Cottonwood Patch Campground

Open — Open year-round by reservation only through Recreation.gov. A gate code is provided upon booking.

About

Cottonwood Patch Campground is a primitive, multi-use campground located within the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest along the Conasauga River, just above its confluence with the Jacks River. Primarily designed for equestrian camping, the campground also welcomes traditional car camping and serves as an excellent base for exploring the surrounding Cohutta Mountains and the adjacent 45,000-acre Cohutta Wilderness, the largest federally designated wilderness area east of the Mississippi River. The campground sits in a historically significant area that was once a thriving community in the late 1800s through the 1930s, complete with farms, a church, and a post office. During the early 1900s logging boom, this area served as the main hub for Conasauga River Lumber Company operations, with Shay locomotives hauling timber along railroad tracks that followed the rivers deep into the mountains. Today, these old railroad beds have been converted into trails, including the Jacks River Trail and Tennessee's Conasauga Trail. The Conasauga River watershed is one of the most ecologically diverse watersheds in the United States, containing 76 species of fish (more than the entire Columbia and Colorado watersheds combined). The federally endangered Blue Shiner and rare crayfish and mollusks inhabit these waters. Iron Mountain Trail begins directly at the campground and is open to both hikers and equestrians. The campground is situated within the 96,583-acre Cohutta Wildlife Management Area, cooperatively managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Georgia Department of Natural Resources, offering opportunities for hunting bear, deer, wild hog, and small game.

Directions

From US Highway 411, turn east onto Old Highway 2 in Cisco, Georgia. Follow Old Highway 2 for approximately 7 miles. Upon crossing the Conasauga River, the road becomes Forest Service Road 16. Continue approximately 1 mile and turn left onto Forest Service Road 16A. Twenty foot length restriction due to curves and bridges.