Sawnee Campground is a US Army Corps of Engineers campground in north Georgia on Lake Lanier. This campground is smaller than most Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds we’ve visited. However, there are some beautiful sites, it’s close to Buford Dam and it’s close to Katie’s parents. So, it’s one of our favorite parks.

Sites

Each RV site has a picnic table, grill, fire pit, and electricity.

Most sites are well-spaced. Our favorite sites are 16-24, which are located on a peninsula.

We stayed in site 18 this time, which has an excellent location at the end of the point.

However, we’d stayed at site 19 on a past visit. As a pull-through, this site is going to be much better for trailers and fifth-wheels.

And here’s site 24.

We prefer the waterfront sites, but most sites in the park are fine. Really the only sites to avoid are the ones right along Buford Dam Road, due to the noise from this busy road.

There don’t seem to be any full hook-up sites. So, you’ll want to bring a portable waste tank if you’re planning to stay long and/or use your shower.

In addition to RV sites, there are also walk-in tent sites – including some that don’t offer water or power.

Campground amenities

The amenities at this campground are what you’d expect from a US Army Corps of Engineers campground. There are two bathhouses.

Each bathhouse has multiple toilets and warm-water showers for each gender. There’s one handicap-accessible stall and shower in each bathroom.

The shower stalls are pretty sparse. The handicap-accessible stall has a bench, but the other shower stalls just have a hook on the back of the door.

Each bathhouse also has a laundry room with a washer and dryer. When we visited, the washer and dryer each cost $0.75 per load.

There’s a boat dock and boat ramp with plenty of boat trailer parking nearby.

There’s also a beach and swimming area in the middle of the campground.

And, near one of the bathhouses, there’s children’s play equipment. Unlike at other Army Corps of Engineer parks, this playground was open even during the pandemic.

There is a single trash dumpster in the middle of the campground. Unfortunately, there’s no recycling.

The single dump station is located between the dumpster and entrance gate. There’s a flush hose, but it’s too small to screw into the black water flush or a black water hose. There’s a nearby water spigot, but it’s only for fresh water.

The entrance gate is locked from 10:30pm to 7am nightly. There isn’t a code for campers to use if they arrive or return during these locked hours. So, don’t cut your arrival too close to the close time!

Connectivity

We had no issues with connectivity using our Verizon or Visible (which uses the Verizon network but is deprioritized) hotspots. In fact, the speeds were so good that we didn’t even think to run a speed test. There’s no campground Wi-Fi available.

Booking

You can book a campsite at Sawnee campground online at Recreation.gov. The campground consists of:

• 43 drive-up sites with water and electric hookups ($26)
• 5 walk-in tent sites with water and electricity ($22)
• 11 walk-in tent sites with no water or electricity ($20)

You can book tent-only sites with no hookups for $20 per night, tent-only sites with water and electricity for $22 and RV sites with water and electricity for $26 per night.

One of the walk-in sites without water or electricity is on its own island that’s connected to the rest of the park by a narrow strip of land. You can rent this two-site island as a double site for $36 per night.

Sawnee closes each winter, generally from September to March. You can book up to six months before your stay. Just note that stays are limited to at most 14 nights in any 30-day period.

Overall take

Sawnee is a small campground, so it can be difficult to find availability. However, we recently lucked into an 8-night stay in perhaps the second-best RV site in the park (site 18 – site 16 is the only site that might be better). So, it’s certainly possible to snag a last-minute site. And there are other Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds in the area if Sawnee happens to be full.