OutReserve

Desoto Falls Recreation Area

View from the Observation Deck
Foot Bridge(across from host site) that accesses the trail to the upper and lower water falls.

About Desoto Falls Recreation Area

Desoto Falls Recreation Area is a U.S. Forest Service Campground located approximately 2 hours North of Atlanta in the North Georgia mountains of the Chattahoochee National Forest.  Desoto Falls offers visitors year-round recreation opportunities including camping, fishing, picnicking, and beautiful hikes to our nearby waterfalls. The campground is situated along Frogtown Creek with at an elevation of 2,080 feet above sea level, under a dense forest of deciduous and evergreen trees.   23 campsites are neatly arranged in two loops(upper and lower), with each loop having creek sites. The climate here is fairly mild and generally offers all four seasons, so it is a wonderful place to relax and experience each of these throughout the year. North Georgia is a playground for wildlife watchers. An abundance of Deer, Turkey, Bear and, small furbearers can be seen as well as bird watching. If you need to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, come to Desoto Falls.   

Number of accommodations: 23

Seasonal information

2026 (Current year)

2026 Season availability

Current season
Upcoming seasons
Past seasons
Closed periods
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Currently open - Apr 1 to Oct 31

Sites & Availability

23 Sites Available

Site
Price
🚐 1, Loop: A
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
10, Loop: B
5 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$20.00
/ per night
11, Loop: B
5 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$20.00
/ per night
🚐 12, Loop: B
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
13, Loop: B
5 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$20.00
/ per night
🚐 14, Loop: B
No Hookups
$40.00
/ per night
🚐 15, Loop: B
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
🚐 16, Loop: B
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
🚐 17, Loop: B
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
🚐 18, Loop: B
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
🚐 19, Loop: B
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
🚐 2, Loop: A
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
🚐 20, Loop: B
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
🚐 21, Loop: B
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
🚐 22, Loop: B
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
🚐 23, Loop: B
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
🚐 3, Loop: A
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
🚐 4, Loop: A
No Hookups
$20.00
/ per night
5, Loop: B
5 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$20.00
/ per night
6, Loop: B
5 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$20.00
/ per night
7, Loop: B
5 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$20.00
/ per night
8, Loop: B
5 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$20.00
/ per night
9, Loop: B
5 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$20.00
/ per night

Reviews (194)

Review Summary

4.3
194 reviews
5
56.7%
110
4
22.7%
44
3
12.4%
24
2
5.7%
11
1
2.6%
5

Laura G

Verified

September 22, 2025 Stayed at: 5, Loop: B

3

Nice hot showers but the road noise is insane. We were in campsite 5 right next to the road and cars ran around those curves loudly at all hours. If you camp here, try to get the side opposite campsite 5, furthest from the road. Two nice easy and short trails to waterfalls - best after a rain.

Mike B

Verified

September 20, 2025 Stayed at: 15, Loop: B

4

We camped at site 15B. Spacious campsite right by the creek. Even though we had neighbors, it didn’t feel overrun like a can of sardines like some public campgrounds. Road noise is the only real issue but not that bad especially by the creek (my little one kept thinking the trucks were bears growling lol). There’s only a pair of pit toilets on the lower side of the loop, but the stalls were clean. The trail was the perfect distance for little ones and the falls very beautiful. Definitely little to no service here and the tree canopy was too dense for satellite connection. A good thing… we were there to disconnect a bit and definitely enjoyed it, will be back.

Michael S

Verified

September 20, 2025 Stayed at: 12, Loop: B

5

DeSoto is a great location to just be away. There is some civilization within 10 min or so (restaurant, convenience store etc) but it's a quiet place to relax. The campground has no power so it's very dark at night....the place rolls up at 10pm on weekends, earlier during the week. There are a few spots to get water - at the main bath house and some other spots spaced around the property. Main bath house has running water and hot showers (no lights so be prepared at night). The upper loop has pit toilets that seemed well kept.
The property is close to the highway and it's a switchback road so there is alot of 'curve traffic'.....motorcycles flying by, sports cars taking the turns at speed and jake braking trucks. Most of this is during the day and it fades to the background, but you can hear it at night so be prepared with some earplugs.
My biggest gripe is due to the age of the facility, the tent pads are extremely small and large modern tents just won't fit. This is workable on some sites as the pads are even with the surrounding ground and you can just run your tent over, but many of the pads are raised above ground level and it's impossible to put a large tent on them without wasting part of your tent...and it's not always possible to put your tent elsewhere due to uneven ground. Would be great if the pads were extended to fit the size of most tents people have now.

The falls are not spectacular, but definitely worth the hike just to get further away from it all. Hiking the upper and lower fall trails is approx 2 miles total and is a fairly easy hike. There are some stairs, but I wouldn't consider it strenuous.

Paul C

Verified

September 14, 2025 Stayed at: 4, Loop: A

4

Two waterfalls within a short distance from the campground. The campground was quiet except for traffic on the nearby road. Loop A has a shower.

Kristy R

Verified

September 8, 2025 Stayed at: 15, Loop: B

5

Our favorite place we come every year a couple times!!!

Martha A

Verified

September 8, 2025 Stayed at: 3, Loop: A

5

I joy staying there

Amanda P

Verified

August 6, 2025 Stayed at: 14, Loop: B

5

Showers have been out for weeks and they are dragging their feet fixing it..the camp hosts are the absolute best and we enjoy seeing them twice a year

Gayle H

Verified

August 1, 2025 Stayed at: 17, Loop: B

3

Showers are not working- bathroom odor stronger than usual
Hosts are super !

Aly H

Verified

July 29, 2025 Stayed at: 14, Loop: B

3

The only reason it wasn’t excellent is that the showers were not working. Other than that being stinky… it was a slice of heaven.
However, there is a very large dead tree across the creek leaning over site 14 that needs to be removed before a tragedy occurs

Shane B

Verified

July 25, 2025 Stayed at: 14, Loop: B

2

The hot water didn’t work and it was $48 a night. Way too expensive. Love the place though. Great host.

Location Desoto Falls Recreation Area

Address:
De Soto Falls Recreation Area
Dahlonega, GA, 30533
United States

Latitude & Longitude: 34.7057 / -83.915

Elevation: 624 feet

Policies & Rules

Category About
General

During non-peak season (November 1 - April 1), all water is turned off to the entire campground.

General

Be bear aware; keep all food in containers or locked inside a vehicle as much as possible. Remove all food from the area after eating and during nighttime hours. Dispose of garbage promptly in our bear proof garbage dumpster.

General

Limit of two vehicles per campsite except the double site (site #14), which is a maximum of 4 vehicles.

General

Quiet hours are from 10pm until 6am. No generators, music or other loud noises during this time. Be respectful to other campground visitors.

General

Campfires are permitted in grills only.

General

Pets must be on a leash at all times.

General

Discharging of firearms and fireworks is prohibited.

General

Do not leave fires unattended; they must be fully-extinguished and cold to the touch before check-out.

General

Note: cell phone service may not work in some areas due to tower location and terrain.

General

No day use or picnicking in the campground. Please use the day-use area or the picnic area if you do not have a reservation.

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