Stephen C. Foster State Park

Stephen C Foster is not an easy park to get to. The drive to the park is about 45 minutes off the main highway traveling from Macon towards Gainesville. Its about 45 minutes from Valdosta. It can be brutally hot in the summer and the mosquitos are everywhere. You are going to see alligators if you decide to venture onto the swamp.

With all of that being said, this is truly one of my favorite state parks in Georgia. The scenery once you enter the well protected park is truly spectacular. We have always visited in November when the temperatures are quite mild. Each time we have rented boats and paddled out onto the swamp water and adjoining lake. There are alligators everywhere, but we took all of the appropriate precautions like don't get IN the water and don't bring your dog with you on the boat. The campground is not very close to the swamp or the water so you need not worry about seeing an alligator near your tent or camper. They even have platforms to camp on the water with the appropriate permits.

Its hard to describe this wilderness area, but it has truly captured our imagination. The variety of birds you will see is stunning. There is wildlife everywhere. In fact, that is one of the things that impresses us each time we visit...just how alive everything seems to be, even the water seems to have a pulse. The campground is a little closer together than most in Georgia State Parks but there is plenty of foliage between each site that you hardly know you have a neighbor.

I truly love this place and think anyone visiting Georgia should visit this park and marvel at what a preserved swamp truly offers.

PROS:
Stunning scenery
Wildlife all around
Decent hikes near the campground
Great paddling on the lake and through the swamp (daytime only)
Nice privacy and space
Clean facilities

CONS:
HOT in the summer

This was our second stay here. It is a very nice, wooded park with decent sites. Reservations are allowed, but you pick your campsite when you arrive. We had a pull-through with water and electric.

We visited during the month of April before the hot and buggy season, but we did have some pretty heavy spring rain one day and one night.

The park is the primary entrance to the Okefenokee Swamp, a beautiful, magical place full of Spanish moss-laced trees, cypress knees, water lilies and more. There is lots of wildlife there, especially birdlife. We saw alligators, shorebirds, songbirds, owls, and deer. There are also bears there but we didn't see any. The water is very, very dark (black water) which adds to the uniqueness of the place.

There's limited hiking but this place is about the swamp with many interesting water trails. We have our own kayaks, but canoes, kayaks and fishing boats are available for rent. We found ourselves alone in the swamp with occasional encounters with others. This is one of our favorite places in the United States for paddling.

It's also a very remote place so bring provisions with you.

While there, a field mouse found its way into our basement (he made a nest out of paper towels). We never found him, and, luckily when we cleaned out the basement at our next stop we didn't find any mice.

We just happened to stop here on our way to Anastasia State Park in FL. The campground is well taken care of with nice clean restrooms. We paddled the swamp trail and was so surprised how beautiful and serene it was. You can rent canoes, kayaks and power boats at the park office. Deer are everywhere around dusk and so are the nats. We didn't have any problem with bugs while we were on the water. Mid-October is a nice time to visit since the temperature ranges from 60-80. Also, if you are interested at star observing, you can see the Milky Way fairly well.

We loved this campground -- it's in the middle of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and just a beautiful place to camp. The sites are varied in size, all with plenty of trees and grass and with electric and water (no sewer). The entrance to the campground is not the same as the day-use park entrance, so check the directions before you go! The gate closes at 5pm and there is NO way to get in after that time, so make sure to plan ahead - especially since the road in is 18 miles long. Also, there are no gas stations or grocery stores for miles, so make sure you have all your supplies before you go. And if you're working from the road, there's no internet, so make a plan for that as well.

The swamp boat tour with a park naturalist was fantastic -- we saw an incredible amount of alligators and birds. There are 2 tours a day (morning and afternoon) for $15. Completely worth it. If you want to get really (and I mean really) up close with a gator, you can also rent a kayak or canoe, but our guide said there's an incredible amount of people that fall in the water every year, so we were ok with the guided tour. There are a few level walking trails around the park, and the 18 mile road in is great for a long bike ride.

Because there's no sewer, we used the showers and they were really nice. Hot water, good pressure and really private.

We have camped here numerous times in past 10 years. Our most recent trip was in March, 2016. I second what all the other reviewers have said about this park. It is a wonderful place to camp far away from civilization. Bring everything with you.

We camped in one of the 50+ foot pull through campsites in a 35 foot fifth wheel. The premium sites are huge and ours had lots of privacy. The site has water and electric hookups, a picnic table, and a fire pit. The bath house was spotless. Although we did not use it the site also had cable tv. We had zero AT&T cell service but no complaints about that. We were in the middle of the Okefenokee Swamp, after all! Verizon is the only service that works here but I don't know how well it works.

The campground is a short walk or bike ride from the marina, camp store and a nature trail. You may see alligators along the canal by the marina or beside the boardwalk nature trail. Or you can venture into the swamp in a canoe, kayak, or boat. All are available for rent at the marina or you can take a ranger guided boat tour into the swamp.

Definitely one of my favorite places to stay East of the Mississippi. And if you do not bring some kayak or boat, renting one with be worth every penny. We saw more gators here than anywhere else in the South. And all the other wildlife was amazing as well.

Campground provided a good amount of privacy for each site, although they are not all that far from each other. Good trails and such to walk in the mornings as well.

My wife and I stayed at this park for three nights following Thanksgiving 2017. It was a wonderful experience! There was lots of wildlife all around the camp including dear, raccoons, alligators, and all sorts of birds. This RV camp is in a state park which is located inside a national wildlife preserve. Our site was located amongst trees and Palmetto. Deer in numbers of 8 to 12 round through the campsites but we’re not a problem for anyone. I also saw lots of turkey walking down the sides of the road. They rent canoes and John boats so we took a John boat out into the swap and waterways. Saw lots of alligators and cranes in Ibis.

This was a wonderful experience and I would highly recommend it to everyone!

Cell service is almost non-existent, although sometimes it would come in for 30 seconds at a time. There is no Wi-Fi available either. So, just be prepared to be off the grid while you were camping here.

We camped here in 2013 simply sleeping in the back of our pick up. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a thousand pictures. This will give you an idea exactly what to expect :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaseI_8CNp0&list=PL2v8LB6vz74sfHnqrsK05tUxQ04kIz1ZN&index=6

I don't know if they still conduct the boat tours but if they do, we'd highly recommend taking a tour of the swamp. Great way to see all sorts of wild life. Here's a video of that excursion .......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34LVisydVsg

We camped here 2 nights before the meteor shower in December and the stars were incredibly bright. The 1st loop was closed and we drove around and picked out our sight and we were one of the few campers there that night. We stayed in either 32 or 34. We backed up to the nature trail and had plenty of privacy and room to explore. We had a 24 foot pull behind trailer and it fit great and felt very private and cozy. We hiked the trails and and especially loved the marsh trail behind the check in station. There are boats you can rent or take a boat tour. We LOVED this place. We headt Barred Owls at night and saw lots of deer. They have a little playground too. The bathrooms were wonderfully heated and clean and private. This place is such a great little getaway.

Great campground out in the Okefenokee. What impressed me was the absolute quiet with only the sounds of nature. Campsites were large, fairly private and mostly level. Clean restrooms and showers. Cell service is spotty at best, you may experience no service at all but this is a good place to disconnect and enjoy the experience.