Don Carter State Park, Georgia
The Chattahoochee River, flowing from the north Georgia Mountains, meets Lake Lanier at Don Carter State Park, creating a unique opportunity for recreation and outdoor appreciation on the northern edge of metro-Atlanta.
Don Carter was created in 1994 by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and was opened to public in 2013. The park was named for Don Carter, a local businessman who served on the Goergia Department of Natural Resources board for 29 years. It is the only state park on 38,000-acre Lake Lanier. Situated on the north end of the reservoir, the park offers outstanding recreation for water lovers. Boat ramps provide quick access to the lake and Chattahoochee River, while a multi-use trail welcomes hikers and bikers to explore the hardwood forest. Guests can stay cool at a large, sand swimming beach with bath house.
Official Park Website: https://gastateparks.org/DonCarter
Reference: park official website, Wikipedia
Our Visit
Date: March 31, 2024
It was the Good Friday weekend. We planed to visit Gainesville for Don Carter, Botanical Garden, and Chicopee Lake, before kids’ piano class in the late afternoon back in Atlanta. This plan felt like nothing to do with a relaxed weekend, but anyway. We started early in the morning as we have a packed day, but I just witnessed the blue hour and gold hour gone by outside the car window while we were still on the road. But the light was still pretty by the time we arrived at the park. Until we parked the car in the lots next to the boat launch, we realized that we have been the exact spot before during Covid.
Huckleberry Trail
Length: 1.4 miles
Level: Easy
After taking some photos on the doc, we hiked the half of the Huckleberry Trail closer to the river (0.8 miles loop). We then spent a few minutes around the nearby beach area, which has its own parking lot, restrooms, and bath house.
The trees woke up in spring and the new leaves burst out, the fresh green or vivid red color of which added excitement to the otherwise boring regular lake view.
