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

Featured amenities

Parking Parking
Pet Friendly Pet Friendly
Picnic Table Picnic Table
Restrooms Restrooms
River Access River Access

Available sites

23 total sites

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 2.1 ft 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.   

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

Campground Amenities

Most popular amenities

Parking Parking
Pet friendly Pet friendly
Picnic Table Picnic Table
Restrooms Restrooms
River Access River Access
Fire Pit Fire Pit
Water and Hygiene

Water and Hygiene

  • Restrooms
Cooking and Fire

Cooking and Fire

  • Picnic Table
  • Grill
  • Fire Pit
Parking and Transport

Parking and Transport

  • Parking
Water Access

Water Access

  • River Access
Pets and Policies

Pets and Policies

  • Pet friendly
Missing information?

Rates, Sites & Availability

Select check-in and check-out dates to see real-time availability for each site.

23 Sites Available

Site
Price
🚐 1, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · 40 × 30 ft · Gravel
⛺ 10, Loop: B Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 11, Loop: B Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🚐 12, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · 45 × 27 ft · Gravel
⛺ 13, Loop: B Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🚐 14, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · 90 × 33 ft · Gravel
🚐 15, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · 45 × 42 ft · Gravel
🚐 16, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · 48 × 36 ft · Gravel
🚐 17, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · 36 × 21 ft · Gravel
🚐 18, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · 48 × 36 ft · Gravel
🚐 19, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · 36 × 36 ft · Gravel
🚐 2, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · 40 × 15 ft · Gravel
🚐 20, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · 45 × 40 ft · Gravel
🚐 21, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · 48 × 36 ft · Gravel
🚐 22, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · 50 × 27 ft · Gravel
🚐 23, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · 45 × 42 ft · Gravel
🚐 3, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · 50 × 36 ft · Gravel
🚐 4, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · 45 × 36 ft · Gravel
⛺ 5, Loop: B Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 6, Loop: B Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 7, Loop: B Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 8, Loop: B Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 9, Loop: B Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire

Reviews (323)

What Guests Are Saying

Desoto Falls Recreation Area offers a clean and well-maintained campground with beautiful surroundings and spacious sites, especially along the creek. Many visitors appreciate the friendly camp hosts and the proximity to hiking trails leading to stunning waterfalls. However, some guests note significant road noise from nearby traffic and mention that the facilities could use improvements, particularly the bathrooms. Overall, it remains a popular destination for those seeking a peaceful camping experience in nature.

Review Summary

4.3
323 reviews
5
57.0%
184
4
24.1%
78
3
10.8%
35
2
5.0%
16
1
3.1%
10

Joseph M

Verified

April 28, 2021 • Stayed at: 18, Loop: B

4

Good campsites, great weekend. The highway going by was obnoxious at times, but it's a beautiful place.

Valerie S

Verified

May 2, 2021 • Stayed at: 3, Loop: A

5

We love Desoto Falls Recreation area, as we visit every year! The hosts are very dear friends of my husband and myself. The falls are a sight to see, there are two so either one of them, both are a peaceful hike. Staying in the campground is very peaceful, the lower loop have flushable toilets and and hot showers , and the upper loop has a chemical toilet . There is a creek flowing thru the the campground. Rains and winds can be challenging.
Although we cant get enough!

Robert B

Verified

May 5, 2021 • Stayed at: 21, Loop: B

4

Making reservations for Desoto Falls Recreation Area was very easy, and we were able to change sites when we needed. We parked a rented Class B camper on site 15. It was very nice, only slightly sloped, but that didn't cause any trouble. There was a very clean two-door pit toilet without a sink or water in a building across the road. Water was a short walk away. We enjoyed eating meals on the picnic table. We would visit this area again, maybe even with a tent.
We were a little disappointed that we didn't get to either of the falls. We found the bridge across the creek with a sign indicating 1/4 mi to the lower falls, but we walked 1/4 mi toward them and they were nowhere in sight. We were going uphill not going lower and It was getting dark. The map we had didn't show an ascent, so we just went back to the campsite and sat outside for a while. Having a three-hour drive in the morning, we couldn't investigate the falls this trip.

Bryan C

Verified

May 9, 2021 • Stayed at: 15, Loop: B

5

Clean, Well Maintained, Very quiet when I visited

Kiana C

Verified

May 16, 2021 • Stayed at: 2, Loop: A

5

Our trip was great and the camp hosts are awesome, as always.

Steve S

Verified

May 22, 2021 • Stayed at: 22, Loop: B

4

We have a lot of trouble with people riding through the camping area just looking, late at night, setting up camp after people are sleeping, like 1 or2 in the morning, using the restroom, filling their camper with water but not camping, people that are not camping taking showers and so on.
If you installed a double electric gate at the falls parking lot so only campers can get in with a code and non campers can't.
The other gate will let everyone out any time of the day. This will help the camp host control things and we all will be much safer at night.
A gate will solve a lot of problems.
Thank you

Lisa S

Verified

May 31, 2021 • Stayed at: 8, Loop: B

5

Always love coming to Desoto Falls and seeing Brenda ! Made 2 more friends that have been coming there for 50 years ! Can’t wait to return in September!

Kiana C

Verified

June 12, 2021 • Stayed at: 13, Loop: B

5

DeSoto Falls is a great place to camp.

william h

Verified

June 26, 2021 • Stayed at: 13, Loop: B

1

The restrooms near our campsite (non flush toilets) were absolutely disgusting. The order was so bad when you opened the door, I was unable to stay in the restroom. It needed cleaning extremely bad. We left without staying the night, we had a 2 night reservation This past weekend we stayed at Lake Rabun and every was very clean. Something needs to be done at De Soto Falls

James D

Verified

June 30, 2021 • Stayed at: 16, Loop: B

1

Campers had a choice of a disgusting pit toilet with feces everywhere and stinking, or walk 250 yards to a flush toilet facility that wasn't in any cleaner shape. The showers (outdoor) were full of fungus. Plus, the trash dumpster, the only one, was at the front of the campground and if you camped in the far loop, the walk was about 300 yards to get there, or you drove your trash there. The dumpster was locked up at 9:30pm and wasn't unlocked until 8:30am. This campground should have bear proof receptacles in each loop. No campers in the far loop walked to the dumpster, they kept their trash in garbage bags at the campsites all weekend. This defeats the purpose of trash containment in "Bear habitat"! Bear warnings were everywhere. Quiet hours were from 10 pm to 7 am......never was enforced. The hosts seemed to not care about anything and were virtually no help to campers. Their day consisted of spreading gravel and cutting the grass. I gave it 1 star for scenery.

Location & Directions for Desoto Falls Recreation Area

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

Elevation: 624 ft

Getting There

<p>From Blairsville, GA take U.S. Highway 19/129 South for 17 mi and the campground entrance is on your right. From Dahlonega, GA take Highway 19 North for 18 mi and the entrance in on your left. From Cleveland, GA, take 19/129 North for 16 mi and...

Nearest town

Dahlonega, GA - 17 mi

About 29 min to downtown

Highway access

Desoto Falls Recreation Area is accessible via U.S. Highway 19, with connections to U.S. Highway 129. It is approximately 17 miles from Blairsville and 18 miles from Dahlonega.

Policies & Rules

General

  • During non-peak season (November 1 - April 1), all water is turned off to the entire campground.
  • 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.
  • Limit of two vehicles per campsite except the double site (site #14), which is a maximum of 4 vehicles.
  • No generators, music or other loud noises during this time. Be respectful to other campground visitors.
  • Campfires are permitted in grills only.
  • Pets must be on a leash at all times.
  • Discharging of firearms and fireworks is prohibited.
  • Do not leave fires unattended; they must be fully-extinguished and cold to the touch before check-out.
  • Note: cell phone service may not work in some areas due to tower location and terrain.
  • 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.

Nearby Campgrounds

Nearby destinations


Last updated: October 22, 2026

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Explore Dahlonega, GA

Population: 7,299

Nearby city: Alpharetta, GA

Approx. 49 mi away (straight-line distance)

Elevation: 1,450 ft

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Managed by the USDA Forest Service