On May 20, 2026, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reopened Ridge Road Campground on J. Strom Thurmond Lake. The Corps called it the last damaged campground to be restored since Hurricane Helene hit in September 2024. Less than four months later, on September 13, the 2026 camping season ended. Ridge Road's gate is now closed again until April 1, 2027.
That closure is on schedule. It does show the order of the recovery, though. The Corps put the summer half of the lake back first: the campgrounds, with their hookups and reservation calendars. Day-use areas and the lakeside hiking trail came second, and in May the Corps still listed them as works in progress. Those are the parts of Clarks Hill that stay usable from November through March, when the big lake past Appling is mostly ramps, a pier, a few picnic tables and a long walk in the woods.
The Recovery the Corps Called Finished
The cleanup was a big job. A USACE account published in June 2026 says crews hauled 242,645.5 cubic yards of Helene debris out of Thurmond's recreation areas by September 18, 2025. That total combined the Corps' own crews with contracted removal, and the contracted share ran under a task order issued to AshBritt Inc. It was paid for through roughly $32 million in Federal Highway Administration emergency relief funding that the Thurmond project requested and received.
Debris removal cleared the way. After that, the Corps' O&M contractor team repaired campgrounds one at a time through spring 2026, ending with Ridge Road's 69 sites. When it reopened, park operations manager Chrissy Alford spelled out what was left. The Corps' May 14 release quotes her:
"We appreciate the public's continued patience and cooperation as maintenance and repairs continue as we restore the three remaining day use areas and the Bartram Trail."
So the facilities that open seasonally were finished first, and the year-round facilities were still in progress. A family with a camper got its lake back by Memorial Day 2026. Anyone who wants a picnic table and a trailhead on a 55-degree Saturday in January is relying on the unfinished half.
The Georgia Side, Site by Site, This Winter
The Corps' camping and day-use pages show the off-season. Here is the Georgia side, plus the dam's visitor center:
| Site | Status this winter | Next change |
|---|---|---|
| Petersburg Campground | Sites 1 through 27 open; the rest closed | Fully reopens April 1, 2027 |
| Ridge Road Campground | Closed | Reopens April 1, 2027 |
| Winfield Campground | Closed | Reopens April 1, 2027 |
| Bussey Point | Closed for roadwork | Roadwork listed through Nov. 30, 2026 |
| Lake Springs | Deer Run picnic area, boat ramp and fishing pier open year-round; Mallard Point, Pine Point, Centre Point and River Birch closed | No date posted for the closed sections |
| West Dam day-use area | Closed | Opens April 1, 2027 |
| Amity, Lincoln County | Ramp and fishing pier open year-round; day-use area closed | No date posted |
| Gill Point, Lincoln County | Ramp open year-round | Day-use area opens May 1, 2027 |
| Thurmond Visitor Center, SC side of the dam | Open daily, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day |
Read the closed day-use sections against Alford's May quote. Amity's day-use area is still closed. Lake Springs has four named sections still closed. Gill Point's day-use area isn't scheduled until next May. Those are the parts with "no date posted," and they sit in the same category the Corps said was still under repair. The Corps' day-use page is the place to check before a trip, since it's the page that changes when a section reopens.
Bussey Point is a separate case. A Corps seasonal closures notice from September 2024 described it as open year-round. The current camping page lists it as temporarily closed for roadwork through November 30, 2026, and the newer listing replaces the older one.
Lake Springs Is the Year-Round Door on the Columbia County Side
Of the two Corps day-use areas in Columbia County, West Dam is closed until spring. That leaves Lake Springs. Its Deer Run picnic area, boat ramp and fishing pier are listed as open year-round. The Corps' day-use overview lists a $7 per-vehicle area use fee at Lake Springs. Every vehicle entering pays it, whatever you came to do. The same fee applies at Amity, West Dam and Gill Point on the Georgia side. The Corps also runs an annual day-use pass, and the same page links to how to buy one.
Lake Springs is also a door to the Bartram Trail. This is the 27-mile Corps hiking trail along the Columbia County shoreline, a different place from the Evans neighborhood with the same name. The Corps lists West Dam, Lake Springs and Petersburg as trail parking areas and describes a Lake Springs spur with its own colored blazes. This winter, West Dam parking sits inside a closed day-use area. Petersburg is down to its first 27 campsites. That makes Lake Springs the trail access point with the fewest seasonal limits on paper.
The trail itself is still the open question. In May the Corps listed the Bartram Trail beside the unfinished day-use areas. Its trails page asks hikers to call 864-333-1129 for current conditions before they go. On a trail this long, a quick call can save you from driving out and finding your planned stretch blocked.
Wildwood Park Runs on County Rules
Wildwood Park is Columbia County's own park on the lake, and the Corps' seasonal calendar doesn't govern it. Columbia County's facility page lists 61 campsites, a six-lane boat ramp and three championship disc golf courses. The county's fees are lower than the Corps':
- Daily vehicle entry: $3
- Daily entry with a boat or watercraft: $6
- Annual pass: $30
- Campsites: $25 a night regular, $15 a night primitive
Compared with the Corps' $7 per-vehicle fee at Lake Springs, a county annual pass costs about as much as four or five Corps day visits. For someone who launches a boat often, that adds up quickly.
The disc golf side needs a quick check before a trip. The PDGA's page for the International Disc Golf Center at Wildwood Park says the center is closed until further notice because of Hurricane Helene storm damage and cleanup. The notice carries no date and covers the center, not the whole county park. Before you load the bag, call the county or check its page to see where things stand now.
The lake is still busy with anglers. Major League Fishing reported on October 19, 2026 that a three-day Phoenix Bass Fishing League regional on Clarks Hill, hosted by Columbia County, had just wrapped up. A regional held in mid-October means the boat ramps carry the lake into the off-season, while the picnic shelters close for it.
The Dates Between Now and April
Mistletoe State Park sits farther up the Georgia shore, and Georgia State Parks runs it rather than the Corps. It has the most going on in the coming days. The state parks calendar lists three events at Mistletoe on Saturday, October 31, 2026: Fall Bash, Kids Autumn Fest and Halloween Glow. The park has three boat ramps, 93 tent, trailer and RV campsites, some of them seasonal, and a seasonal sand beach.
Seventeen days later, Mistletoe's park page lists a closure on November 17 and 18 for a managed deer quota hunt. The notice doesn't print a year, so look at the page again before planning a mid-November visit around it.
After that, the remaining dates fall on the Corps' side. Bussey Point's roadwork is listed through November 30. The visitor center at the dam closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day and stays open the other days of the season from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The next big batch of reopenings arrives April 1, 2027, when Ridge Road, Winfield, the rest of Petersburg and the West Dam day-use area all come back on the same day. Closer to home, our Reed Creek Nature Park update covers another Helene-era closure that reopened sooner than many people realize, and our Riverwood Plantation neighborhood page lists the outdoor spots inside the community.
If you're planning a spring listing in Riverwood Plantation and want your marketing to go live the week Clarks Hill's campgrounds reopen on April 1, the Fairey Team can put together a free home marketing plan for you. Sell smarter and give back.
