While perhaps best known for its golf course, Georgia’s second largest state park offers a wide range of recreational opportunities in a beautiful wooded setting.
With nearly 6,000 acres to explore, the park features two stocked lakes, a sand beach popular with swimmers during summer months, an active events calendar and 20+ miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.
Horse owners even have their own private camping area near stalls. Other overnight guests can choose from fully-equipped, recently-renovated cottages or a modern campground with sites for both tents and RVs. With so many ways to relax, it is ironic that the park’s name is Hard Labor!
History
Built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a New Deal program sponsored by President Roosevelt, Hard Labor Creek became a National Park in 1939. It served as a National Park until 1946 when it was turned over to the state of Georgia, which continues to operate and maintain the park. Earning recognition as a site in The National Register of Historic Places, visitors can still see remnants of the CCC camps today and learn more about the creation of the park from interpretive signs and historic markers located throughout the park.
The CCC together with the U.S. Forestry service are responsible for many of the park’s original structures and landscapes including the 274-acre Lake Rutledge, roads, bridges, retaining walls, Camp Rutledge, and several structures at Camp Daniel Morgan. Camp Daniel Morgan may be better known for a more sinister past, as it also served as the set of Camp Crystal Lake for the film Friday the 13th Part VI, “Jason Lives!”
Things to Do & See
- Off-road Biking — 17 miles of trails. Hiking Permitted.
- Birding
- Fishing – Fish Attractors Map
- Geocaching
- Outreach Programs
- Hiking — 2.5 miles of trails, horse trails open to hikers weekdays only
- Horseback Riding (trail fee) — 22 miles of trails, stalls, annual pass available
- The Creek Golf Course
- Mini Golf (fee)
- Swimming — seasonal
- Boat Rental — seasonal
- Kayak Rental — seasonal
- Hard Labor Creek Observatory
Hours
Park 7 a.m.–10 p.m.
Office 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
(706) 557-3001
Fees & Passes
$5 parking. Annual passes available.
Phone Numbers
Park (706) 557-3001
Golf Course (706) 557-3006
Reservations (1-800) 864-7275
ABOUT
HOURS & ADMISSION
MAP INFORMATION
ABOUT
While perhaps best known for its golf course, Georgia’s second largest state park offers a wide range of recreational opportunities in a beautiful wooded setting.
With nearly 6,000 acres to explore, the park features two stocked lakes, a sand beach popular with swimmers during summer months, an active events calendar and 20+ miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.
Horse owners even have their own private camping area near stalls. Other overnight guests can choose from fully-equipped, recently-renovated cottages or a modern campground with sites for both tents and RVs. With so many ways to relax, it is ironic that the park’s name is Hard Labor!
History
Built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a New Deal program sponsored by President Roosevelt, Hard Labor Creek became a National Park in 1939. It served as a National Park until 1946 when it was turned over to the state of Georgia, which continues to operate and maintain the park. Earning recognition as a site in The National Register of Historic Places, visitors can still see remnants of the CCC camps today and learn more about the creation of the park from interpretive signs and historic markers located throughout the park.
The CCC together with the U.S. Forestry Service are responsible for many of the park’s original structures and landscapes including the 274-acre Lake Rutledge, roads, bridges, retaining walls, Camp Rutledge, and several structures at Camp Daniel Morgan. Camp Daniel Morgan may be better known for a more sinister past, as it also served as the set of Camp Crystal Lake for the film Friday the 13th Part VI, “Jason Lives!”
Things to Do & See
- Off-road Biking — 17 miles of trails. Hiking Permitted.
- Birding
- Fishing – Fish Attractors Map
- Geocaching
- Outreach Programs
- Hiking — 2.5 miles of trails, horse trails open to hikers weekdays only
- Horseback Riding (trail fee) — 22 miles of trails, stalls, annual pass available
- The Creek Golf Course
- Mini Golf (fee)
- Swimming — seasonal
- Boat Rental — seasonal
- Kayak Rental — seasonal
- Hard Labor Creek Observatory
HOURS & ADMISSION
Hours
Park 7 a.m.–9:45 p.m.
Office 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Fees & Passes
$5 parking. Annual passes available.
Phone Numbers
Park (706) 557-3001
Golf Course (706) 557-3006
Reservations (1-800) 864-7275
MAP INFORMATION