Morganton Point Doesn't Close for Winter. Here's What Actually Changes.
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
Morganton Point Recreation Area stays open all year. The U.S. Forest Service lists its season as "Yearlong," and FIND Outdoors runs the site with the Forest Service. FIND describes it as open year-round, with limited services from November to early April. So the gate at 475 Lake Drive doesn't lock when the campers leave. The weekend kayak line thins out and the shoreline gets quieter. The fee structure also starts to work in favor of anyone close enough to come back often.
That last point carries the post. Morganton Point charges by the person and by the visit. A one-time visitor pays that toll once. Someone who lives a few miles away will want to compare it with the one flat price on the same fee table.
If you've only reached the lake from the marina side, the route is simple. Take U.S. Highway 515 north from Blue Ridge for 4 miles to Georgia Highway 60. Turn right and continue 3 miles into Morganton, then turn right on County Road 616, which is Lake Drive, and go 1 mile. The campground entrance is the first left after the Morganton Point sign. The beach, boat ramp and The Point sit in the day-use area.
That's about 8 miles from downtown Blue Ridge, close enough for a quick evening paddle or a short walk on a weeknight.
Day use costs $5 per person. Visitors 15 and under get in free. Launching a boat and trailer costs another $5. FIND's season pass costs $50 and covers up to four people, or $25 for up to four if you hold a qualifying America the Beautiful pass. The Forest Service page describes this as a FIND annual pass covering swimming, day-use areas and boat launches at concession areas, and it lists the campground's phone number for details.
The arithmetic shows how fast a regular visitor comes out ahead:
| Who's going | Gate cost per visit | Visits to cover the $50 pass |
|---|---|---|
| One adult | $5 | 10 |
| Two adults | $10 | 5 |
| Two adults launching a boat | $15 | 4, rounding up |
| Four adults | $20 | 3, rounding up |
A couple who walks the shoreline twice a month through fall and winter passes the break-even point before the end of the year. Someone who launches a boat there about once a month gets there sooner. The table also shows a quirk. Since visitors 15 and under get in free, a household with two adults and two younger children pays the same $10 at the gate as two adults alone.
The America the Beautiful discounts matter here too. FIND honors the Access Pass, the annual and lifetime Military Pass, the annual and lifetime Senior Pass, and the older Golden Age and Golden Access passports. With one of those, day use drops to $2.50 per person and the season pass to $25. Season passes are sold on FIND's website.
The pass covers the gate. It doesn't promise that everything behind the gate will be running.
The Point is the concession at the beach and boat ramp. It sells snacks and souvenirs and rents kayaks and paddleboards, and FIND marks it "Open seasonally." Its posted retail and rental hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Mondays, and kayaks are first come, first served. FIND hasn't published a closing date for the season. Its winter note says only that services are limited from November to early April and doesn't list which ones.
Posted hours don't agree either. FIND lists day use as 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Forest Service, in a page published Aug. 6, 2026, says the area is open 24 hours a day, with quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Those can both be true if one describes the day-use area and the other describes the campground. Before a late-afternoon visit in November, a quick call to the campground at 706-374-1645 settles it.
If The Point is still renting on a mild October weekend, rates start at $30 for a single kayak or a stand-up paddleboard for a three-hour half day. A double kayak is $45. Full days, six hours, run $50 for a single kayak and $80 for a double. FIND also rents a boat it calls "The Beast," which holds up to six people, for $250 a half day or $400 a full day.
On Aug. 6, FIND Outdoors told visitors not to swim or wade at Morganton Point. A routine water test had found conditions above Georgia Environmental Protection Division standards, which the notice said were likely caused by recent heavy rains. Camping, picnicking, boat launching and other recreation stayed open, and the Forest Service kept testing with the EPD and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The advisory didn't last long. A week later, Diogo DeAssis, FIND Outdoors' director of communications and marketing, gave the update:
"Follow-up testing has confirmed that the water is back within safe water quality standards."
He spoke on Thursday, Aug. 13, and The News Observer reported the lift on Aug. 19.
That week matters for the off-season because it showed the usual path for site news. It went from FIND's notice to The News Observer, with FIND's site page named as the place to check. FIND's page also points visitors to the Morganton Point Campground Facebook page for weather interruptions, hours, events and programs. In winter, a reduced schedule or a weather closure will most likely show up in those places first:
The last dated event FIND lists at Morganton Point this fall is Trick or Treat on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, from 5 to 9 p.m. Campers and non-campers are both welcome, and there's no check-in.
The schedule has two parts. The pumpkin-carving contest runs during the day. It's BYOP, short for bring your own pumpkin, and entries go to the campground office by 5 p.m. for judging, with prizes for the winners. Trick-or-treating through the campground runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Non-campers can come in through the main campground gate or walk the campground trail from the day-use parking area. FIND asks campers who decorate their sites to skip the nails on trees.
If you're coming from the day-use side, the trail is the easier way in. The fee table notes that the walking trail connects the campground to the day-use area.
Once the Halloween crowd is gone, the reasons to come out are mostly the lake itself. The Forest Service describes a day-use trail that runs along the lakeshore, without giving it a name or a distance. Anglers fish the 3,290-acre lake for bass and other species. The Forest Service sends visitors to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for Lake Blue Ridge fishing rules and requires a Georgia fishing license and valid boat registration.
The same rules apply all year. Dogs must stay leashed, and alcohol isn't allowed in the campground or the day-use areas. The small picnic pavilion rents for $40. On a cold, clear Saturday, that's an inexpensive place to bring visiting family to the water without a dock of your own.
The $50 pass, the year-round gate, the boat ramp and the shoreline trail all stay in place through the months when The Point may be closed. From November to early April, Morganton Point is still an open public access point to Lake Blue Ridge, and someone nearby with a season pass can use it as often as they like at no extra cost.
Being within an easy drive of a year-round public launch like Morganton Point is one of those day-to-day details that rarely shows up in a listing. If you'd like to know how a particular street or cove sits relative to it, Kim Knutzen knows this side of the lake well. Let me be your guide. Start your Blue Ridge search.
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