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Carters Lake Near Ellijay: Fees, Trails, Camping and the Dam

The short answer

Carters Lake, the Coosawattee River reservoir west of Ellijay, covers 3,200 acres with 62 miles of shoreline and is the deepest of Georgia's reservoir lakes. Most day-use areas charge $5 per vehicle, card only. Its project office and Carters Dam, the tallest earthen dam east of the Mississippi, are in Murray County near Chatsworth. Harris Branch beach is open Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day.

Facts checked October 17, 2026 Ellijay, Georgia (Gilmer County seat, in the north Georgia mountains), not East Ellijay, which is a separate city next door

Dark still water in the foreground with a rocky shoreline and a wooded hillside of red, orange and yellow autumn trees under a blue sky with white clouds.
Photo: Tamparitus, CC BY-SA 4.0

The lake in numbers

  • Carters Lake covers 3,200 acres with 62 miles of shoreline. Its average depth is 200 feet, and parts are more than 450 feet deep, making it the deepest of Georgia's reservoir lakes. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • Carters Dam, finished in 1977, is the tallest earthen dam east of the Mississippi. It controls flooding and generates power. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • USACE says the lake is named for 19th-century Georgia politician 'Farrish Carter Tate'. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The Coosawattee River flows west from Ellijay and feeds the lake (Wikipedia). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers runs it from the Carters Lake Project Office, 975 Powerhouse Rd., Chatsworth, in Murray County, (706) 334-2248 (USACE). Carters Dam is in Murray County too. The Corps publishes no drive time from Ellijay, so we don’t give one.

An aerial view of a large curved rock-fill dam holding back a wide lake with wooded islands, with a powerhouse, an electrical switchyard and a muddy brown river channel below the dam.
Carters Dam and lake from the air (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo). Photo: Adrien Lamarre, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public domain

Day use and fees

Most Carters Lake day-use areas charge $5.00 per vehicle, paid by credit or debit card only at automated machines. There are eight day-use areas: Woodring Branch, Doll Mountain, Harris Branch, Ridgeway, the N&S Re-regulation Areas, North Bank, Damsite and the Visitor Center. (USACE)

Harris Branch Park has a public beach open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. There are no lifeguards, and pets and alcohol are not allowed on the beach. (USACE)

Trails

Carters Lake trails include the Ridgeway mountain bike loop (about 6 miles, in Ridgeway Park), the Amadahy Trail (a 4-mile loop at Woodring Branch, for all skill levels) and the Tumbling Waters Nature Trail (0.35 mile one way, in Ridgeway, with an overlook of Tails Creek cascades). ATVs are banned on all trails. (USACE) Bow hunters also use the trails in hunting season.

Camping

Carters Lake campgrounds: Woodring Branch has 42 sites (31 with electric and water; phone 706-276-6050) plus an 11-site primitive area open year-round at $10 a night. Doll Mountain has 65 sites (39 with hookups; phone 706-276-4413). Book on Recreation.gov or by calling (877) 444-6777. (USACE)

  • Carters Lake day-use areas

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers parks

    Carters Lake (Project Office: 975 Powerhouse Rd., Chatsworth, GA 30705, Murray County)

    Most of the eight day-use areas charge $5.00 per vehicle, card only at automated machines. Project Office (706) 334-2248.

    Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, checked 2026-10-17

  • Harris Branch Park beach

    Beach · seasonal

    Carters Lake

    Open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day only, so closed in fall. No lifeguards; no pets or alcohol on the beach.

    Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, checked 2026-10-17

  • Woodring Branch and Doll Mountain campgrounds

    Campgrounds

    Carters Lake (Woodring Branch is about four miles off Hwy 282)

    Woodring Branch: 42 sites plus an 11-site primitive area open year-round at $10 a night. Doll Mountain: 65 sites. Book on Recreation.gov or (877) 444-6777.

    Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, checked 2026-10-17

  • Ridgeway, Amadahy and Tumbling Waters trails

    Trails

    Ridgeway Park and Woodring Branch, Carters Lake

    Ridgeway mountain-bike loop (about 6 miles), Amadahy Trail (4-mile loop for all skill levels), Tumbling Waters Nature Trail (0.35 mile one way). No ATVs.

    Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, checked 2026-10-17


An elevated view over green summer treetops to a broad lake ringed by wooded shores, with a mountain ridge on the left horizon and billowing white clouds.
Carters Lake from an overlook in summer. Photo: Tamparitus, CC BY-SA 4.0

Lake questions

How deep is Carters Lake?

Its average depth is 200 feet, and parts are more than 450 feet deep, making it the deepest of Georgia's reservoir lakes. It covers 3,200 acres with 62 miles of shoreline.

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

How much does Carters Lake cost?

Most day-use areas charge $5.00 per vehicle, paid by credit or debit card only at automated machines.

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Is the Carters Lake beach open?

Harris Branch Park's beach is open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day only. There are no lifeguards, and pets and alcohol are not allowed on the beach.

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Where is Carters Dam?

The Carters Lake Project Office is at 975 Powerhouse Rd., Chatsworth, in Murray County. The dam, finished in 1977, is the tallest earthen dam east of the Mississippi.

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Can you camp at Carters Lake?

Yes. Woodring Branch has 42 sites plus an 11-site primitive area, and Doll Mountain has 65. Book on Recreation.gov or at (877) 444-6777.

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

What trails are at Carters Lake?

The Ridgeway mountain bike loop (about 6 miles), the 4-mile Amadahy Trail at Woodring Branch, and the 0.35-mile Tumbling Waters Nature Trail. ATVs are banned on all trails.

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Dates, hours and fees change. For anything official, the city has the final word: City of Ellijay official site

The red-brick Gilmer County courthouse with its white columned portico and clock tower, photographed from the square on a sunny day with trees in leaf.
Photo: Thomsonmg2000, CC0

Where the rivers meet

Like it here? Ask about living here.

Gold Peach Realty is the North Georgia brokerage behind this guide. If an October weekend at the apple festivals or an afternoon on River Street has you wondering what a house in Ellijay or elsewhere in Gilmer County would look like, the team can walk you through what is on the market and how the mountain towns differ.

Visit Gold Peach Realty Call Gold Peach Realty (770) 283-1223

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