Moccasin Creek State Park is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

located on the western shore of Lake Burton in

Rabun County Rabun County () is the north-easternmost county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,883, up from 16,276 in 2010. The county seat is Clayton. With an average annual rainfall of over , Rabun County has the ...

in the northeast corner of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. The park features

campgrounds A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using ten ...

; a fishing pier for the physically disabled, the elderly, and children; and walking trails. Even though the surrounding area is mountainous, the camping area is relatively flat.

History

Moccasin Creek State Park, situated in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, was established in 1963 as a simple campground, the result of a vision of then-Director of the Georgia Game and Fish Commission, Fulton Lovell. The tract was purchased for $63,415 and the park was originally run by the adjacent Lake Burton Fish Hatchery. The new camping area immediately became popular with area boaters and fishermen. Just three years after it was established, the campground was turned over to the State Parks Department because it was too busy for Fish Hatchery personnel to manage. Renamed Moccasin Creek State Park, in 1966, it is Georgia's smallest state park, and is considered to be one of Georgia's top destination for camping, hiking and fishing. In 1993, a lakeside pavilion at the park was named the Fulton Lovell Assembly Shelter in honor of Fulton Lovell.

Location

The park is located on

Georgia State Route 197 State Route 197 (SR 197) is a state highway. It passes through portions of Habersham and Rabun counties and the Chattahoochee National Forest. Scenic Georgia Highway 197 was used by moonshiners during Prohibition in the United States.

, north of

Clarkesville, Georgia Clarkesville is a city that is the county seat of Habersham County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 1,911, up from the 2010 census population of 1,733, up from 1,248 at the 2000 census. History Clarkesvi ...

. The adjacent Lake Burton Fish Hatchery offers an opportunity to learn how

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

are raised. The park offers easy access to the

Chattahoochee National Forest The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattah ...

and its features, such as the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...

Facilities

*32 Acres *48 Tent, Trailer, RV Campsites *Boat Dock and Ramp *Wheelchair-Accessible Fishing Pier *Playground *1 Picnic Shelter *Fulton Lovell Assembly Shelter *1-Mile Non-Game Interpretive Trail with Wildlife Observation Tower

Annual events

*Moonshine Memories (September) *Bluegrass in the Park (October)

References

External links

Georgia State Park WebsiteHistory of Georgia State Parks
{{Coord, 34.84462, -83.58768, type:landmark_region:US-GA, display=title State parks of Georgia (U.S. state) State parks of the Appalachians Protected areas of Rabun County, Georgia Protected areas established in 1963