Elijah Clark State Park — Attraction in McCormick

This has to be one of the most stunning waterfront camping opportunities in the state!! Absolutely gorgeous and worth a visit. I camped for two nights in the walk-in tent camping. The tent sites are well-maintained and the view is fantastic. I enjoyed having access to the water. TENT sites 1 to 4 are the closest to the water. The reason for the 4-star review is that the tent area bathrooms are very small and old. The staff keeps them extremely clean (thank you!) but they need to be remodeled. There is no place to put or hang bathroom items when trying to change. All of the fixtures are old. There is only one small sink. The showers are dark and dingy. There are 2 toilets and 2 showers. Other Georgia state parks have MUCH NICER bathrooms. The other reason for the 4-star review is that the signage is poor. We were driving over the RV dump site every time to go to the tent sites. It turns out there is another way that doesn't involve driving over sewage. If only they had better signage! Info for future campers - The tent area does not have electricity at each site, but there are two outlets available at the pavilion which was just 1- minute walk away. There is not water at the individual sites but there are several spigots available for the entire campsite. There is no camp sink available but we washed dishes at the spigot. There are lots of places you can hang a hammock. The pine forest is wonderful! The sites are far apart so we could not hear our neighbor campers. It is private for tent camping. The picnic tables are rough concrete so bring a pad or towel to sit on. Nearby you can find a brewery and a few restaurants. The grocery store is 11 minutes away. If you want to rent kayaks on Saturday, reserve them or get there early. They were sold out and some of my group did not get to rent a kayak. Firewood is available for sale there. We found enough kindling to get the fire started with just a lighter (no fire starter). Dogs are allowed. We had one dog and she was the only tent camper with 4 legs. I was told that the camping fee did not include the parking fee. However, the only cars that had to pay $5 were ones that voluntarily stopped at the entry gate. There is a dumpster right near the bathroom for trash which is super convenient. No hauling trash! Go to the RV area for sunset - amazing!!! A really fun time!! Thank you Elijah...

We have spent several seasons as camp hosts at Elijah Clark State Park. We would LOVE to be able to host here year around! Hint. Hint.🥰 I was very suprised to see a negative review from a recent host because our experiences have all been positive. We have hosted for 9 years in MANY parks from GA to AZ. We find Elijah Clark S.P, to be amazingly host friendly. Not only are the hosts sites large, many have water views with fhu. We are always met with smiling faces each time we arrive. We are always sad to leave. Other hosts are extremely friendly and always helpful. The visitor office employees, ladies that take care of cabins and management have ALWAYS been friendly and accommodating. The maintenance team is ALWAYs helpful and work incredibly hard to keep the park in good shape. The laid back host atmosphere is one of the many reasons for which we return. There isn't a park orientation but intelligent people can take the initiative to explore, ask questions and learn without park management holding your hand. Hosts are never discouraged from explaining park rules, however a hosts is expected to NOT police or be petty with visitors.(we've met hosts that throughly enjoy having a little authority. They would approach visitors about every little petty infraction and make the visitors stay stressful, and then write bad reviews about the park because their heavy handed, complaining and controling attitude was not satisfied.) Another complaint in the hosts review was about the lack of policing. Do the visitors occasionally bend or break rules...yes. In my opinion, the parks intelligent management team seems to realize that it's more important to keep paying visitors happy than to annoy them because they have a car parked 2 inches on the grass! I agree. Good job...

We spent 5 months workamping at Elijah Clark State Park in Georgia. We have spent a number of years working at other parks.

Pros: Absolutely great spot for folks who enjoy watersports. Many campers bring in boats which are moored along edge of lake near campsites. Volunteers are able to access rental boats without cost.

Fishing from shore and boats is very popular. Catfish and other fresh water species are ample in lake.

Cons: Overall, management is poor. There is no meet & greet when you arrive. No one introduces themselves or provide park orientation, you are just handed a memo of your duties. Workers need to find out information from other volunteers organically. Notice of staff meetings is hit-or-miss. Individual park employees may be friendly, but managers are generally hands off and not friendly.

Volunteers work EVERY day to fulfill their duties. Might take one to four hours depending on park activity.

Almost no enforcement of park system rules or state laws. Each camper is given welcome packet on checkin, which include rules, but none of rangers take time to enforce rules, and volunteers are discouraged from educating campers on rules. Only if someone complains is any action taken.

Usually same Workampers return year after year, with no regard for the 3 year rule (5 year with manager waiver). Standard limit of 6 months per shift is not enforced.

Park gate code is not changed on any regular basis. This allows previous camper to come in late at night and setup without regard for quiet hours.

Little interesting places or restaurants to visit nearby

Summary: This is the worst workamping experience in the Georgia state park system. Will not return and not...