Lake Lanier Parks to Reopen Before Independence Day Weekend

ATLANTA, Ga. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced that all but two of the 66 parks on Lake Lanier will reopen in time for the Independence Day holiday weekend, with six parks set to open by Friday. This follows initial plans to close 20 parks indefinitely due to staffing shortages.

The Corps had made the decision to close the parks just before Memorial Day but has since received significant pushback from the public. Tim Rainey, the Lake Lanier Project Manager, expressed gratitude toward Forsyth and Hall counties for their support in reopening the parks. ‘We share a common goal of providing quality recreational opportunities to the public, and this partnership makes that possible,’ he said in a news release.

Lakeside officials had arranged for county employees to serve as rangers in exchange for revenue generated from fees. The parks reopening include Keith’s Bridge, Long Hollow, Two Mile Creek, Little River, Robinson, and Mountain View. The agreements that facilitated this collaborate management were signed recently, with Forsyth County managing three parks and Hall County overseeing the other three.

Burton Mill Park will also open but only from July 4 to 7. Conversely, the highly frequented Van Pugh North and Van Pugh South parks will remain closed over the holiday weekend.

Travis England, an Army Corps spokesperson, indicated that they expect large crowds at the parks due to the warm weather forecast. ‘The lake’s going to be extremely packed all weekend long,’ he said.

Some local officials believe that the community just wants access to park amenities, regardless of which agency manages them. Forsyth County spokesperson Russell Brown remarked, ‘The more areas they have to do that in a public space, the better for everybody to have a better experience.’

Efforts to reopen the parks were aided by local leaders, including U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick and state Sen. Greg Dolezal, who brokered the agreements to ensure parks would be open by the Fourth of July.

‘It has been a tremendous example of how various agencies can work together for the betterment of our community,’ said Tony Tarnacki, Assistant Forsyth County Manager.