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Red Top Mountain SP has something for everyone. Fishing camping, cottages, hiking, history, kayaking and boating among other things. It's easily accessible from Atlanta and the surrounding areas. I've been visiting RTMSP for the past few years. Even though there are lots of visitors, it's large enough that it doesn't feel crowded. Their hiking trails are well groomed, scenic with light elevations. The Iron hill Loop is about 4 miles. It meanders around a bit of Lake Allatoona so you'll catch gorgeous lake views and a bit of boating activities too. The Homestead Trail is little longer, just under 6 miles with rolling elevation. It lends more inland hardwood forests than Iron hill Loop but it also has lovely views of Lake Allatoona along its loop part of the trail. Their where am I markers aren't the best but it's easy enough to figure it out. Their blazes are better. I've seen several woodpeckers, deer and many squirrels, identified a few mushrooms I hadn't encountered before here. They DO charge $5/car for PARKING unless you have an annual pass. Be sure to prominently display it inside your dash even if you do not go through a ranger station or the visitor center. They do ticket. RTMSP is a pleasant park to visit. It's a restorative environment to just catch a breath.
A wonderful state park with mini hiking trails boat, launches campsites, and much much more. Settled on a beautiful lake with plenty of things to do and around the state park. Located just off I 75. I'm very close to shopping options and restaurants. A great travel site to do day activities or to stay a few days. Highly recommend it for travelers or for a family experience. $5 daily parking pass gives you full access to all the sites and parks in property. Such a great State park in Georgia.
I've been here twice now. The first time was a more challenging trail (about 6 miles) but the second time I did the iron hill trail and it was perfect. The trail itself was well maintained and it was a pleasure walking our two big dogs. It wasn't very busy the day we went and there are a few areas where it is safe to let dogs swim. Not much elevation gain and with beautiful views of the lake. Not sure if this is always the case but we had to pay in cash for parking/entrance fee at the smaller lot near the iron hill trailhead.
My group of four adults, one toddler and four fur babies went to Red Top Mountain State Park specifically to hike the Iron Hill Trail. I didn't get to explore much of the state park, just saw what we passed on the way to the trail parking lot. The park sits on 12,000 acres on Lake Allatoona and is open for swimming, fishing, water sports, etc. It's free to enter the park, but we had to pay $5 to park at the Iron Hill Trail. Gravel parking is plentiful. Iron Hill is an easy four-mile, gravel-topped trail. It's bike and dog-friendly. It offers beautiful views of the lake. The only negative about the park is the porta potty. There isn't a public bathroom so your only option is the porta potty, and it was absolutely disgusting. It looked like it had been neglected for weeks, months, who knows. Otherwise, the trail is great and I highly recommend! Just use the restroom somewhere else before starting the hike.
So sorry they're booked! Had heard this was a great SP... but it's AMAZING! Quite a bit is unavailable at the moment due to construction, but once they're done, this will be the BEST State Park I've ever seen! Camping, fishing, playgrounds, ACRES of GORGEOUS woods & trails. The new cottages are NOT what you'd expect from a SP. These are proper 2 & 3 BR cabins!
Cute park about an hour outside of Atlanta. We parked at the iron hill trail parking lot and walked straight onto the trail which looped around and brought us back to the lot. The trail goes around a lake where there were plenty of people on boats and swimming. It is easy to follow and clearly marked so you won't get lost. I had good cell service as well (even if the point of going outside is to get off your phone lol if you needed to contact anyone while you were on your hike you could). I definitely recommend this park for a day trip or weekend trip outside of Atlanta!
Red Top Mountain State Park's not too far outside of the perimeter and only a few minutes off of I-75. It's $5 per car to enter, and you can either pay at the parking stations to get your hangtag or through your phone which I haven't tried. Contrary to the name, you're not hanging out on top of a mountain but rather right next to a lovely lake that spans 12,000 acres. From the official website: "Named for the soil's rich red color caused by high iron-ore content, Red Top Mountain was once an important mining area." We hiked parts of the Homestead, Sweet Gum, and Lakeside Trails; Red Top Mountain has 15 miles of trails within its 1,776 acres to keep you occupied. The Lakeside Trail is paved and near the visitor's center. It passes a playground and historical cabin. The Sweet Gum Trail is centrally located, and the Homestead Trail hugs beautiful Lake Allatoona. The lake is so striking! It was such a gorgeous shade of green that looked unreal. I investigated coming back and taking out a kayak or canoe, but the park doesn't seem to rent them out, bummer. Thankful to have such a pleasant state park easily accessible from the metro Atlanta area!
I'm working to complete 52 hikes within a year and thank goodness I live in GA where there are mutiple parks which makes the goal easier. Anyhew... I visited Red Top Mountain to walk the Iron Hill Trail yesterday. The Iron Hill Trail is a little under 4 miles loop with mostly flat terrain. It goes past the Allatoona Lake so there are many pretty lake views. The parking lot for this trail is unattended so you'll need to be a decent citizen and pay the $5 parking fee (electronic using phone and cash options available.) There were a lot of people on the trail, mostly hikers but also people hanging out at the lake. If you want the trail mostly to yourself maybe avoid the weekend. But even with all the people, the trail didn't feel crowded. In most places, the trail is wide with plenty of space for everyone. I'm definitely going back and checking out the other trails at Red Top!
Went on the Homestead trail at red top which was about 5 miles! Super fun, we parked at the visitor center and found our trail there. They have bathrooms inside along with souvenirs. Many trail options that are dog friendly, I'd look online to check out the trails too.
I've purchased the Georgia State park parking pass for the last few years, and while i've been to a number of state parks, but I willingly avoided Red Top Mountain State Park because i'd Seen photos and wasn't impressed. Geez was I wrong to ignore this gem of a park! Red Top is a water lover's dream, located at Lake Allatoona, and on this day we saw several people fishing, boating, kayaking and just enjoying the water. The water itself, along with the park have some beautiful views that you see naturally along the trails. Speaking of trails, there are 15 miles of them!! Here are a few other things the park offers, taken from their website: Accommodations & Facilities 1,776 Acres 12,000 Acre Lake Allatoona 18 Cottages 92 Tent, Trailer & RV Campites 1 Yurt 1 Pioneer Campground 7 Picnic Shelters 2 Group Shelters (seats 100 & 250) Sand Beach Marina 2 Boat Ramps 2 Boat Docks 3 Playgrounds Things To Do & See Archery Programs Biking -- 4 mile trail Boating -- private boats permitted Educational Programs Fishing Geocaching Hiking -- 15 miles of trails Interpretive Programs Miniature Golf (fee) Muddy Spokes Club Pickleball Picnicking Swimming Tennis Water Skiing Weddings -- park approval required For this day, we only did about 4 miles of trails, and the trails are all well marked with blazes of different colors and signs to let you know which fork is going where. None of the trails we went on were difficult, making this a great nature walk. I'd happily go back to Red Top Mountain state park, especially since it's literally less than an hour's drive from Atlanta. Whether you like seeing or getting in water, this is definitely your park! Please visit!!
I am so thankful that Georgia state parks have stayed open during this virus mania. Being able to explore the outdoors has been good for my soul. I have been exploring our state parks and, so far, this is my favorite. Unfortunately I did not get to hike as much of it as my friend and I had planned due to some rain and getting to the park a bit later than we had hoped. However, even with the 2-3 trails we hiked, we decided we really love this park. We started out parking at the visitor center and hiking the Visitor Center Loop trail. Immediately we noticed how nice the trail was and how nice the trail markings were as well as the signs. This particular trail covers a section near the lake rather quickly from the visitor center and it is easy access to the water for kids who want to splash in it a bit. At the end of the trail we switched to the campground trail by crossing the street. There are a couple of downed trees on this trail but there is a make shift trail that goes around these and then gets back on the trail. We eventually made it to the Iron Hill trail but only made it a short ways in before it started to rain. Looking at the weather app, there appeared to be a storm heading our way so we decided to head back to the visitor center as it was also thundering. When we returned to the visitor center, the rain and thunder had ceased so we decided to walk the paved lakeside trail and we were so happy we did. There are some great historical tools and buildings along this trail as well as signs that describe the history of the iron ore business of years past. There is a cute area of instruments outside for kids to play music on in a different area and some great areas near the lake (including some swings in one area). There is still so much we did not see. We want to return and hike the Iron Hill trail and the Homestead trail. This park is beautiful. The trails are well marked. The bathrooms... the bathrooms seem very new and were so clean! I have seen pictures from the other trails and we definitely plan to return to hike those other trails. The visitor center is huge... closed right now but hope we will be able to see that in the future, as well. Highly recommend this state park.
Beautiful! We had a great weekend camping at Red Top Mountain! My family booked the walk-in campsites 46-50, and in my opinion, these were some of the best spots in the campground. (Book 44 &43 if you want to be closer to 47-50). These campsites are right next to the water and not too far from the bathrooms, which is so convenient. There is no electricity there and site has their own water. We had beautiful weather during the day and a nice cool breeze at night. Make sure to keep all your coolers secure because a couple of raccoons broke into several of ours. P.s. There is also an outlet right by the parking lot next to campsite 47. read more
11 months ago
The park is situated on Lake Allatoona and offers a variety of outdoor experiences, including swimming, water skiing, fishing, boating, and camping. Over 15 miles of trails wind through the park's forested landscape, catering to all levels from ADA accessible paths to more challenging hikes read more
2 years ago
Red Top Mountain SP has something for everyone. Fishing camping, cottages, hiking, history, kayaking and boating among other things. It's easily accessible from Atlanta and the surrounding areas. I've been visiting RTMSP for the past few years. Even though there are lots of visitors, it's large enough that it doesn't feel crowded. Their hiking trails are well groomed, scenic with light elevations. The Iron hill Loop is about 4 miles. It meanders around a bit of Lake Allatoona so you'll catch gorgeous lake views and a bit of boating activities too. The Homestead Trail is little longer, just under 6 miles with rolling elevation. It lends more inland hardwood forests than Iron hill Loop but it also has lovely views of Lake Allatoona along its loop part of the trail. Their where am I markers aren't the best but it's easy enough to figure it out. Their blazes are better. I've seen several woodpeckers, deer and many squirrels, identified a few mushrooms I hadn't encountered before here. They DO charge $5/car for PARKING unless you have an annual pass. Be sure to prominently display it inside your dash even if you do not go through a ranger station or the visitor center. They do ticket. RTMSP is a pleasant park to visit. It's a restorative environment to just catch a breath. read more
A wonderful state park with mini hiking trails boat, launches campsites, and much much more. Settled on a beautiful lake with plenty of things to do and around the state park. Located just off I 75. I'm very close to shopping options and restaurants. A great travel site to do day activities or to stay a few days. Highly recommend it for travelers or for a family experience. $5 daily parking pass gives you full access to all the sites and parks in property. Such a great State park in Georgia. read more
5 months ago
6 months ago
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3 years ago
I've been here twice now. The first time was a more challenging trail (about 6 miles) but the second time I did the iron hill trail and it was perfect. The trail itself was well maintained and it was a pleasure walking our two big dogs. It wasn't very busy the day we went and there are a few areas where it is safe to let dogs swim. Not much elevation gain and with beautiful views of the lake. Not sure if this is always the case but we had to pay in cash for parking/entrance fee at the smaller lot near the iron hill trailhead. read more
My group of four adults, one toddler and four fur babies went to Red Top Mountain State Park specifically to hike the Iron Hill Trail. I didn't get to explore much of the state park, just saw what we passed on the way to the trail parking lot. The park sits on 12,000 acres on Lake Allatoona and is open for swimming, fishing, water sports, etc. It's free to enter the park, but we had to pay $5 to park at the Iron Hill Trail. Gravel parking is plentiful. Iron Hill is an easy four-mile, gravel-topped trail. It's bike and dog-friendly. It offers beautiful views of the lake. The only negative about the park is the porta potty. There isn't a public bathroom so your only option is the porta potty, and it was absolutely disgusting. It looked like it had been neglected for weeks, months, who knows. Otherwise, the trail is great and I highly recommend! Just use the restroom somewhere else before starting the hike. read more
So sorry they're booked! Had heard this was a great SP... but it's AMAZING! Quite a bit is unavailable at the moment due to construction, but once they're done, this will be the BEST State Park I've ever seen! Camping, fishing, playgrounds, ACRES of GORGEOUS woods & trails. The new cottages are NOT what you'd expect from a SP. These are proper 2 & 3 BR cabins! read more
4 years ago
Cute park about an hour outside of Atlanta. We parked at the iron hill trail parking lot and walked straight onto the trail which looped around and brought us back to the lot. The trail goes around a lake where there were plenty of people on boats and swimming. It is easy to follow and clearly marked so you won't get lost. I had good cell service as well (even if the point of going outside is to get off your phone lol if you needed to contact anyone while you were on your hike you could). I definitely recommend this park for a day trip or weekend trip outside of Atlanta! read more
Red Top Mountain State Park's not too far outside of the perimeter and only a few minutes off of I-75. It's $5 per car to enter, and you can either pay at the parking stations to get your hangtag or through your phone which I haven't tried. Contrary to the name, you're not hanging out on top of a mountain but rather right next to a lovely lake that spans 12,000 acres. From the official website: "Named for the soil's rich red color caused by high iron-ore content, Red Top Mountain was once an important mining area." We hiked parts of the Homestead, Sweet Gum, and Lakeside Trails; Red Top Mountain has 15 miles of trails within its 1,776 acres to keep you occupied. The Lakeside Trail is paved and near the visitor's center. It passes a playground and historical cabin. The Sweet Gum Trail is centrally located, and the Homestead Trail hugs beautiful Lake Allatoona. The lake is so striking! It was such a gorgeous shade of green that looked unreal. I investigated coming back and taking out a kayak or canoe, but the park doesn't seem to rent them out, bummer. Thankful to have such a pleasant state park easily accessible from the metro Atlanta area! read more
6 years ago
I'm working to complete 52 hikes within a year and thank goodness I live in GA where there are mutiple parks which makes the goal easier. Anyhew... I visited Red Top Mountain to walk the Iron Hill Trail yesterday. The Iron Hill Trail is a little under 4 miles loop with mostly flat terrain. It goes past the Allatoona Lake so there are many pretty lake views. The parking lot for this trail is unattended so you'll need to be a decent citizen and pay the $5 parking fee (electronic using phone and cash options available.) There were a lot of people on the trail, mostly hikers but also people hanging out at the lake. If you want the trail mostly to yourself maybe avoid the weekend. But even with all the people, the trail didn't feel crowded. In most places, the trail is wide with plenty of space for everyone. I'm definitely going back and checking out the other trails at Red Top! read more
Went on the Homestead trail at red top which was about 5 miles! Super fun, we parked at the visitor center and found our trail there. They have bathrooms inside along with souvenirs. Many trail options that are dog friendly, I'd look online to check out the trails too. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
2 years ago
3 years ago
Peaceful, great hiking trails. The lake and the woods are so beautiful. The park staff are friendly and helpful. read more
7 years ago
I've purchased the Georgia State park parking pass for the last few years, and while i've been to a number of state parks, but I willingly avoided Red Top Mountain State Park because i'd Seen photos and wasn't impressed. Geez was I wrong to ignore this gem of a park! Red Top is a water lover's dream, located at Lake Allatoona, and on this day we saw several people fishing, boating, kayaking and just enjoying the water. The water itself, along with the park have some beautiful views that you see naturally along the trails. Speaking of trails, there are 15 miles of them!! Here are a few other things the park offers, taken from their website: Accommodations & Facilities 1,776 Acres 12,000 Acre Lake Allatoona 18 Cottages 92 Tent, Trailer & RV Campites 1 Yurt 1 Pioneer Campground 7 Picnic Shelters 2 Group Shelters (seats 100 & 250) Sand Beach Marina 2 Boat Ramps 2 Boat Docks 3 Playgrounds Things To Do & See Archery Programs Biking -- 4 mile trail Boating -- private boats permitted Educational Programs Fishing Geocaching Hiking -- 15 miles of trails Interpretive Programs Miniature Golf (fee) Muddy Spokes Club Pickleball Picnicking Swimming Tennis Water Skiing Weddings -- park approval required For this day, we only did about 4 miles of trails, and the trails are all well marked with blazes of different colors and signs to let you know which fork is going where. None of the trails we went on were difficult, making this a great nature walk. I'd happily go back to Red Top Mountain state park, especially since it's literally less than an hour's drive from Atlanta. Whether you like seeing or getting in water, this is definitely your park! Please visit!! read more
I am so thankful that Georgia state parks have stayed open during this virus mania. Being able to explore the outdoors has been good for my soul. I have been exploring our state parks and, so far, this is my favorite. Unfortunately I did not get to hike as much of it as my friend and I had planned due to some rain and getting to the park a bit later than we had hoped. However, even with the 2-3 trails we hiked, we decided we really love this park. We started out parking at the visitor center and hiking the Visitor Center Loop trail. Immediately we noticed how nice the trail was and how nice the trail markings were as well as the signs. This particular trail covers a section near the lake rather quickly from the visitor center and it is easy access to the water for kids who want to splash in it a bit. At the end of the trail we switched to the campground trail by crossing the street. There are a couple of downed trees on this trail but there is a make shift trail that goes around these and then gets back on the trail. We eventually made it to the Iron Hill trail but only made it a short ways in before it started to rain. Looking at the weather app, there appeared to be a storm heading our way so we decided to head back to the visitor center as it was also thundering. When we returned to the visitor center, the rain and thunder had ceased so we decided to walk the paved lakeside trail and we were so happy we did. There are some great historical tools and buildings along this trail as well as signs that describe the history of the iron ore business of years past. There is a cute area of instruments outside for kids to play music on in a different area and some great areas near the lake (including some swings in one area). There is still so much we did not see. We want to return and hike the Iron Hill trail and the Homestead trail. This park is beautiful. The trails are well marked. The bathrooms... the bathrooms seem very new and were so clean! I have seen pictures from the other trails and we definitely plan to return to hike those other trails. The visitor center is huge... closed right now but hope we will be able to see that in the future, as well. Highly recommend this state park. read more
Went to Red Top the other day for a nice hike, the weather was beautiful and there were great hiking trails with different loops you can create! We did a 5 mile loop and also detoured to the beach where there were bluffs, black sand, clay and lots of good skipping rocks! It was a very nice relaxing day :) Will most likely return!! read more
5 years ago
Gorgeous state park with views of the Allatoona lake and Etowah river. Excellent place to take a paddle board out or to just hike for the day. When you walk the trails you can actually see deer sometimes and it's just a really beautiful place. read more
Beautiful park!!! River swimming is wonderful with sandy bottom and clear water. Trails are in great shape for a variety of hikes and the campsites are AWESOME. Quiet at night, not right on top of each other and the tent sites have an awesome view!! The bath houses have indoor plumbing and are reasonably well maintained. Wonderful experience overall. read more
For a foliage seeker! This is the place to be. The colors are beautiful! The trails are quiet and enjoyable. You feel like you have the entire park to yourself. The lake is gorgeous and the little off beaten trails give you exceptional views! Can't wait to make this hike next year! read more
Lots of nice scenery. The water runs off of Lake Altoona. I only visited a small part of the park where people go to fish and there's a little nice (but dirty) island. Broken bottles and stuff all over the island part. There are picnic areas and playgrounds and a beach area but you have to pay a parking fee to use this areas. read more
3 years ago
2 years ago
The super plus side to this camping site is that there are amenities: bathrooms, showers, and electricity. There is also a lake where you can swim and fish, and if you drive out a bit, there is a beach area for actual swimming. The area also offers a playground for the kiddies, and trails for biking and hiking. And yes, there is electricity. Do bring extension cords as there is a post right there with a water pump as well. You will need a passcode to get thru the gate. It's rather odd how you're supposed to set up the tents on the gravel and park on the grass. I would think you park on the gravel and set up tents on the grass. Oh well. We're newbies at this. We roll differently. Lol. Plus, there is a limit on how many cars and persons per lot. I think they cap the limit at 2 cars and 6 persons per camp site. Glad we booked 2 sites side by side for 15 folks. I recommend bug spray! Lots and lots of it. You know how there is always one person in your group who will attract all the mosquitoes? That person would be me! Yup. I came home with hoards of the lovely red bug bites all over: legs, arms, back, shoulders, etc. I also do recommend bringing pillows and something cushiony to sleep on. My back just hurts so much after getting back. Call me old, but the sleeping bag and pillow didn't suffice. Now I regret making fun of my friend for buying an air mattress. :/ Sorry. I don't know about the prices here since my friends booked this place... I know once you check into the site and pay for the car pass, you can for instance access the beach area without paying for parking there. read more
4 years ago
This park is so great. It's a really nice place to take your family and friends and just spend the day relaxing and playing next to the lake. Be sure to bring floating tubes, chairs, blankets, and food!! Even the temperature was in 90s, the trees provided the perfect shading. The hike to the lake was really nice too. From where we parked it was about a 1 mile hike but there are parking spots on the lakefront as well. I've been driving almost 2 hours up to the Tennessee border to find good hiking spots and this one was 20 minutes from me read more
4 years ago
7 years ago
This is one of our favorite places to hike. There are different trails to choose from. We have hiked to the top and there are amazing views. We also like to hike the loop around the lake. During the summer when it is hot the dog and kid like to jump in the water to cool off. We hike here often. People are friendly and it's never super crowded. read more
7 years ago
Best place to take your grandparents,kids or anyone that can't walk long distance. Lovely place, clean and peaceful read more
BEACH Liked the beach on Red Mountain Beach Rd. A little lagoon. Met a friendly family last night and played volleyball in the lake. Bathhouse available, kids said it was good and clean. Shower and fancier to rinse off feet. We were surprised at how clean lake water was. And sandy, not georgia clay. Friendly park ranger called with a 10 minute warning at closing time -- which is posted as "at dark". Very family friendly! We went back twice during our stay in GA! read more
13 years ago
Wanting to see if the fall leaves had started changing I decided to take a drive and ended up here strictly by accident what a nice find. There is a huge lake for boating, cabins and shelters, trails for biking or walking even a hay ride. *Warning some of the roads up there will wind quickly and are very narrow so if the signs tells ya the speed limit is 15 miles an hour pay attention to it and do it. On my way out shortly before dusk I looked to my right and saw three large birds at first I thought they might be pheasant so out of curiosity I slowed down to get a better look then realized they were wild turkeys I was able to get a very good look at the neck and tail as one flew over the car right in front of me landing in a tree across the road immediately the other two followed this was a nice surprise. Now before you go scratching your head and saying "she's nuts turkeys can't fly," wild turkeys can look it up I did. Also on the way out is kind of fenced area with a sign, it had caught my attention on the drive in and decided to check it out when leaving it is a meadow that "the once almost extinct white tailed deer come too." None were to be seen this early evening. If all goes well I hope to return the colors in a week or two will be gorgeous. read more
6 years ago
I love Red Top Mountain State Park! Ranger Serella Savenko was very kind, informative, and helpful! The lake is beautiful, and the restrooms were clean and convenient. We will be back soon! read more
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50 Lodge Rd
Acworth, GA 30102
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