Woodring Branch Campground

We didn't expect it to be this good, but it was, hands down, the best COE Campground we've been to so far. Frankly, it was the second choice, and even a last resort for us given that there were no previous reviews on Campendium. However, once we got here and saw what the campground had to offer all of our worries were quickly dissolved.

Nearly every site was either right on the water or had views of the water. This Army Corps of Engineers campground was really well thought-out and integrated into the landscape. There were a few sites, including site 31, which was our first reservation, that were too steep to get into with our 31 foot airstream, but that was no problem; there were plenty of others to choose from that had just as great of a view.

Everything about this place seemed pretty new. The railroad ties that outlined each campsite looked new, the cement slabs and gravel for each campsite looked relatively unused and still in good shape, The barbecues still had the manufacturer stickers on them, the playground equipment was clean and new, and the bathroom and laundry facilities were in great shape. It looks like someone even grooms the beach!

Great cell phone coverage for both AT&T and Verizon.

The woodring campground was really a hidden gem. We wish we could've stayed longer.

This site is pretty far off the beaten path, so make sure you have all your supplies before you arrive. Nice clean campground with primitive camping and full hookup sites. All the sites are right on the lake with plenty of fishing. Kids playground, restrooms & laundry facilities ($1.50/wash & $1.00/dry). Water & power at the sites. Dump station. The only complaint I have is the sites are very close together. This is our first trip with a camper,so I’m not sure if that’s normal or not - I would prefer a little more seclusion between the campsites. Pretty place though!

We were staying at Doll Mountain on the south side of the lake and decided to "tour" this campground for future stays. The sites were quite nice, most with lake views and some with water access. You'll pass a mountain biking trail on the drive in and there's a boat ramp. There are hiking trails too.
Hosts were friendly and encouraged us to call to fine-tune our site selection. We'll be back!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in a tent non electric site at this campground! We walked around the grounds and didn’t notice one site that didn’t have a view of the lake. All sites were well maintained, and bathrooms were kept clean. Sites 36-42 were all primitive non electric hookup and you had to pack all your items in/out (no vehicle access). That was the only thing I wish I’d known, but not a huge problem overall. We will absolutely be returning!

This campground is located near the foothills of the Appalachian Mtns. and is an Army COE campground on Carter's Lake. It is 4 winding miles off the "main" road which is another 10-15 miles to any town.

The campground is laid out so that almost every site has a view of the water and some are on little peninsulas with a panoramic water view. Almost all sites had lots of shade. The sites are long and staggered so even if you are close to another site, you still have a view. Some sites have easy walking access to the water and others are overlooking the lake.

The sites consist of a concrete drive to a gravel pad. There are newer picnic tables, a fire pit, a hanging hook, and a lot of room at the back of the sites. Some sites have a wooden deck to overlook the lake. The one challenge with the sites is getting into them. While the pad is level, almost all of the drives into the sites are 6-8 degrees sloped. We had to remove our towing bars, receiver, etc. to keep from dragging getting into the site.

There are bathhouses, a small playground, an untended "nature trail", beach, boat ramps, available. About 1 mile outside the entrance, there is a 4 mile shaded hiking/mtn. biking loop trail that goes along the lake. There are a few other trails in the vicinity, but they are not accessible until after 10 am due to bow hunting in the area.

Most sites are 30 amp electric and water. There is a dump station.

The lake is quite clear and during the week, pretty quiet. Our dog had a heydey heading straight into the water from our campsite.

Verizon was 2-3 bars with a booster. Internet speed was ok, but pretty slow much of the time.

We drove through the other COE Carter's Lake CG - Doll's Mountain CG. The sites were more level, less shade, most had less lake access, but it was still pretty and closer access to Ellijay and other hiking trails.

Right now they are reserve only online. Read some reviews before selecting your site as some sites are close together, more challenging to get into, and may not be the best location. We were in site 18 and it was perfect for us. No site above us and no one was below us until day 3. Our site's lounge area was behind the camper so didn't really see our neighbor. There were a couple of sites across the street from us. There was a short trail at our site and across the street that led to a fishing/swimming area. This was nice because due to Covid the main beach and playground were closed. You could swim pretty much anywhere else though, so it was nice to have easy access at our site. Getting to the campgrounds were a lot of winding roads. For our first time we managed it fine though. We caught a lot of baby fish, but nothing big. We did not go on any near by trails. Ellijay is about 30 minutes away, which we also did not go visit. Our antenna picked up about 24 channels and were clear. The bath house was neat, but I do have a complaint about the showers. The first shower had a bench at the outside/changing part to put a bag or clothes. The handicap shower did not. So my son got to use a bench to place all of his things, I had to put mine on the wet floor. Good to know in the future. The dump station is going kind of down hill. Some said they had to jack their trailer to get it all out and one guy just used a tote.

Overall experience, we liked it and it was very peaceful and nice to get out. We will probably return one day, but not before experiencing other sites.

This is a great campground, but hard to get a spot as they are only open from late May to early September. It’s well worth the trip. There are some steep curvy roads to get here, but a great campground! Beautiful lake views.