Hard Labor Creek State Park, Rutledge

We all had a great time camping, hiking and fishing at Hard Labor Creek. The bathhouses were clean, as well as our camping location. There are water and electric outlets at each campsite so that was a nice touch. It's beautiful, peaceful and quiet too. They have a 10pm "quiet time" that keeps helps quieten down any sound at night. The hiking trails are well kept and marked. Overall a great location for a family outing.

We just stayed 3 fantastic days there with a group of teenagers from our son's church. The facilities suited our needs more than could be expected. The meeting room and meal preparation area was just perfect. The cottages were very comfortable and attractive. We also checked out the RV campground and found spacious level lots and clean bathhouse as well. This was above and beyond any state park I have visited. One drawback (or maybe it was a plus) was limited cell service but it was available at the check in station.

We stayed at the cabins here at Hard Labor for a few nights. The cabins are so nice and you can tell have been renovated recently. The park has a lot to offer: putt putt, swimming, playgrounds, picnic areas, boat rentals, hiking, etc..the only issue, which is not the park's fault was the heat. There is no air flow whatsoever in this area of GA. It was like being on a frying pan. Thank goodness it didn't rain or we would have been steamed crab legs from the humidity. There are 2 summer camps within the park, which Friday the 13 part 6 and Fear Street 1978 was filmed. As long as the camps are not being rented out, you are aloud to go in and explore. We were able to go into one, but the other was occupied while we were there. The lake was SO warm and it was hard to get out of it. It felt like being in a luke warm bath. It was absolutely perfect.

Using Google GPS to get you to the entrance of this place is a terrible mistake. We got lost on the dirt road following directions. I hope none of you have this problem. Also the visitor center is not called visitor center. Just FYI! Beautiful camp beautiful trails and seems to have a lot to offer. I do not like that they have a Questria and trails that they do not let you rent horses for and only let you hike on certain days. There’s an awful lot of potential to this place. The RV camping spots are nice and they were completely slammed full on a Saturday. The cabins also look very new very nice and very upgraded, but were practically empty very surprising, even in January. The observatory is closed and has been closed since Covid. It is run by Georgia State University but for some reason it’s been shut down and no one seems to know why. It’s a true tragedy.

It is beautiful place to camp! Pioneer campground 1 was huge and isolated. The lake is big enough to enjoy a great kayak and get a good swim. The staff is very nice and ready to answer any questions. I will definitely be going again!