Visiting Red Top Mountain State Park

Red Top Mountain State Park is located in Cartersville, Georgia. Lake Allatoona surrounds the park on three sides and it offers visitors opportunities for camping, hiking, fishing, boating, swimming and more. Red Top Mountain is also very popular, with its one million plus annual visitors making it one of the busiest parks in the state. The amenities, the size of the park, the natural beauty of the area and its proximity to Atlanta are all important parts of its popularity. It also happens to just be a great place to relax and have some fun.

The name Red Top Mountain came about because of the red soils that are found here. There red color is a result of there being a lot of iron in the soil. Iron ore played an important role in the history of the area within and around the park. In the 1800's there was a bustling industry producing crude iron in numerous local settlements. During the Civil War close to a dozen iron furnaces operated in the county. Iron Hill, one of many small mining settlements that existed during the iron smelting days, was situated on property that is now part of the park.

One of the largest of the old towns, Etowah, is now under the waters of Lake Allatoona. It was created in 1947 when the Army Corp of Engineers dammed the Etowah River. The 12,000 acre lake was designed for: recreational use, to control flooding, to create a managed water supply, and to generate electricity.

This hub will cover many of the things you would want to know about the park so you can plan your next visit.

The park is readily accessible from exit 231 on interstate 75. From there you head east on Red Top Mountain Road SE and this road will take you right into the park. There is a $3 dollar per vehicle entry fee. 

There are many choices available when it comes to staying in the park. Everything from "roughing it" in a tent to staying in a full service room at the lodge.

Camping - There is a large, well managed campground. Tents, trailers, and RV camping are all allowed. Campsites are around $25 per night, varying by site details and your camping arrangements. There is also a single Yurt available for rent. The campground is large but does fill up during busy weekends in and around the summertime. If you want to stay in the campground on one of these weekends you are required to make a reservation for a minimum of two nights.

Cabins -There are 18 cottages that can be rented for a fee of ~$100 a night. The cottages come with everything you would need for your stay (linens, cooking and eating utensils, towels, etc), except for food. There is also TV, central air conditioning and heat. A picnic table and grill is found outside each cottage, in addition to the kitchen that is inside.

Red Top Mountain Lodge - Features 92 guest rooms, a pool, and is adjacent to the park's restaurant. Wireless internet is available in central locations in the Lodge. Rooms vary but average ~ $100 per night. The Lodge also offers meeting rooms and banquet facilities. You can host a catered business function or a wedding reception, call the park for details.

There are six trails that cover more than 15 miles. Hiking is the main and only allowed use on many trails. The Iron Hill trail is a shared use track that can be used by mountain bikers (and is a popular with bicyclists). Trails range from easy to moderate and collectively pass through all of Red Top Mountain's habitat types. There are shorter trails that are less than a mile and the longest track is more than five miles - one way.

Here are some notes about two of the trials.

The mixed use Iron Ore trail is a 4 mile loop that passes through an area that was once an iron ore processing community (Iron Hill). The path goes along the edge of the Lake at many spots and offers a lot of nice views of the water.

Adjacent to the Lodge is the Lakeside Trail. It is a 3/4 mile paved track that is ADA accessible. It passes the Vaughn Cabin (see below), the iron ore works building, the Lodge, offere views of the lake and takes you through a nice forested area.

At Red Top Mountain you can spend a pleasant afternoon with a friend, grilling at a picnic site located right at the edge of Lake Allatoona. You could also have a group outing for a hundred people - and have access to a building that has all you would need to spend half a day with a large group of folks

Individual picnic tables, each with their own grill, are scattered throughout the park. Group picnic facilities have larger tables and large barbeque grilles. Unlike the small picnic tables the group facilities do require a reservation and a fee. For a really large party you can rent one of two buildings that have been designed for a large gathering. Each building has kitchen facilities, bathrooms and a large dining area

The Lake is a very popular with boaters and fishermen. Many of Red Top Mountain's visitors come to the park to enjoy the lake. A full scale marina, a boat ramp, places to fish from along the shore and lots of great views of the water are all available within the park.

The big draw for fishermen is bass - striped bass, largemouth bass, spotted bass and hybrids. Crappie fishing from the shore is also popular. If you do visit the park to fish you will need to follow all relevant regulations for the state of Georgia - including having a license if you are 16 or older.

Concerts - free concerts are part of the parks schedule of events during the summer. The weekly music shows are held at the Vaughn Cabin. This building was built in 1860. It was relatively recently moved from a local farm to the park and restored to its current state. The musicians for the free concerts sit on the front porch of the cabin when they put on their concerts.

Iron Works - Red Top Mountain used to be home to a few local iron works. Some of the history of those times are preserved and displayed at a recreated old time casting shed. The park occasionally hosts demonstrations that show how iron ore was processed and cast.

Miniature Golf - There is a golf course that is open in the summer. There is a fee to play.

Swimming / Playground - A protected cove and its nice sandy beach is a great place to take the kids on a hot summer day. Adjacent to the beach there is a building with bathrooms and a place to change. Across from the beach building is a playground with a variety of swings and play structures for children.

As you can see, there is plenty to do at Red Top Mountain State Park. You can visit for an afternoon to picnic, fish or just relax - or stay for a week and do a lot more of whatever you enjoy. 

Whatever you do decide to visit for and however long you stay a visit to Red Top Mountain is well worth a visit!