CAMPANAC.Powered by public lands intelligenceMore Than Just Parks

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · GA

Bolding Mill

ReservableOut of season; the next season isn't published.

Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book

Right now: Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
Sites: 97All of them booked ahead

Photos · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

80 ftLongest rig

1,100 ftElevation

422 ftWater · Lake Sidney Lanier

3.6 miNW of Gainesville, GA

49%Tree cover

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 14 notices

In the agency’s own words

Bolding Mill Campground is an excellent choice for camping on Lake Sidney Lanier, offering plenty of comfortable amenities in addition to a well-kept facility. Visitors will enjoy fishing and boating on the lake as well as the lush picnic area and large swimming beach, perfect for families. Keep reading

Recreation

The large swimming beach is concrete, which provides a gentle slope and ADA access for visitors. An on-site boat ramp and fishing pier provide access to many water activities. Land-based recreation features picnic shelters and playground area near the front of the park.

Facilities

The campground offers 88 sites with electric and water hookups (no sewer). There's also nine tent-only primitive sites. Campground conveniences include a laundry facility, fishing pier, and restroom/showerhouses. Facilities outside of the campground but within Bolding Mill park include the playground, swim beach and boat ramp. There's also two dump stations, inside and outside the campground which rotate use per year.

Natural Features

Lake Lanier spans 38,000 surface water acres and 17,000 land acres across five counties in northern Georgia. The reservoir is known for its aqua-blue coloring and spectacular scenery in the forested foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Bolding Mill campground is on the northwest side of the lake, which has plenty of grass and shade for comfortable camping.

Nearby Attractions

Head to the Don Carter State Park for birding and hiking opportunities. Another idea is the Sawnee Mountain Preserve, with breathtaking scenic overlooks, hiking opportunities and rock climbing. Nearby Gainesville, Dawsonville and Dalonega provide many different experiences and opportunities. Contact Info This location is staffed. Please call (470) 774-7875 to speak with local staff.

Charges & Cancellations

Cancellations must be made via the online/phone reservation system.

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

What the agency tells you

Rule

Alcoholic beverages are prohibited.

Rule

Check-in is 3:00 p.m., and check out is by 12:00 p.m.

Rule

Due to COVID-19, camper registration will take place through the gatehouse window. Upon arrival to the campground, please have your ID, license plate number, camping unit’s license plate number, site number, and discount pass (if applicable) ready to give the Park Attendant. Please approach the gatehouse slowly and bring your vehicle close to the window. At no point should you park and walk to the gatehouse window. Do not attempt to enter the gatehouse.

Everything else this campground posts · 11

Rule

Gatehouse open 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday - Thursday. Gatehouse open 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday - Sunday.

Rule

Payments are not accepted at the gatehouse.

Rule

For more information on Lake Sidney Lanier, please go to: http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Recreation/Lake-Sidney-Lanier/

Rule

The campground does not accept mail or food deliveries for campers in the campground. Campers must coordinate to accept these items at a location outside the campground gate.

Rule

Gates lock at 10:30 p.m. and open at 7 a.m.

Rule

"NO SHOWS" will be charged the full amount for their reservation.

Rule

DISCOUNT PASSES must be presented upon arrival and can only be used for ONE site where the cardholder is the REGISTERED camper. Fraudulent use of a discount pass may result in a mandatory appearance in court in accordance with Title 36 CFR 327.23 (d) RECREATION FEES. DISCOUNT PASSES must be applied at the time the reservation is made.

Rule

Gatehouse Attendants have limited or no internet access and are unable to perform actions affecting a reservation.

Rule

LENGTH OF STAY for campers is no longer than 14 days during any 30 consecutive day period for any USACE campground on Lake Lanier (Ex. Cannot stay at Bolding Mill Campground 14 days with another reservation immediately following at another USACE operated campground on Lake Lanier). Consecutive reservations under different names that exceed 14 days are not authorized and are subject to eviction and/or the issuance of a citation in accordance with Title 36 CFR 327.7 (b).

Rule

Commercial operations are prohibited in USACE operated campgrounds. Rental campers must be operated and set up by the registered camper.

Rule

Day using is prohibited. Registered campers must occupy their site overnight.

Read them on the agency’s own page →

Source: recreation.gov facility notices, quoted verbatim · Sep 9, 2026

Tents and rigs

Sites: 97 · 9 tent-only
Hookups: 88 electric, 88 water
Longest rig: 80 ft
Paved pads: All
Accessible sites: 5
Pets: Allowed
Shade: Every site

Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Dump station: Yes; recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
Boat ramp: Yes
Playground: Yes
Stay limit: 14 nights; recreation.gov facility rule maxStay

Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026

Around the campground

On the water: Reservoir, Lake, Beach; Accessible Swimming; Biking; Boating; Fishing; Picnicking; Swimming; Water access
Night sky · 88th darkest of 96 in GA: Bortle 5
Fall color · reported 4 days ago, 36 km away: Patchy color

Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

Fall color: More Than Just Parks foliage tracker, joined to this campground by distance (36 km) · Oct 13, 2026

No reading yet, book on recreation.gov

Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.

No availability snapshot inside the last 36 hours, so this page draws nothing rather than ageing a reading into fiction.

Booking windowOut of seasonOut of season, no booking. The last reservable season the agency published ended October 15, 2023, and it hasn't published the next one.recreation.gov

Max stay14 nightsthe facility record

If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservation; this campground publishes its own terms toorecreation.gov’s schedule

Runs itU.S. Army Corps of EngineersBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record

Watch for a cancellation

Full? Watch it.

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Book on recreation.gov

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 10

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publishes no per-night rate for this campground that we can read, so there’s no sign price to print. That’s a gap in the record, not a free campground.

Reservations can be made online at recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777.

The booking feerecreation.gov

Reservation fee, booked online$8

One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.

Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.

What a stay costs

The agency publishes no nightly rate for this campground, so there’s nothing to add the $8 booking fee to. We won’t total a receipt with a number missing from it.

If your plans changerecreation.gov

Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10

Cancellation fee$10

Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night

No-show$20 + your first night

“Cancellations must be made via the online/phone reservation system.” · this campground’s own terms

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 5

Booking fee, change fee, cancellation fee, no-show: Rules and Reservation Policies, Recreation.gov, the published fee schedule, curated by hand into lib/reservation-fee-schedule.json (9 rows, each carrying its own verbatim sentence). The publisher states these policies were last updated September 2019. · Sep 9, 2026

This campground’s own terms: recreation.gov facility cancellation policy for this campground, quoted verbatim. Recreation.gov states that policies listed for specific locations supersede its site-wide policies. · Sep 9, 2026

The two totals: Derived by CAMPANAC by adding the agency’s own published nightly rate to recreation.gov’s own published reservation fee. Both components are cited above; the addition is ours and is shown only where every component is known. · Sep 9, 2026

Who keeps the booking fee: Recreation.gov facility policy text, Dead Swede Campground (facility 234221) · Not on the national policy page. This is agency policy text recreation.gov publishes on individual campground pages; this site holds it verbatim on 45 active campgrounds (campground_rules.cancellation_description, scripts/load-facility-rules.mjs). · Sep 9, 2026

The contract: Reservation Gods: Who Stole Our Campsites and Sold Them Back to Us, More Than Just Parks, April 2025 · Apr 1, 2025

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

rules read Sep 9, 2026 · record Aug 23, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

97 sites · which ones have room · the site map

The sites, ranked

from 92 mapped sites

90 ftbetween you and the next site, typically

Most roomLoop BMIL 95 144 ftLoop BMIL 46 139 ftLoop BMIL 83 127 ftLoop BMIL 89 127 ftLoop BMIL 28 127 ft

Least roomLoop BMIL 34 44 ftLoop BMIL 35 44 ftLoop BMIL 33 44 ft

Source: Derived by CAMPANAC from recreation.gov per-site coordinates (nearest-neighbor distance) · Oct 12, 2026

All 97 sites

92 of 97 sites located

Tent only9RV / electric83

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97

Aerial · Esri World Imagery

Sites: recreation.gov (RIDB), coordinates as published · Aug 23, 2026

Imagery: Esri World Imagery

SleepsTakes a

Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 92 of the 97 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.

Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.


BMIL	01	standard electric	65 ft	50 amp		84 ft	under 10 ft	406 ft
BMIL	02	standard electric	34 ft	50 amp		89 ft	39 ft	608 ft
BMIL	03	standard electric	32 ft	50 amp		89 ft	61 ft	681 ft
BMIL	04	standard electric	28 ft	50 amp		99 ft	71 ft	772 ft
BMIL	05	standard electric	33 ft	50 amp		118 ft	39 ft	889 ft
BMIL	06	standard electric	31 ft	50 amp		88 ft	31 ft	930 ft
BMIL	07	standard electric	36 ft	50 amp		81 ft	42 ft	847 ft
BMIL	08	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp		81 ft	14 ft	768 ft
BMIL	09	standard electric	33 ft	50 amp		90 ft	36 ft	617 ft
BMIL	10	standard electric	37 ft	50 amp		90 ft	12 ft	593 ft
BMIL	11	standard electric	34 ft	50 amp		84 ft	40 ft	486 ft
BMIL	12	standard electric	38 ft	50 amp		108 ft	24 ft	470 ft
BMIL	13	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		89 ft	66 ft	375 ft
BMIL	14	standard electric	61 ft	50 amp	yes	89 ft	94 ft	307 ft
BMIL	15	standard electric	44 ft	50 amp
BMIL	16	standard electric	53 ft	50 amp
BMIL	17	standard electric	42 ft	50 amp	yes	111 ft	202 ft	173 ft
BMIL	18	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		109 ft	218 ft	241 ft
BMIL	19	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		91 ft	159 ft	339 ft
BMIL	20	standard electric	44 ft	50 amp		69 ft	151 ft	428 ft
BMIL	21	standard electric	75 ft	50 amp		69 ft	84 ft	436 ft
BMIL	22	standard electric	69 ft	50 amp		76 ft	64 ft	505 ft
BMIL	23	standard electric	46 ft	50 amp		71 ft	78 ft	570 ft
BMIL	24	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		70 ft	80 ft	627 ft
BMIL	25	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		65 ft	76 ft	682 ft
BMIL	26	standard electric	47 ft	50 amp		65 ft	52 ft	723 ft
BMIL	27	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		81 ft	60 ft	800 ft
BMIL	28	standard electric	46 ft	50 amp		127 ft	102 ft	979 ft
BMIL	29	tent only nonelectric				45 ft	88 ft	929 ft
BMIL	30	tent only nonelectric				45 ft	56 ft	946 ft
BMIL	31	tent only nonelectric				48 ft	28 ft	967 ft
BMIL	32	tent only nonelectric				52 ft	32 ft	989 ft
BMIL	33	tent only nonelectric				44 ft	91 ft	954 ft
BMIL	34	tent only nonelectric				44 ft	92 ft	928 ft
BMIL	35	tent only nonelectric				44 ft	91 ft	908 ft
BMIL	36	tent only nonelectric				47 ft	112 ft	885 ft
BMIL	37	tent only nonelectric				47 ft	134 ft	870 ft
BMIL	38	standard electric	27 ft	50 amp		99 ft	50 ft	773 ft
BMIL	39	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		124 ft	101 ft	710 ft
BMIL	40	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp		122 ft	52 ft	653 ft
BMIL	41	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		91 ft	54 ft	548 ft
BMIL	42	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		76 ft	32 ft	554 ft
BMIL	43	standard electric	60 ft	50 amp		76 ft	25 ft	518 ft
BMIL	44	standard electric	35 ft	50 amp		89 ft	19 ft	520 ft
BMIL	45	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		89 ft	71 ft	431 ft
BMIL	46	standard electric	46 ft	50 amp		139 ft	189 ft	261 ft
BMIL	47	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp		91 ft	92 ft	341 ft
BMIL	48	standard electric	35 ft	50 amp		91 ft	58 ft	354 ft
BMIL	49	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		65 ft	72 ft	416 ft
BMIL	50	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		65 ft	94 ft	463 ft
BMIL	51	standard electric	65 ft	50 amp
BMIL	52	standard electric	60 ft	50 amp
BMIL	53	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp	yes
BMIL	54	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		91 ft	142 ft	646 ft
BMIL	55	standard electric	80 ft	50 amp		72 ft	221 ft	676 ft
BMIL	56	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp		101 ft	128 ft	580 ft
BMIL	57	standard electric	55 ft	50 amp		96 ft	80 ft	480 ft
BMIL	58	standard electric	55 ft	50 amp		110 ft	52 ft	370 ft
BMIL	59	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp		92 ft	171 ft	517 ft
BMIL	60	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		92 ft	158 ft	434 ft
BMIL	61	standard electric	44 ft	50 amp		114 ft	96 ft	156 ft
BMIL	62	standard electric	41 ft	50 amp		114 ft	55 ft	117 ft
BMIL	63	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		121 ft	39 ft	175 ft
BMIL	64	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		115 ft	27 ft	282 ft
BMIL	65	standard electric	35 ft	50 amp		89 ft	19 ft	388 ft
BMIL	66	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		85 ft	13 ft	458 ft
BMIL	67	standard electric	35 ft	50 amp		75 ft	under 10 ft	498 ft
BMIL	68	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		88 ft	73 ft	378 ft
BMIL	69	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		75 ft	under 10 ft	507 ft
BMIL	70	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		88 ft	35 ft	398 ft
BMIL	71	standard electric	35 ft	50 amp		106 ft	56 ft	326 ft
BMIL	72	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		89 ft	under 10 ft	414 ft
BMIL	73	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp		89 ft	31 ft	455 ft
BMIL	74	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp		97 ft	70 ft	371 ft
BMIL	75	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		97 ft	85 ft	275 ft
BMIL	76	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp	yes	96 ft	23 ft	157 ft
BMIL	77	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp		96 ft	101 ft	168 ft
BMIL	78	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		96 ft	32 ft	150 ft
BMIL	79	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		96 ft	28 ft	232 ft
BMIL	80	standard electric	60 ft	50 amp		102 ft	238 ft	548 ft
BMIL	81	standard electric	65 ft	50 amp		72 ft	235 ft	684 ft
BMIL	82	standard electric	60 ft	50 amp		122 ft	198 ft	763 ft
BMIL	83	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		127 ft	190 ft	703 ft
BMIL	84	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		113 ft	23 ft	344 ft
BMIL	85	standard electric	35 ft	50 amp		103 ft	75 ft	461 ft
BMIL	86	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp		103 ft	62 ft	548 ft
BMIL	87	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		117 ft	94 ft	642 ft
BMIL	88	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp		117 ft	52 ft	751 ft
BMIL	89	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp		127 ft	63 ft	830 ft
BMIL	90	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp		66 ft	34 ft	758 ft
BMIL	91	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		66 ft	70 ft	699 ft
BMIL	92	standard electric	60 ft	50 amp		87 ft	78 ft	642 ft
BMIL	93	standard electric	70 ft	50 amp		87 ft	99 ft	579 ft
BMIL	94	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp	yes	123 ft	210 ft	461 ft
BMIL	95	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		144 ft	206 ft	623 ft
BMIL	96	standard electric	65 ft	50 amp		119 ft	319 ft	476 ft
BMIL	97	standard electric	60 ft	50 amp		119 ft	349 ft	541 ft

25 of 97 listed

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number

Coordinate34.33792, -83.95114

The mapSee it on the map

The driveDirections ↗

The phone770-534-6960

The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

Also near here

Duckett Mill2.4 mi

Toto Creek Campground4.4 mi

Old Federal8.0 mi

Bald Ridge Creek12 mi

Sawnee13 mi Dockery Lake Recreation AreaChattahoochee National Forest · 23 mi

Getting there

From Atlanta, GA, take SR 400 north to Exit 17, turn right on GA Hwy 306, turn right on GA Hwy 53, turn left on Old Sardis Rd, and turn left on Chestatee Rd. Follow into campground.

Directions: Driving directions as the agency wrote them · Sep 9, 2026

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Today66°Sunny

Tonight40°Clear

Sunday64°Sunny

Sunday Night39°Clear

NWS forecast for Gainesville, GA

Source: National Weather Service, FFC forecast office · Oct 17, 2026

Typical weather

Typical October night 50°F, day 72°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical January night 31°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.

100°32°20°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: GAINESVILLE, GA (USC00093621), 6 miles away and 70 ft higher

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, monthly normals · Sep 8, 2026

The land, and who answers for it

who answers for it

Who answers for this land

Bolding Mill is in Georgia’s 7th congressional district. Its representative, Rich McCormick (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

Source: U.S. Census district boundaries and the MTJP Congressional Public Lands Score

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from

Right now: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publishes no season and no closure for this campground, and it takes no bookings we can read. That’s a gap in the record and not a locked gate: the number below is the only way to be sure.

Sites on recreation.gov: recreation.gov’s own month availability payload for this facility, asked for October 2026 and November 2026. It names 97 of the 97 campsites the agency files here, and every one of them carries an answer either way. A campground nobody has read carries no answer at all, never a no. · Oct 14, 2026

Elevation: USGS 3DEP elevation point query at this campground’s coordinate · Sep 7, 2026

Tree cover: NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC), one 30 m cell at this coordinate, taken as the median across the 92 campsites here that carry a reading · Sep 9, 2026

Water: USGS National Hydrography Dataset, nearest perennial lake, reservoir, river or stream to this campground’s coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate: 3.3 mcd/m² of artificial all-sky glow, ranked against the 96 rated federal campgrounds in Georgia · Sep 8, 2026

Sky-glow model: Duriscoe, Anderson, Luginbuhl and Baugh (2018), a simplified model of all-sky artificial sky glow derived from VIIRS Day/Night band data, the National Park Service sky-glow model

Fall color: More Than Just Parks foliage tracker, joined to this campground by distance (36 km) · Oct 13, 2026

Reported by: USA National Phenology Network (Nature's Notebook), reported patchy color · Oct 13, 2026

Cell signal: the Army Corps’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.

Nearest town: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 places, measured by CAMPANAC to the town boundary; population is the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate · Sep 9, 2026