Bear Creek Marina’s campground does not close for winter. Winter RV camping at Jackson Lake is a real option here, not a workaround: the RV and camper sites along the shoreline keep their water, sewer, and electric hookups running through the cold months, and both short-term and long-term stays are still bookable by calling (770) 787-9621.
There is no posted office-hours sign to check, since booking a site at the marina’s campground runs by reservation and phone rather than a walk-up counter. For most of the drive-in crowd from Covington, McDonough, Conyers, and Monticello, the real question is not whether the campground is open. It is what camping here actually feels like once the leaves are down and the lake quiets down for the season.
The short version: milder than most people expect, genuinely quiet, and a different trip than the marina’s busy spring and summer stretch. Here is what to plan for, from how cold it actually gets to what a 30-amp or 50-amp site needs when a hard freeze rolls through.
- How Cold Does It Get at Jackson Lake in Winter?
- Will My Hookups Work When It Freezes?
- What to Pack for Winter RV Camping at Jackson Lake
- Is Winter a Good Time to Fish or Launch a Boat?
- What Else Is Open During the Off-Season?
- FAQ: Winter Camping at Bear Creek Marina
A winter site at the lake tends to draw a different crowd than a July weekend. Some are full-time RVers working their way south for the season who stop for a week or two rather than driving straight through to Florida. Bear Creek sits about an hour southeast of Atlanta, close enough for a weekend trip without eating up a full day of driving each way.
Some visitors are local families from the Mansfield and Monticello area who want a weekend away without a long drive. And some are simply boat owners already storing a boat or RV at the marina who decide to bring the camper down for a few quiet nights on the water. None of those trips need anything special beyond what this guide covers.
How cold does it get at Jackson Lake in winter?
The National Weather Service’s 30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the nearest major weather station to the lake, put January’s average high at 53.6°F and its average low at 35.4°F. Zoom in closer to the marina and the picture barely changes: the climate-tracking site usclimatedata.com lists Monticello, the Jasper County seat a short drive from Bear Creek, at a January average high of 56°F and an average low of 28°F.
Both sources agree on the shape of a middle-Georgia winter: daytime highs that often climb back into the 50s, nights that regularly dip below freezing, and short hard freezes rather than weeks of sustained cold. The table below lines up both readings side by side.
| Source | January average high | January average low |
|---|---|---|
| NOAA / National Weather Service, Atlanta (1991-2020 normals) | 53.6°F | 35.4°F |
| usclimatedata.com, Monticello, GA | 56°F | 28°F |
Snow is rare and usually brief. NOAA’s long-term climate records for the Atlanta area show this part of Georgia averages only about 2 to 3 inches of snow a year, and plenty of winters pass with none at all that sticks on the ground. A dusting that melts by afternoon is a far more common sight at Jackson Lake than an actual snow day.
That is not a Minnesota winter. Most nights at Jackson Lake, an RV with working hookups is perfectly comfortable. The nights that matter for planning are the handful each season when the temperature drops well below freezing and stays there into the morning.
Will my water, sewer, and electric hookups work when it freezes?
Bear Creek’s RV and camper sites keep their water, sewer, and electric hookups connected year-round. That already puts the campground ahead of plenty of Georgia parks that shut off water lines for the season, since a cut-off water hookup is one of the most common reasons a winter RV trip gets rerouted or cancelled elsewhere. The trade-off is that protecting that water from freezing during a hard snap sits with the rig, not the campground, the same as it does at any full-hookup site anywhere in the country.
RV manufacturers and campground guides generally put the freeze-risk line at around 32°F overnight, the point where water sitting still in an exposed hose or an unheated underbelly can start to freeze. A heated water hose, a short length of foam pipe insulation, and disconnecting the hose to drain it on the coldest nights handle most of what a middle-Georgia cold snap throws at a rig. On the handful of nights each winter when the forecast calls for a hard freeze, three steps cover most of what a full-hookup rig needs:
- Disconnect the fresh-water hose from the spigot and drain it, or wrap it in a heated hose if it has to stay connected overnight
- Close any underbelly vents or skirting panels the rig has, so the furnace’s warm air stays closer to the tanks and plumbing
- Leave a cabinet door open under a sink that backs onto an exterior wall, so the RV’s own heat can reach the pipes behind it
None of that is specific to Bear Creek; it is standard winter camping practice at any full-hookup site that does not sit in a warm-climate state year-round. The 30-amp and 50-amp electric service at every site stays the same whether it is January or July, which matters more in winter, since a space heater and a furnace both draw real power.
What to pack for winter RV camping at Jackson Lake
A few items earn their space for a winter stay at the lake that would not make the list in July. None of this is unique to Bear Creek, but it is the short list that actually matters once the temperature starts dropping into the 30s at night:
- A heated water hose, or at minimum foam insulation for the stretch of hose between the spigot and the rig
- An extra propane tank or a full one, since furnace use climbs fast once nights drop into the 30s
- A small space heater rated for safe RV use, for mornings when the furnace alone is not keeping up
- Layered bedding and a few extra blankets rather than relying on the furnace to run all night
- A flashlight and a charged phone power bank, since shorter daylight hours mean more time around the site after dark
- A tarp or skirting material for rigs without factory underbelly insulation, to cut wind under the floor
Shorter daylight hours change the shape of a winter evening at the site more than the cold does. The sun is down well before dinner most of the season, so a few lanterns or string lights around the awning make a real difference, along with a headlamp for anyone walking to the truck or the shared road after dark.
A plan for an early dinner rather than a late one helps too, more than another blanket does. None of this is a safety issue at Bear Creek specifically; it is simply what a shorter winter day looks like anywhere this far north of the equator. Planning for it ahead of time is what separates a comfortable winter stay from a cold, dark scramble on the first night.
None of Bear Creek’s campsites have a bathhouse, shower house, or public restroom building; guests use their own rig’s facilities, which is worth planning around in winter the same way it is in any other season. A rig with a working furnace and a full propane tank handles the water-heater side of that without much extra thought.
The coin laundry on site is real and stays available year-round, which is one less thing to plan for on a longer winter stay. For anyone staying more than a few nights, it beats hauling cold-weather gear home to wash between trips.
Is winter a good time to fish or launch a boat on Jackson Lake?
Jackson Lake does not freeze, and the marina’s public boat ramp runs on its usual 6 AM to 9 PM schedule year-round, $7 per launch plus $5 for an extra vehicle. Cold-water fishing has its own following here: bass and crappie both slow down and hold deeper once the water cools, which rewards anglers willing to fish slower presentations rather than the topwater bite that dominates summer mornings.
For a broader look at where to start, see Bear Creek’s own guide to finding the best fishing spots on Jackson Lake, or the site’s dedicated crappie fishing guide for the deeper winter bite.
Dry boat storage keeps running through winter too, covered and uncovered, at the same $125 and $75-a-month rates as the rest of the year. A winter RV camping trip and winter boat storage are two different things at Bear Creek: a camper site is for staying at the lake yourself, while storage is for parking a boat, RV, camper, or trailer here when nobody is using it. Either way, both run through the same reservation line.
What else is open at the marina during the off-season?
Kayak and canoe rentals keep running, weather and water temperature permitting. The marina’s restaurant and bar schedule is unaffected by any of this and is unchanged from what is posted elsewhere on the site; call (770) 787-9621 to check on it directly rather than relying on this guide for that answer.
For a wider view of what the property offers across the calendar, Bear Creek’s campground and boat launch guide covers the full set of camping and launch options at the marina, and the Visit Bear Creek page is a good starting point for first-time visitors planning any season’s trip.
Winter is also genuinely the quiet season. Sites that are booked solid in June are easy to get on short notice in January, the lake itself is calmer with far less boat traffic, and the campground’s waterfront sites keep the same water, sewer, and electric hookups whether it is 40 degrees or 90.
For anyone who has only seen Jackson Lake crowded on a summer weekend, a winter RV trip is a genuinely different side of the same property, and it is one of the easiest ways to get a waterfront site without booking months ahead.
There is no single best week for it, but the stretch furthest from both the holiday travel season and the first warm weekends of spring tends to be the quietest at the campground, simply because fewer people are traveling at all. A camper parked at the water’s edge on a cold, clear morning with nobody else around is a different experience than the same site in the middle of a busy July weekend, and it costs nothing extra to book it that way.
FAQ: Winter camping at Bear Creek Marina
Is Bear Creek Marina’s campground open in winter?
Yes. The RV and camper sites run water, sewer, and electric hookups year-round, with no seasonal closure. Call (770) 787-9621 to check availability and book a site.
Do I need a reservation for a winter site at Jackson Lake?
Yes, reservations are handled by phone rather than a walk-up office, the same as the rest of the year. Winter dates are typically easier to book than spring or summer weekends.
Does Bear Creek Marina shut off water to RV sites in cold weather?
No. Hookups stay connected through the season. Protecting an individual rig’s own hose and plumbing from a hard freeze is the camper’s responsibility, as it is at any full-hookup campground.
Does Jackson Lake get too cold to fish or launch a boat in winter?
No. The lake does not freeze and the boat ramp stays open on its normal schedule year-round. Fish simply move slower and sit deeper once the water cools.
Can I store my boat and camp in an RV at Bear Creek at the same time in winter?
Yes. Dry boat storage and RV camping are two separate services with their own rates and their own reservations, and plenty of owners use both: the boat stays in covered or uncovered storage while the camper sits on its own site. Call (770) 787-9621 to set up either, or both.
Does a winter site cost less than a summer site at Bear Creek?
No. Site rates do not change by season. What changes in winter is availability, not price: a waterfront site that is booked solid in June is often open on short notice in January.
Do I need to winterize my RV before a winter trip to Jackson Lake?
Not in the way a full-time cold-climate RVer would. Georgia’s winters are short and mild, so the usual fix is a heated water hose or foam pipe insulation for the coldest nights, not draining and bypassing the plumbing system the way an RV left outdoors in a northern state over winter would need.
Ready to book a winter site, or still have questions about hookups, rates, or the drive in? Call Bear Creek Marina at (770) 787-9621, or visit the campground and RV hookups page to see current site options at 60 Bear Creek Marina Road, Mansfield, GA 30055.
