Georgia Natural Wonder #228 - Richard B. Russell State Park. 293

[Top Row Dawg]

Richard B. Russell State Park

Continuing to feature State Parks as Natural Wonders of Georgia, we come back to Elbert County to the relatively new (In my lifetime) Richard Russell Lake. We already did two tangents on Elbert County featuring the Lexington-Oglesby Blue Granite Belt GNW #200 and the Broad River GNW #201. So there is no need for a county tangent this time, and we can catch our breath with a simpler post on just the State Park and Lake Russell.



Richard B. Russell State Park is a 2,508 acre state park located on the shore of Richard B. Russell Lake in Elbert County, Georgia. The park features the 18-hole Arrowhead Golf Course, as well as picnic shelters and a swimming beach.



"Come stay and play at Richard B. Russell State Park where you can toss a disc, throw a hook, play a round at a top ranked golf course in the U.S., recreate on the water or relax beside the peaceful shores of Lake Richard B. Russell where agrarian people settled along the Savannah River watershed."

Located on a 26,650 acre lake, Richard B. Russell State Park offers some of the state’s finest fishing and boating.

Fishing

Fish include largemouth bass, spotted bass, black crappie & striped bass.



Georgia law requires that anyone 16 and older have a fishing license in their possession. You can purchase one online from the Electronic Georgia Licensing (EGAL) system or call 1-800-366-2661. Rest assured, by purchasing a license, you’re supporting the fisheries management and conservation of Georgia’s aquatic resources.



Largemouth Bass - Expect fishing to be consistent with last years catch. Increased numbers of spotted bass may make it more difficult to find and target largemouth bass in some areas. Concentrate in areas such as Beaverdam Creek, Coldwater Creek and Pickens Creek.

Technique - Popular year-round baits include spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits, topwater baits, jig-head worms, jigs and other plastic baits. These baits can be fished around standing timber, main-lake points, offshore humps, riprap and rocky areas and around lay-down trees.

Target - During winter months, fish crankbaits, jigs and other deeper plastics around standing timber and deeper main-lake points. Also, concentrate on deeper fish following large schools of baitfish with jigging spoons and drop shot rigs. In the spring, use jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and shallower plastics focusing on shallower standing timber and secondary points. During summer, use deeper plastics and drop shot rigs on main-lake points and creek channels. Night fishing during this time of year is popular. In the fall, fish spinnerbaits and crankbaits in the backs of creek arms, as fish migrate following baitfish.



Spotted Bass - The population of spotted bass continues to expand. Numbers of fish are up from the following electrofishing survey and targeting spotted bass may become easier than largemouth bass. Spotted bass can now be found throughout much of the reservoir. The average spotted bass during the 2008 electrofishing survey was around 1 pound, however 2 to 3-pound fish are available.

Technique - Popular baits include smaller crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jig-head worms, drop shot rigs and soft plastics. These baits can be used around standing timber, main-lake points, river channel markers and off shore humps.

Target - During winter, fish smaller jigs, deeper plastics, jig-head worms, drop shot rigs and jigging spoons. Concentrate on deeper areas such as creek channels, ditches, main-lake points and rocky areas. In the spring, use jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, jig-head worms and drop shot rigs. Focus on main-lake points, secondary points and standing timber. Throughout summer, use jig-head worms, drop shot rigs and deeper plastics along deeper main-lake areas, off shore humps, rip-rap areas and bridges. In the fall, fish smaller crankbaits, jerkbaits, jig-head worms and drop shot rigs. Fish areas such as main-lake points, river channel markers, off shore humps and bridges.



Crappie - Expect fishing for black crappie to be consistent with last year's catch. Most keepers will be 8-12 inches, with some fish larger than 12 inches. Crappie should weigh around 1/2 to 3/4 pound this spring, with good numbers of fish up to 1½ pound. Fish from February to May for larger numbers and larger fish.

Technique - Minnows and jigs are recommended.

Target - In early February, concentrate toward the mouths of the creeks, near the main lake and gradually move toward more shallow water as temperatures rise in spring. In the spring, target standing timber, man-made brush piles and shallower cover in Coldwater Creek, Pickens Creek and Beaverdam Creek. When water temperatures reach the low 60s (F), target bedding crappie around shallow shoreline cover. During the fall, concentrate on the mouths of the creeks and river channels and bridges.



Striped Bass - The striped bass population offers lower catch rates, however the average striped bass should be between 8 and 10 pounds, with many over the 10 pound mark.

Technique - Live bait, bucktail jigs, swim baits and jigging spoons are effective.

Target - During winter months, focus on the lower third of the reservoir and look for striped bass in deeper water following schools of baitfish. During summer, concentrate on the Lake - Hartwell tailrace and the Lake Russell Dam area.

Camping

The park’s campground and fully equipped cottages are located on or near the water’s edge for a relaxing getaway.



There are ........

20 Cottages
27 Tent, Trailer & RV Campsites 
3 Picnic Shelters 
1 Group Shelter seats 150
1 Event Room seats 80
Sand Beach — seasonal
Boat Ramps



Most park facilities are designed for wheelchair accessibility, including the swimming beach.



Lakeside Beaches

That's right a beach where you can swim without worrying about alligators this far north in Georgia.



For just a $5 parking fee, you can enjoy cooling off and picnicking all day at our sandy swimming beaches. For safety reasons, swimmers should always stay in roped-off areas. Or better yet, spend the night and enjoy a few days at the water’s edge. Check ahead for hours and seasonality.

Frisbee Golf

This park is known for its well-kept disc golf course, where Frisbee-style discs are thrown into metal baskets.



This sport is easy to learn and can be enjoyed by all ages. As a competitive game, disc golf was invented in a park. The objective is to throw a Frisbee-style disc into a metal basket called a “hole.”



The targets are arranged along a course, similar to holes in the game of golf.



The one who traverses the course and gets the disc into each basket with the fewest number of tosses wins.

Arrowhead Pointe Golf Course

For traditional golfers, the park’s 18-hole Arrowhead Pointe Golf Course offers a pro shop and annual passes.



Designed back in 2001 this Bob Walker designed masterpiece is nestled in the Northeast Georgia mountains. Located on Richard B. Russell State Park you don’t need to worry about any cars, houses, planes or other distractions. This championship 18-hole golf course is located inside the Georgia state park, with 10 of the 18 holes skirting the shoreline of Lake Richard B. Russell. While much of the water does not come in to play it can assure you both a challenge and some of the best views in the state. The elevation changes, doglegs and well placed bunkers will demand that you use every club in your bag. Our Tifeagle Bermuda greens may not look intimidating but the subtle breaks will make sure you are on your game to score.



Our newly renovated café and golf shop will be able to accommodate all of your off the course needs. With a variety of vendors including Titleist, Adidas, Ahead, Puma and Ashworth you will be sure to find something you can’t live without.



Our café offers a wide variety of made to order items including our local favorite “Bird Dog”. If you are bringing a bigger group, then don’t forget to reserve our Banquet Room for a little privacy to settle all bets and enjoy a home cooked buffet.

Lost Indian Sites

Several Indian sites were excavated near the park in 1980 before the lake was filled, indicating that Paleo-Indians lived in the area more than 10,000 years ago.



This area is now called Rucker’s Bottom and lies deep within the waters of Lake Richard B. Russell.



1996 Summer Olympics

Memorial for 1996 Olympic Training Facility at Richard B. Russell State Park, Elberton, GA.



The town of Elberton, Georgia and Elbert County contributed to the 1996 Summer Olympics by developing a facility to train at Lake Russell for athletes from Canada, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Japan, Moldavia, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden and the United States. Walter McNeely spear-headed the effort and was an Olympic Torchbearer in the 1996 Summer Olympics torch relay. A Pavilion at the Park is named in his memory.

Hiking

A nature trail follows the shoreline to one of the oldest steel pin bridges in the area, loops through the adjoining woods and returns to the beach.



Cottage Loop Trail

1.29-mile loop | Compacted Gravel Surface | Moderate | 2.25 hours.



This trail begins near cottage 1 and takes you along the connecting trail, then veers off to the left down a hill. This loop is hilly, crosses a steel bridge in the back of one cove and offers outstanding scenery along the lake’s banks across from the cottage area. At the connecting trail, turn right to return to the cottage area, go straight for a longer walk to the campground, or turn left to go to the beach.



Cottage/Beach Trail

1.55 miles | Compacted Gravel Surface | Easy | 1.5 hours



Connecting the cottage and beach areas of the park, the Cottage/Beach Trail is flat and runs close to the main road. The woods are a mixture of hardwoods and pines. This trail is 1.55 miles in length, offers potential wildlife, has a steel bridge near the main road and is open to bicycle and foot traffic.

Campground Spur

0.5 mile | Compacted Gravel Surface | Easy | Half-hour.



This trail is one of the two trails that begin or end above campsite #28 and goes to the connecting trail, making it easy to ride a bike or walk to the cottage area, cottage loop trail, or the trail to the beach.

Campground/Picnic Trail

0.5 mile | Compacted Gravel Surface | Easy | Half-hour.



This is the other trail that begins or ends above campsite #28 and is a more natural and hilly trail. It leads to the picnic area where it becomes asphalt all the way to the beach.

Blackwell Bridge Trail

1.6 miles | Rubberized Surface & Compacted Natural Soil | Easy to Moderate | 1.5 hours.



Near the rear of the beach parking lot you will find this well marked trail. The first section goes to the bridge and begins with an asphalt/rubberized surface that is wheelchair accessible. No bikes are allowed on this surface. The loop starts and ends at the bridge.



There is a sign to continue to the right where you follow the shoreline for half a mile. From an old road bed near a group shelter you will continue to the big steel bridge with a nice view of the lake on Vans Creek. This ends the easy portion of the trail.



Continuing over the bridge and along the old road, the trail takes you back around a cove and up a hill and back down to the first little bridge where the loop began. Along this trail are old and young forests with more wildlife as you get further into the woods.

All Trail Reviews

Nice collection of shorter trails, some of which can be hiked independently. Mostly gradual elevation changes. Well-maintained trails. Blackwell Bridge Trail is the park's best trail due to the bridge and the Lake Russell views. This park feels very remote, but it is only 30 minutes from Anderson and 60 minutes from Athens. I come here often, and I enjoy it every time.



Nice forest. Good variety of scenery. Old bridges. Enjoyable except the part along the golf cart path and road. Oh, and the guy's dog that almost thrashed me (luckily leashed).



A nice short walk to a cool bridge. It’s only a mile there and back on a rubber trail, but the nearby water and beach is nice.



The trail is gravel. It is well maintained. The Cottage loop especially is beautiful with its view of the lake. The hickories, maples, and beech trees are at their peek fall colors right now, and they give the trail so much value to hikers. Trails are marked well also. Definitely worth the hike!



This trail followed most of the shoreline to a building overlooking the bridge. I then walked to the bridge and could see that the rest of the trail was a worn path through the woods. After checking out the bridge and letting my dogs swim, we got back in my car and I drove around to check out the rest of the park.



Mountain Biking

#389 of 397 mountain bike trails in Georgia.



The Muddy Spokes Club challenges mountain bikers and casual cyclists to tackle Georgia State Park bike trails. The club is designed to get Georgians outside and moving, encouraging them to think of state parks as places to exercise while enjoying beautiful scenery.



Members Brag All The Time With An Exclusive Club Shirt.



Join the club by purchasing Muddy Spokes Club membership online and we’ll mail you your own club shirt that to wear while you ride. You can keep track of your accomplishments using the checklist below. No time limit applies, so riders can take as long as they wish to complete the requirements. Ride 12 of the 18 participating parks below to earn your bragging-rights and a certificate of completion.

Richard B. Russell Dam and Lake



Richard B. Russell Lake (known to locals as simply "Lake Russell") is a reservoir created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by construction of Richard B. Russell Dam on the Savannah River bordering Elbert County, Georgia and Abbeville and Anderson counties in South Carolina. The lake impounds primarily the Savannah River but also includes Beaverdam Creek on the Georgia side and Rocky River on the South Carolina side. Filling of the lake began in October 1983, and was completed in December 1984 for a full pool elevation of 475 feet. Lake levels do not change much because the lake is designed to operate within 5 feet of full pool compared to Hartwell and Thurmond, whose 35 feet and 18 feet of conservation storage respectively causes their levels to change more dramatically. This causes the lake to always look full.



Named for U.S. Senator Richard Brevard Russell, Jr., the lake consists of 26,650 acres of water and 540 miles of shoreline. Now we did tangents on Richard Russell with

GNW #27 the Richard Russell Highway.

GNW #204 (Part 2) Barrow County, Family home and grave.

Unlike its neighbors Lake Hartwell to the north and Clark Hill Lake to the south, federal regulations prohibit private use of the public lands surrounding Lake Russell.


No docks or cabins visible.

Archaeology

The area flooded by the lake covered several areas of archaeological significance. There was a significant effort to explore and excavate these sites before filling the lake. Sites include Millwood Plantation, Fort Independence and a Native American village and mound. The lake also covered the historic Georgia-Carolina Memorial Bridge which was not demolished but remains intact beneath the lake.


Savannah River Memorial Bridge Dedication Postcard

This bridge which once spanned the Savannah river and connected Calhoun Falls, South Carolina with Elberton, Georgia, is now under the waters of Lake Russell. Prior to the bridge, the only way to cross the Savannah from either city was by ferry.

Recreation

Since it was constructed after 1974, the Corps of Engineers prohibits exclusive private use of the lake's shoreline. As a result, the shoreline of the lake is almost completely undeveloped with the exception of some state parks and day-use areas.



The Corps owns a 300-foot buffer zone all the way around the 540 miles of shoreline to mitigate the loss of habitat due to the creation of the lake. The natural shoreline creates a strikingly different feel and look to the lake when compared to Clark Hill and Hartwell which have highly developed shorelines.

Project

Welcome to Richard B. Russell Lake and Dam Project, the most recent multi-purpose water resource development built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District. Due to Federal Laws that prohibit private exclusive use of public lands surrounding the lake, the area remains strikingly beautiful and picturesque. Many visitors express their appreciation with the Corps for maintaining the aesthetic qualities of the lake and shoreline - a unique experience for most outdoor enthusiasts in the area. With its undeveloped shorelines, Russell Lake provides an outdoor experience that goes beyond just fishing - visitors enjoy the beautiful scenery as well as the abundant wildlife.



Please stop by our Visitor Center located in the Operations Manager's Office approximately 4 miles south of Georgia State Highway 72 just off the Bobby Brown State Park Road. Here you can receive local information and purchase Annual Parking Passes. We also have a variety of brochures and pamphlets that will assist you during your visit to the Richard B. Russell Lake and Dam Project.



Visitor Center and office hours are 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Visitor Center will close on weekends for the winter beginning the first Saturday in October and reopen the third Saturday in March. Summer weekend hours are 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.



"Ole Dan Tucker was a grand ole man; He washed his face in a fryin' pan; Combed his hair with a wagon wheel; Died with a tooth ache in his heel!" During the 1700's, this famous folk song was sung by slaves in praise of the Reverend Dan Tucker.



He was an early settler of the area and is buried on the Richard B. Russell project.

OK, I present some images of Lake Gals for my GNW Gals today.