The closest campground to Madison with tent camping is at Hard Labor Creek State Park (gastateparks.org), 13 miles west of town. You'll be sharing this campground with RVers. Most of the sites have electric hookups. Hard Labor Creek is known for its challenging and affordable 18-hole golf course. Other activities include swimming at the beach on the park's lake and hiking and horseback riding on 24 miles of trails. Campground reservations must be made through Reserve America (reserveamerica.com) or by calling 800-864-7275.
A few miles east of Madison you'll find Lake Oconee, one of the largest lakes in the state and a popular recreation destination. The lake was built by the Georgia Power Company, which maintains a few campgrounds on its shores. The closest one to Madison is 21 miles away at Parks Ferry Public Recreation Area (no website; 1491 Parks Mill Road, Greensboro; 706-453-4308). This campground is a good option if you want to be on or near the water, because it has a swimming beach and a public boat ramp. Though the recreation area sees a lot of day visitors, mainly bass fishing anglers, you may feel like you have the place to yourself when the sun goes down.
North of Lake Oconee, along the south bank of the Oconee River that feeds into it, is the National Forest Service's Oconee River Campground (fs.usda.gov). This tiny, heavily-wooded campground has no on-site staff, water or electricity and operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Campers pay a small camping fee by placing cash inside an envelope provided at the fee station and depositing it in a drop box. Each campsite has a grill, picnic table and tent pad. To find this campground, take Highway 15 north from Greensboro at the intersection with U.S. 278 and drive approximately 12 miles. The turnoff is on the right, marked by a sign.
Madison is close to a large national forest area where primitive camping is allowed in certain areas for no charge. The Oconee National Forest takes up huge tracts of land, mostly east of Madison around Greensboro and Lake Oconee. The forest service refers to primitive camping as "dispersed camping," to distinguish it from developed campgrounds. For safety reasons, it's important that you know about local conditions before attempting this type of camping so you're aware of things like hunting seasons, controlled burns and protected wildlife areas. Contact the Oconee Ranger District office at 706-485-7110 for more info on primitive camping on forest lands in the area.
