Red Top Mountain State Park

William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation. ​Get me out of here on dove wings; I want some peace and quiet. I want a walk in the country, I want a cabin in the woods. Psalms 55, The Message

Red Top Mountain State Park is in Cartersville, Georgia. It is surrounded by the 12,000 acre lake Allatoona. The high iron or content of the soil is the reason for the red top name. Mining iron or was once an important activity in the local area. There are six trails covering more than 15 miles.

​Tuesday, sunny, high near 57°. Wind 15 mph. Tonight clear, 30°.
Sunrise 7:46 AM, sunset 7:39 PM.
​Day length: 11 hours, 53 minutes.
 
We arrived at the campground just after 2 PM. The entire park was quite empty. It was a very nice, spacious campground lying with in rolling hills of tall pines and hardwoods. Large, picturesque lichen covered boulders were strewn throughout the park, almost as if deliberately placed decoration.

​Our yurt was on the hillside that dropped off down to finger of Lake Allatoona. A nice wooden patio surrounded the green nylon structure.

The boulder-strewn campground on the edge of Lake Allatoona

Although “spring” break, it was windy and very chilly. After unpacking we walked down to the lakeside. Strong winds were blowing across the water bringing up rolls of waves. We never did take the canoe out on the water though we towed it along for the trip. That first afternoon, we explored the shore and walked about a mile on the blue trail. After dinner we went back down to the water for the golden hour before sunset.

The shores of Lake Allatoona; Red Top Mountain State Park, Georgia.

​Wednesday, March 14  - sunrise 7:45 AM. The prevalent bird around the campsite is the White-breasted Nuthatch. You hear him calling more than any other avian inhabitant of the park. Using my mp3 player,  I was able to call one in close for lots of photography while we were sitting around a late afternoon campfire.

Several White-breasted Nuthatches occupied the campground area. Red Top Mountain State Park, Georgia.

​The winds still strong, we decided to hike the 7 mile yellow trail. Plenty of ups and downs, tall hardwood trees and nice, wide, soft, needle-covered paths. A great place for a trail run, but the elevation would be quite a challenge.

A White-tailed Deer doe encountered while hiking the yellow trail. Red Top Mountain State Park, Georgia.

​Thursday, March 15 – a campfire to end one day, and a campfire to begin the next morning. I love it. I wish we could do it more often. But we’ll enjoy the times we do get to have.
 
It’s a chilly morning, about 33°, but the wind is gone. The lake is smooth and wisps of fog rise off its surface. But our stay this last day is short. A quick breakfast and all packed up by 10 AM. All in all, Red Top Mountain is it beautiful campground. But I can imagine that it is quite busy here in the summer when all the RV spots are occupied. But for an early spring break, it was peaceful and serene and very refreshing.

Wooden campgound directional hiking sign at Red Top Mountain State Park, Georgia, USA.

A traditional yurt is a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt and used as a dwelling by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. Modern yurts may be permanently built on a wooden platform; they may use materials such as steam-bent wooden framing or metal framing, canvas or tarpaulin, Plexiglas dome. Photographed in Red Top Mountain State Park. There are public campgrounds, marinas, RV sites, yurts, and boat launches. Spring, 2018.

White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus, female doe camouflaged in woods in Red Top Mountain State Park, Georgia, USA. Throughout the year, the Department of Natural Resources schedules quota White-tailed Deer hunts. Most quota hunts are conducted within wildlife management areas, but each fall a few state parks are selected as sites for deer quota hunts.

Rocky lakeshore boulders on blue water of Lake Allatoona, Georgia, USA. Lake Allatoona covers more than 12,000 acres and has 270 miles of shoreline. The dam that created Allatoona Lake first began blocking the waters of the Etowah River in 1949. Photographed in Red Top Mountain State Park. There are public campgrounds, marinas, RV sites, yurts, and boat launches. Spring, 2018.

Lakeside boulders of Lake Allatoona, Red Top Mountain State Park, Georgia, USA

White-breasted nuthatch bird, Sitta carolinensis, Red Top Mountain State Park

Large boulders on rocky lakeshore on blue water of Lake Allatoona, GA.

Lake Allatoona at Red Top Mountain State Park, Georgia.

Lake Allatoona, Red Top Mountain State Park, Georgia, USA

White-breasted Nuthatches are active, agile little birds. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside.

A solitary teenager texting on a cell phone while sitting on a large lakeside boulder at Lake Allatoona, GA. Photographed in Red Top Mountain State Park.