Rutledge, GA
Hard Labor Creek is one of the larger state parks in Georgia and I found it a bit confusing to navigate as it is quite spread out in order to accommodate a golf course, two lakes formed by two different dams, multiple cabin sites, trails for hiking, bikes, and horses, and more. While Lake Brantley is the focus for the walking trails, the large Lake Rutledge is the one where you can paddle, swim at the beach, or fish from shore. (I saw many more people doing that than I’m used to at other state park lakes so perhaps its particularly good fishing there?)
Kayaking on Lake Rutledge (274 acres)
For my paddling trip at this state park, I was out on Lake Rutledge which is the only that you’re allowed to go out on. It was a fairly pleasant paddle though I would say I wasn’t struck by anything hugely distinguishing about the area during my time out though there were a few low lying cut-throughs that formed a bit of an ‘island’. The most interesting feature was probably the spillway at the dam on the far end which is calm enough that there was a couple who had parked their kayak on it and got out in the water.
