you have an RV or travel trailer. We wanted to go old school with a tent big mistake. The lady at the gate was nice the restrooms were clean. The little beach is decent for the kids but there are some super aggressive yellow jackets so be careful!!! Lakeside campsites are really not accessible to throw a line out its kind of dangerous to walk down. The price is right but I probably wouldn't go back. read more

The reviews deterred us from coming to this campground for a long time. We recently decided to give it a try and see for ourselves. The reviews regarding a particular attendant and spouse are dead on. Why are they still there? Seriously!! We've camped in many Ga state parks and Corp of engineer sites, mostly on Lanier and have never encountered the rudeness we received and observed here. If this couple isn't happy doing their job, and it sure seems that way, maybe management should strongly suggest they find something else better suited to them. Being "locked in" is another on point issue. Seems like a huge safety violation. An automatic exit gate makes a lot more sense. The park is very nice and well maintained although they need to at least install soap dispensers in the restrooms. The sites are spacious, and mostly wooded -great in the summer. Bottom line, there are plenty of nice parks in Ga. taking this one off this list won't hurt anything. read more

My husband and I have been camping here for years. We decided to kick off the new year with a camping trip. We were met by hosts The Speeds and they couldn't have been more accommodating! Super sweet and friendly. Unfortunately, the new host, Susan Hayden killed our typical 5 star review of McKinney. My husband and I were in the midst of wrapping our campsite for departure. We maybe had about 10 minutes left until we were ready to pull out at 1215 pm. We actually had until 300 pm to be off the campsite. Susan Hayden, the oncoming host, barges onto our campsite as we placing our dogs into our vehicle, so naturally they were off their leashes. She immediately addressed the pups being off their leash, as it was very evident we were about to place them in our vehicle, but she was hearing that. Then she proceeded to tell us that we needed to be packing up and leaving immediately. I'm not sure where her confusion was being that we were 10 minutes from pulling out and still had almost 2 hours left before having to be off the campsite. When she was reminded of this allotment of time, she told us we were wrong and "the park is closing" as she waved her finger at us as if we were children. I asked for her full name, for obvious reasons and she complied. But responded in a very condescending manner by spelling her name, telling us who her boss is and that if we complain she will get a raise. I'll have to say, she's topped the cake with rudeness and unprofessionalism and unfortunately she's in a job profession working in a family oriented atmosphere. It's unfortunate that with our years of experience here, this one woman, in the wrong career is allowed to make such a horrible impression for this campground. read more

It looks like the new dog policy allows for a three dog limit instead of two. As the old dog policy was my only complaint during my last visit, I have to change my rating to 5 stars. read more

There are two parts to this review - good and bad... here is the scoop: - be VERY careful if you make a reservation online, and then cancel it later, or even cancel it just to change to a different site: I've run into the issue that the folks at recreation.gov find that it's o.k. to just say "well, it's a 'new' system, we don't have control over your REFUND, or when you'll get it". WOW. : / Really?? The nice folks at the COE and park staff have no idea, either. - the park itself has mostly lake-side sites, and is laid out well, with mostly deep sites for even the largest of motorhomes and fifth-wheels, including their tow vehicles. Some are pull-thru and most are back-in, or even pull-in. The park is heavily tree'd, but most have an excellent view of the water since the park sits along the many 'fingers' that protrude out into the lake. Many also have decks, and most have direct access to the water, though the waterline is typically rocky...not necessarily for swimming. Several swimming beaches, though, are throughout the park. Sites have full service electrical options: 50, 30, 20GFCI, and water. The dump station, near the entrance/exit is a double pull-thru. The route into the campground can be slightly confusing, though once you've found it you'll realize why it's a local favorite. The cost per night is very reasonable for the great options that exists here. You can be right next to your neighbor, within a 'circle' of friends, or be completely by yourself, with hardly anyone else in sight. The 'new' Recreation.gov site that is used for this COE(corp of engineers) park works well, giving you the option of looking up any site available during your future stay dates, or by looking at each site individually, if you really want to see pictures of the site before you commit. read more

I read all the negative posts about the campground hosts, and I have to respectfully disagree. We arrived on Sunday and the hosts could not have been more accommodating. Those complaining should remember this is a COE Park and they are fairly strict when enforcing the rules, and that's a good thing. The Park was clean, bathrooms clean, and the campsite was clean. We live near several COE parks and all lock the gate at 10 p.m., another good thing. If you want a campground somewhat close at Atlanta, I recommend McKinney. read more

We have camped at McKinney for 14 years. It's a nice campground but the sites are too close together. We prefer to stay at Old Hwy 41 campground. The people at the front gate are slow as mentioned in previous reviews but if you have your paperwork already filled out when you get there it doesn't take as long. An earlier review mentioned that there were no signs advising that the gates closed at a certain time. There have been signs posted everytime we've been there. It's also listed in your paperwork and on the website. They have parking spaces outside the gate in case you get there late or you can park there if you need to leave early in the morning. All you have to do is read the policies and you won't have any issues. read more

The hosts at the gate are absolutely horrible! Very rude and unprofessional. I understand they have a lot to deal with, but they do not need to treat everyone with disrespect. My family came up for Father's Day, for a cookout. They were interrogated at the gate before they could come back. It should be their responsibility to keep up with the tag numbers as other guests leave. Heck, they have the car tags. Very very dissatisfied with this campground. We camp here all the time but, with this being so bad, I do not want to come back. read more

minus one star: the couple at the gate are so slow, you need to bring a book to read while you wait. Never seen anything so slow anywhere in the US. The woman was very rude 2 yrs ago but was better this year. However, trying to get our refund was ridiculous. They got us 1 night's refund but not the second nights refund. Was over 10 minutes trying to get that settled and finally left. minus one star: a website that says at the very bottom that only 2 pets are allowed but lets you reserve a campsite stating you have 3 pets. We did not scroll down to see the limit on pets. It even let us confirm our reservation with 3 pets. We have stayed at numerous US Corp of Engineer/federal and state campgrounds and NEVER been limited. No notice of 2 dog limit posted outside so we went through all the paperwork (10 minutes) before being told there was a 2 dog limit. minus one star: ranger who called us and insisted it was our responsibility to know there was a 2 pet limit. He was rude and accusatory. The campground is beautiful but not worth the dog rule, the ineptness at the gate or a ranger who believed I was the guilty party. NEVER again!!!! They did let us stay the night and it was interesting to see that our 3 quiet dogs who stayed in the RV had to listen to a camper 40 yds away blare his music so loudly that we could hear the lyrics INSIDE the RV. Hmmmm. Who was a better camper? The human or the dogs? read more

I've stayed @ MK a few times. My only complaint is the restrooms. This is an issue that's pretty common to all of the Allatoona Lake camp grounds that I've stayed at though. I keep a vehicle parked at the 24 hour boat ramp so I can leave and go as I want. read more