Reed Bingham

Reed Bingham SP https://gastateparks.org/ReedBingham https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Bingham_State_Park Reed Bingham State Park is located in Colquitt County and Cook County, Georgia, 5 miles east of Ellenton. The park surrounds a 375 acre (1.52 km²) lake that is a tourist attraction in southern Georgia. Inside the park, visitors can hike the 3.5 mile (5.6 km) long Coastal Plains Nature Trail, which goes through a baldcypress swamp, a pitcher plant bog, and sandhill area. The park also contains many animals, including the threatened gopher tortoise and the indigo snake. In addition, the park offers camping and fishing with special ponds for kids that are only open on specific dates.

Reed Bingham State Park Trail Map 0 R ROU NDT REE BRI DGE 0.5 Mile ROA D R Litt le R il Tra ne c S he Bi S PA K PA B O U RK N D Y DA RY Trail UN ng BO R rli A Ye a S R S Ye arl in PA R K B O U N D A RY rd Red Roberts Loop to r r EVERG REEN CHURC D H ROA Trail Rest Stations Pioneer Camping Playground Beach Pavilion Swimming Fishing Pier Boat Ramp Wildlife Viewing Area Dump Station RV and Tent Camping Miniature Golf Biking Stage Restrooms Picnic Area Picnic Shelter Group Shelter Staff Residence Parking Park Office Paved Road Gopher Tortoise Management Area Longleaf Pine Restoration Area Bridge to Island Kayak/Canoe Water Trail Red Roberts Loop Yearling Trail Gopher Tortoise Bike Loop Upland ConnectorTrail Pitcher Plant Path Turkey Oak Trail The Birdwalk Trail Little River Trail LEGEND il T Upl and Con iver Tu ak R S a Tr S rke yO a il PA R K B O U N D A RY Gopher Tortoise Loop 5 - 6 Miles ADEL & I-7 AY 3 7 GA HIGHW REED BINGHAM ROAD l Tra i lk wa g ARY Y 37 PA R K B O U N D A RY PA R K B OUND 0.25 GA HIGH WA M O U LT R I E 14 Miles T 542 Reed Bingham Road, Adel, GA 31620 • Park: 229-896-3551 • Emergency: 911 • Reservations: 1-800-864-7275 • GeorgiaStateParks.org PA R K B O U N D A RY Safety Tips & Etiquette Coastal Plain Nature Trails • Tell someone your itinerary and expected return time. Little River Trail • Be prepared for unexpected weather changes by dressing in layers and carrying rain gear. (multi-use | 1.1 miles length | walking & biking | partial accessibility | natural surface | softness, distance, obstacles) Visitors to this scenic 1,613-acre park will see an abundance of wildlife and plantlife, particularly gopher tortoises and “buzzards.” During winter, thousands of these large birds, which are actually black vultures and turkey vultures, roost in the trees and soar overhead. Throughout the year, large gopher tortoises may be seen digging large dens in the sandy soil. Alligators, herons, egrets, eagles and many other species also live in this protected park. A 375-acre lake is popular with boaters and skiers, and fishing for bass, crappie, catfish and bream is excellent. Facilities include a campground, picnic shelters, playground, swimming beach, hiking trails and fishing docks. These Forests Were Once Dominated by Longleaf Pine South Georgia and most of the southeastern coastal plain from Virginia to Texas were once dominated by Longleaf Pine and a grassy understory. It was home to gopher tortoise, red-cockaded woodpeckers and many other species. This rich plant and animal community, which scientists refer to as the Longleaf Pine/wiregrass ecosystem, is known to be one of the most diverse natural communities in the world. It is estimated that less than 3% of this once vast ecosystem still remains. As a result more than 30 plant and animal species associated with the Longleaf Pine ecosystem are considered threatened and endangered. Reed Bingham State Park is restoring the Longleaf Pine to its rightful place. Returning a landscape to the state it was in before people intervened is a new and largely experimental field of science. It took Mother Nature many years to create complex natural communities of plants and animals. We humans have unraveled these intricate and finely woven tapestries in haste and are now scrambling to put them back together. When this site became a park in 1965 a few Longleaf Pines remained but much of the land had been cleared for agriculture. In 2005-2006 Reed Bingham State Park became part of a major conservation effort to restore Longleaf Pine in the southeastern United States. Fire is a Natural Part of the Landscape Before people changed the landscape, lighteningcaused fires were allowed to sweep across large expanses of land with nothing to stop them. These natural fires were essential for the continued success of the longleaf/wiregrass ecosystem. The flames prevented less fire-tolerant species like oaks from growing and competing with the Longleaf Pine and wiregrass. Longleaf Pines have thicker bark than other pines and are more resisant to fire. Today, Reed Bingham State Park carefully plans “prescribed burns” to maintain a healthy ecosystem. • Take a map, water, snacks, first aid kit, flashlight and whistle. Three short blasts on a whistle are known as a call for help. This 1.1-mile trail introduces you to a River Swamp. Periodically flooded by the Little River, these bottomlands contain plants such as bald cypress, tupelos and spruce pine, that have adapted to wet conditions. This area is the interface between higher and drier uplands and the aquatic river environment. There are extensive boardwalks and two observation points overlooking the river. Look for river otters, spotted turtles and deer. • Do not stray from trails. If you become lost, stay in one location and wait for help. This will make it easier for rescuers to find you. • Don’t count on

2020 2020 Follow us and share your adventures. #GaStateParks GaStateParks.org Choose Your Own Adventure From mountains to lakes, and from salt marsh to streams, Georgia has dozens of places for you to kick back in the great outdoors. Tennessee North Carolina DADE Cloudland Canyon MURRAY WHITFIELD UNION Chief Vann House Fort GILMER Mountain 75 WALKER Resaca Battlefield CHATTOOGA Vogel Hardman Farm Smithgall Woods WHITE LUMPKIN New Echota Amicalola Falls DAWSON GORDON PICKENS Hike Inn James H. Floyd BARTOW 575 85 MADISON JACKSON BARROW 285 ATLANTA FULTON CLAYTON CARROLL Panola Mountain FAYETTE 20 Robert Toombs House Mistletoe TALIAGREENE FERRO COLUMBIA A.H. Stephens MORGAN 20 WARREN 75 JASPER BUTTS PIKE LAMAR UPSON 475 HARRIS CRAWFORD PEACH JEFFERSON BURKE Magnolia Springs MACON BIBB GriswoldvilleWILKINSON 75 Battlefield Ball’s Ferry TWIGGS TALBOT TAYLOR Hamburg JENKINS SCREVEN JOHNSON EMANUEL 0-150 16 WARNER ROBINS George L. Smith HOUSTON COLUMBUS LAURENS BLECKLEY CANDLER BULLOCH TREUTLEN MACON EFFINGHAM MARION CHATTAHOOCHEE MONTGOMERY SCHLEY PULASKI Florence Marina STEWART Providence Canyon Georgia Veterans SAM Shortline Excursion Train RANDOLPH Little Ocmulgee Gordonia-Alatamaha JEFF DAVIS BEN HILL ALBANY CALHOUN DOUGHERTY Kolomoki Mounds Flint RiverQuarium Jefferson DavisIRWIN APPLING GeneralBACON Coffee COFFEE WAYNE BAKER ATKINSON BERRIEN MITCHELL Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation BRANTLEY COLQUITT WARE COOK MILLER MCINTOSH Reynolds Mansion on Sapelo Island Fort King George GLYNN PIERCE EARLY Reed Bingham Laura S. Walker LANIER 95 CLINCH DECATUR Seminole Lapham-Patterson House GRADY 75 BROOKS CHARLETON LOWNDES Stephen C. Foster VALDOSTA THOMAS ECHOLS Florida GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES | 2020 Fort Morris LONG 95 TIFT WORTH CHATHAM Wormsloe Skidaway Island LIBERTY Fort McAllister TATTNALL TURNER George T. Bagby CLAY 75 LEE TERRELL SAVANNAH BRYAN TELFAIR WILCOX CRISP Fort Jackson EVANS TOOMBS SUMTER WEBSTER 16 WHEELER DODGE DOOLY QUITMAN SEMINOLE 4,500+ WASHINGTON 185 MUSCOGEE GLASCOCK JONES MONROE F.D. Roosevelt HANCOCK High Falls Jarrell BALDWIN Dames Plantation Ferry PARTNER ATTRACTION AUGUSTA 520 RICHMOND Elevation (Feet) Roosevelt’s Little White House GOLF COURSE HISTORIC AREA MCDUFFIE PUTNAM Indian Springs SPALDING PARK & LODGE HISTORIC SITE LINCOLN WILKES HENRY COWETA MERIWETHER OGLETHORPE Hard Labor Creek NEWTON 85 TROUP PARK Elijah Clark a lin ro Ca uth So ama Alab Chattahoochee Bend HEARD ROCKDALE 675 285 Watson Mill Bridge OCONEE WALTON DEKALB Sweetwater Creek ELBERT Fort Yargo ATHENS GWINNETT HARALSON Richard B. Russell 985 CLARKE Pickett's Mill Battlefield PAULDING 20 HART Victoria Bryant HALL COBB POLK Hart Don Carter GAINESVILLE Red Top Mountain Allatoona Pass Battlefield FULTON Etowah Indian Mounds Tugaloo FRANKLIN BANKS CHEROKEE 75 Traveler’s Rest HABERSHAM Dahlonega Gold Museum (5-mile hike from the park) Rocky Mountain FLOYD Black Rock Mountain TOWNS MoccasinRABUN Creek Tallulah Gorge Unicoi FANNIN CATOOSA Atlan tic O cean 59 CAMDEN Suwannee River Eco-Lodge (located 18 miles from the park) GaStateParks.org 1-800-864-7275 (PARK) #GaStateParks #See_Them_All Crooked River Family bonding? We’ve got you. In Sandy Springs, family vacations are a walk in the park—and our parks are exceptional. Enjoy the wooded scenery year-round, order an aquatic adventure right from the menu, or explore our unique playgrounds to make the most of your quality time together. visitsandysprings.org PLAY OUTSIDE ATLANTA. 2020 Guide to Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites High Falls Table of Contents Accommodations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14–15 Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 11, 13 Advertiser Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Chart of Accommodations & Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–7 2020 Guide to Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites Group Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 is published by: Historic Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 42–45 Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2600 Hwy. 155 SW Stockbridge, GA 30281 770-389-7286 State Parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27–41 Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites are operated by the Department of Natural Resources. If you need this in an alternate format, contact the DNR. Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites accept no responsibility for errors of fact or omissi