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Cottonwood Patch Campground

Crandall, Georgia · USDA Forest Service

RVTent
Cottonwood Patch Campground — official Recreation.gov photo

Photo: Recreation.gov

About

Cottonwood Patch Campground is a multi-use campground focused primarily on equestrian camping, but welcomes traditional "car" camping. The campground is located within the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in the Alaculsy Valley of the Cohutta Mountains in north Georgia. Cottonwood Patch Campground is a quaint campground found along the Conasauga River, just above its junction with the Jacks River. Mixed hardwood forest surrounds the campground. The campground is partially shaded most of the summer with planted cottonwoods and sawtooth oaks. Average daytime summer temperatures are in the mid-80s with average daytime winter temperatures in the 50s. In the late 1800s into the 1930s, Alaculsy Valley was a thriving community. The valley contained homes, farms, a church, a post office, a grist mill, a school, cemeteries, and possibly a furnace for smelting iron. Across the Jacks River, in Tennessee, were other similar communities, a Civilian Conservation Corps work camp, and the location of the original U.S. Forest Service facility that managed the area. Some of the most development in the area was during the logging boom of the early 1900s. This area was the main hub for logging operations in the Cohutta Mountains. Train tracks followed the Conasauga and Jacks Rivers deep into the mountains. Lumbermen in logging camps far back in the mountains would cut timber and have it loaded onto flat cars. These loaded railroad cars would be pulled by the powerful Shay locomotives owned by the Conasauga River Lumber Company to its mill in Conasauga, Tennessee. Once an area was logged, the camp buildings would be loaded up onto the flat cars by small steam cranes and unloaded at the next area prepared for a camp. The Conasauga Trail in Tennessee follows the old railroad bed downstream and the Jacks River Trail in Georgia follows the old railroad bed upstream into the Cohutta Wilderness. Looking at the area today, one would never know such development once existed. The U.S. Forest Service, along with partnerships with other agencies and organizations, work together to manage the National Forest lands. Recreation activities around the Cottonwood Patch Campground include camping, picnicking, hiking, hunting, fishing, and horseback riding (visitors must provide their own horses). Hunting and fishing regulations are set by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. This campground and its facilities are maintained by dedicated volunteers of the Back Country Horsemen of Nor

Directions

From US Highway 411, turn east onto Old Highway 2 in Cisco, Ga. Follow Old Highway 2 for approximately 7 miles, upon crossing the Conasauga River the road turns into Forest Service Road 16 Approximately 1 miles, turn left onto Forest Service Road 16A

Location

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap.

Details

State
Georgia
City / area
Crandall
Agency
USDA Forest Service
Parent area
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest
Campsites
8
Reservable
Yes
Typical price
$8 / night
Rating
3.85 / 5 (20 reviews on Recreation.gov)
Equipment
Tent, RV, Trailer, Caravan/Camper Van, Pickup Camper, Fifth Wheel, Pop up, Horse

Reserve on Recreation.gov

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