Vogel State Park

02.16.24-02.19.24

Vogel State Park is located in Blairsville, Georgia, at the bottom of Blood Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It’s ranked as one of the top parks in the state of Georgia as it’s surrounded by mountains, offers a well stocked lake, and waterfall. The 22-acre lake allows for non-motorized boats and paddle boat rentals are available. Next to the well stocked visitors center is a putt putt course and playground. Many miles of hiking trails can be found throughout the park.

The campground recently went through upgrades and the campsite numbers have changed since our previous visits. There are 34 cottages, 90 campsites with water/electricity, and 18 walk-in campsites. Upgrades include wifi throughout the campground, larger camping pads, new picnic tables and fire rings, and the replacement of railings/railroad ties where it was needed. And the most  exciting part of the upgrades—they have added sewer to the larger RV campsites! 

There’s a brand new bathhouse in the back loop by the creek where campsite 45 used to be. We had to delete an entire blog post because that campsite doesn’t exist anymore! At the front of the bathhouses they have added vending machines and a little library. 

The first campsite that we ever stayed on at Vogel State Park is still there, but looks a little different. Since the addition of the new bathhouse, the campsite most likely has more foot traffic nearby. The mens’ side of the bathhouse is located near campsite 48. It is a 40 ft. back-in campsite with Wolf Creek rushing behind it. 

This trip we stayed on campsite 59 and our friends reserved the campsite next to us, campsite 57. 59 is a 40ft pull-thru campsite with a fire pit located right next to the creek. This location was particularly great for small children to get down to the creek bank and play in the water. Campsite 57 is a 40ft back-in campsite.The fire pit in campsite 57 sits a little close to site 59 which wasn’t a problem for us since we were camping with friends. However—if you do not know the people in the campsite next to you, the close fire pits might not be ideal. 

To back into campsite 57 you have to go up and around the loop at the back of the campground. This loop is tight with large trees close to the road and if there are cars parked in the pioneer parking spots it makes it even harder for larger campers to pass through. Our friend’s travel trailer is 34ft long and he struggled to get turned around. Since we had a pull-thru campsite we went around that loop when we were checking out. In our 26ft camper and the F250 we did not have any problems–just took it really slow. 

The one-lane bridge to get to the back of the campground can be a bit intimidating as well. The turns aren’t difficult, just need to go slow and make sure no one is coming from the other direction. The worst part of driving your camper through Vogel State Park is the entrance. The road going in and out is two lanes, but narrow. We dread the moment a camper is coming at us from the other direction. The exit has a large rock wall and you have to swing into the other lane to avoid the rock wall. Remember—you are bigger than most everyone else so make them wait for you to come through. We might have needed this reminder back in 2018. 

At all three trips to Vogel State Park we have hiked the loop around the lake and down to the waterfall. This is an easy hike for all ages. Kids particularly enjoy sending leaves down one side of the bridge and seeing them float over the top of the waterfall. 

In 2017, we hiked Bear Hair Gap Trail which says it totals around 4 miles, however by the time we got back to the campground we tracked about 6 miles. The trail is popular for its mountain view with the lake below. It was the perfect amount of hiking to tire out the dogs for their nap in the camper while we attended a wedding at Kaya Vineyards. 

The wedding was at Kaya Vineyard about thirty minutes across Blood Mountain from the campground. The drive was a bit scary, so many turns on the mountain! I’m glad we did not bring our camper into the park that way. We spent about six hours at the wedding while the dogs slept in the camper. I introduced myself to the people camping on either side of us and gave them our phone number if the dogs were barking a lot or anything was wrong. We also use Marcell Temperature monitoring system when we leave the pups in the camper. It sends us a text alert if the camper loses power. [More details here] Use code Imagine25 for $25 off the unit.

In 2018, we drove over to DeSoto Falls and hiked that trail. It’s on the other side of the mountain, be prepared for all the motorcycles that drive dangerously around you. Unfortunately, DeSoto Falls was closed due to storm damage from hurricane Irma over six months ago. Bummer. On the way back to Vogel we stopped at Mountain Crossings at Neel Gap, formerly an inn. Couldn’t pass up buying this Star Wars inspired shirt. The store is 30 miles from the beginning of the Appalachian Trail and the first place along the way stocked with gear and food. Many hikers will give up at this point and not continue north.

We also stopped at Helton Creek Falls on the way back. After a LONG drive down a gravel road we arrived at a small parking lot. A short hike down and up to see the waterfall. It was actually really tall, with two levels.

In 2022, we visited our friend’s permanent campsite right down the road from Vogel State Park —River’s Edge RV park. During that stay we visited multiple restaurants and tourist locations throughout Blairsville. Check out that blog post here. 

Make sure to have your Friends of Georgia State Parks membership when camping at these campgrounds. We save 10% off our reservations and get 2-3 nights of free camping depending on the membership level you pick. Having this membership prevents you from having to pay an extra $5 per night for the car pass at the Georgia State Parks. Friends of Georgia State Parks is giving our followers an extra 15% off the membership packages! Use code Imaginecamper to receive this deal.