Solo Camping at Red Top Mountain State Park in Acworth, GA
I’ve spent the extra time being stuck inside getting experienced and prepped for being able to camp. As you may recall, I spent some time in January in a Yurt at Sweetwater Creek - a little too cold for my taste, but now that the weather’s warming up, I decided to try somewhere else. My partner had plans with friends that weekend, which made me decide that I was going to do my first solo camping trip ever!
I looked at the different parks nearby and decided to go with Red Top Mountain State Park. I had hiked there a few weeks prior, and with new polarizing lens filters and some new camping gear, I was ready to take on the new challenge of getting some new landscape shots in the environment.
The Best Camping Spot at Red Top Mountain State Park
A quick iphone panorama of the site.
I was lucky enough to snag a premium spot at the campgrounds, and the view was absolutely breathtaking.
Located right on the water, the premium spots seemed like the best place to be able to catch some early photos the next morning, and at a small $5/night increase, it seemed like a no-brainer. Also, there were no regular spots available, so I didn’t have a choice. Definitely got lucky with fate there.
I got there Saturday in the middle of the day and started setting up a used tent I got from REI Outlet and started getting my spot ready. This was my first solo run, and my first camp with a lot of new equipment.
Maybe 50 Feet away from my tent, a beautiful view of a section of the lake. Boats passing by, the sound of birds - very serene.
Since I was able to park right next to my camping site, it was really easy to get things out of my way by storing them in the car. Hatchbacks are a must for everything I do nowadays. I don’t think I’ll ever go back.
Day One of Shooting - Evening & Trails
Before I got a fire going and started working on dinner, I decided to go get a good hike in. I wanted to scout the locations I was going to shoot in the morning and get a feel for the path so I could be quick and efficient when it came to that early morning light. The sky was a clear blue and there was barely anyone out - other than a few extremely noisy children having the time of their lives a few campsites away.
Once I got my feel for my path for the next day, I headed back to get the fire going and read while I made dinner.
Fortunately, I had beautiful weather, and a few dry lead days - so the tinder and kindling was all dry. I brought some dryer lint and cardboard to help things get started, and had no problem whatsoever getting a fire going. My partner and her friend were celebrating a birthday, so they stopped by to have some vegan hot dogs over the fire and check out Lake Allatoona from the campsite.
They headed back after a bit, and I started getting prepped for bed. For the first time in what felt like forever, I planned on going to bed before 10pm. I hung out by the fire until it got dark, then I put it out fully (safety first!) and got into my tent. This was the first time in the used Alpine Mountain Gear Weekender Tent that I got for like $80 which, for an REI tent, felt like a really good deal.
Overnight Solo Camping at Red Top Mountain State Park
I have a solo sleeping bag, one where you sleep in it like a coffin, and it was really weird. The Alpine tent had big screens on it, so there was a little starlight to see, but for the most part it was pitch black. It was pretty warm out, probably about 55ºF, so I had no problem getting to sleep after I got my phone plugged in to a battery and started drifting right off to sleep.
The bad news is that it got to be 32º around 2am. I woke up shivering and short of breath and did not have the proper gear to handle the cold. I was wearing leggings and a thermal shirt, but did not have anything even close to warm enough gear to be warm enough in this. I threw my old clothes on (ew) and zipped my little sleeping bag all the way up over my face as much as I could. After shivering for half an hour, I managed to fall back asleep.
However, this little stint of being abruptly woken up meant I did not wake up in time to be able to get my camera ready to shoot the sunrise. It was still pretty damn cold out when I woke up at 6:30am, and my hands and camera gear were both a little too cold for optimal performance. If you’re a photographer, take hand warmers with you if the weather looks like it’s going to get cold. It’s miserable to handle a camera while you’re cold.
Day Two of Shooting - Sunrise and Lake Allatoona
Too limited by time to make a fire to make breakfast, I got in my car and drove to Dunkin’. Don’t judge me. They have hot vegan food and I was cranky, cold, and tired. By the time I was just arriving back at the park, the sun was already coming up, so I just parked at the nearest spot that I could and I whipped out my camera and got it set up so I could take advantage of the beautiful sunrise on a cold morning.
I went back to the trails and started shooting over Lake Allatoona. You can see some of the shots in the album below.
All photos were taken on a Sony A7III with a 24-104 f/4 G-Master with a 77mm Polarizer Lens Filter and with a tripod.
I got back from the hike (about 5 miles) and made myself a vegan breakfast over the fire. I thought it might be cool to record, so I made a timelapse of it.
Review of Lake Allatoona & Red Top Mountain State Park for Nature Photography
There is so much to shoot here - I didn’t even get to all of it during this trip. I’ll have to make the trip up there again soon - with it being so close to Atlanta, it’s an easy spot to stay a day or two and get a lot of great shots. Again, I missed the mark for finding perfect weather, but the skies were clear and the water was at a great level. I’d highly recommend Red Top Mountain State Park for camping, nature photography, and long but easy hikes.
It was incredibly relaxing, and I can’t wait to book my next camping trip. Though I really wish you could book single nights - paying for two is inconvenient when most of the time I only care to stay a single night at a time.
Comment where in Georgia I should go check out next (or just ask me anything, I love engaging with other people about this stuff)!