Enthusiast Magazine

Georgia’s network of state parks is far-reaching and versatile, offering a wide range of outdoor amenities that appeal to many including hiking, camping, and fishing. With 48 state parks spread from the mountains to the coast, leisure seekers never have far to go to find a park to enjoy. For those residing in the suburbs northeast of Atlanta, Fort Yargo State Park in Winder is perfectly situated to host family gatherings and nature explorations.

Fort Yargo is the second-most visited state park in the state with more than half a million visitors each year, and the only park located within a county seat. Its convenient location in Barrow County just off Highway 316 is less than an hour from “spaghetti junction” in Atlanta and a mere 30 minutes from Athens, making it a popular destination for residents from both cities.
The park began as a log fort built in 1792. Today, it spans 1,816 acres including more than 20 miles of hiking and biking trails, a 260-acre lake, nine group shelters and pavilions, and a number of overnight accommodations. Playgrounds, a sand beach, a disc golf course, and a gift shop add to the fun.

In concert with the city, a paved trail leads from a parking area near downtown Winder into Fort Yargo. Wide enough for strollers, bicycles, and walkers, the paved trail takes visitors out of the bustling city into the quiet of pines, oaks, poplar, and magnolias where stress fades and relaxed leisure begins.

Running through Fort Yargo State Park are a series of trails – twisting, turning, rising, and falling – some with a sense of immediacy, some with graceful curves – that host bikers for hours. Not the motorbikes, raising a ruckus of noise and smoke, but those that are measured in people-power, not horsepower.

Mountain bikers converge on Fort Yargo for the endless series of trails that crisscross the terrain. There, bikers take plunging dips, and thigh-burning pulls up a series of hills, connected with tight turns. As hills, slopes and steeps usually do, however, these drop to the edge of the water at Lake Yargo. Bicyclists get the momentary feel of leisure as they close in on the lake. But then it is gone again, as the trails turn back into the woods of the park, with the pines acting as a shade from the sun.

Walkers and runners also utilize the hills and valleys, taking those who look to use their feet instead of their bicycle tires to keep the movement going. Whether going quickly, or slowly, the park offers both exercise or leisure – all at the taker’s pleasure.

The lake has its own idiosyncrasy, as the calm waters are rent by the paddles, boats and exhortations of the University of Georgia Crew Club team. Those rowing phenomena usually seen only during Olympics utilize Fort Yargo’s lake to hone their skills for their own competitions. Yet that is the least of the activity on Fort Yargo Lake.

Each summer, beaches at Fort Yargo entertain visitors. The beaches, white sand everywhere, offer a wide expanse for enjoyment. Swimmers of all ages get to experience, often for the first time in a lifetime, swimming somewhere other than in a pool – a throwback to a different period, when life was a little slower. Lifeguards are also there to supervise the activities to provide a measure of safety.

Campers have long known of Fort Yargo, the beauty and the hospitality. Both campsites and camper sites are available for use. It’s wise, however, to make reservations early. Weekends are normally booked months in advance. And when the University of Georgia football game is at home in Athens, game weeks mean even more crowds. A 30-minute drive to Sanford Stadium means that accessibility to the Dawgs is close, quick, and convenient.

There are cabins for a more refined, glamping time. For a more unique experience, visitors can reserve lakeside yurts, which are canvas tents. Each yurt has furniture and electricity inside and a fire ring, picnic table and grill outside.

The (very) subtle rise of Fort Yargo State Park, located inside the city limits of Winder occurred with the positioning of Camp Twin Lakes at the park’s Camp Will-A-Way in 2009. Camp Twin Lakes, founded in 1993 to “(provide) life-changing camp experiences to thousands of Georgia's children with serious illnesses, disabilities, and other life challenges”, manages over 50 acres within Fort Yargo State Park, as it “provides week-long summer camps” as a part of its Mission to “provide year-round camp experiences for children with serious illnesses, disabilities and life challenges to help each camper grow in their confidence and experience the joys of childhood.”
Yet Fort Yargo’s development as a destination facility doesn’t key on just Camp Twin Lakes, but on the more genteel habits of vacationers. Campsites, whether with a tent or with a pulled camper, or one of the newly-constructed yurts, are superb ways to lower the blood pressure. Lazing away the hours and days, content in nature’s best, has been one of the ways that Fort Yargo begins to emerge as a destination. But it’s not all peace and quiet.

In 2019, Fort Yargo received a facelift to its front door. A new entranceway was established from Ga. Hwy. 81. Moved from its previous location, the new roadway allows for wider turns to enhance ease of entry for larger campers being pulled. A new Welcome Center was developed to welcome visitors to the Park. Enhanced features were added, with a gift shop, directional signs and a magnificent view of the lake.

With all that Fort Yargo offers, as with any entity, however, growth and change sometimes are necessary. Fort Yargo is no different. That’s why, in the 2021 Legislative Session of the Georgia General Assembly, funds were allocated to Fort Yargo State Park for major improvements inside the park.

The park had in place a 20 to 50-year plan for enhancements. Groups got together to visualize a wish list of activities and features that would make Fort Yargo State Park “complete”. Dog Parks, Disc Golf, additional camping areas, more cabins and yurts were all offered as needs and wants for the park. With the funding from the legislature, these features are now slated to come.
Additionally, an exciting new addition to the park will be a zip-line feature, with an area through the trees, over the meadows down towards the lake soon to be a part of the Fort Yargo experience. The plunge towards the lake, wind whipping, means exhilaration at its best.

Fort Yargo State Park is a living entity. The flora, the fauna, the wildlife, the people – they all work together to create a lifestyle, as temporary or as long as needed, to offer a respite from the daily buzz of activity. But it’s location – so close, so accessible – makes it an easy choice for a daily, weekend, or longer, period of relaxation and enjoyment. It’s the experience of feeling that, the moment one enters the gates, the blood pressure drops, the heart lifts, the eyes open a little wider, and the smile begins to flicker at the corners of the mouth.

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