Lake Lanier Day-Use Passes Range From $7 to $10

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Driving to Lake Lanier can cost $7, $8 or $10 before the boat, picnic supplies or fishing gear leave the vehicle.

The difference depends on who manages the destination. Forsyth County, Hall County, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Georgia State Parks operate separate systems around the lake, each with its own daily fee and annual pass.

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Those passes are not interchangeable. A Forsyth County lake-parks pass does not cover a Corps facility across the lake, while Hall County’s River Forks pass is not accepted at the jointly managed federal parks.

Compare the cost for one vehicle

These are the standard rates in effect Oct. 2, 2026. The River Forks daily figure covers a vehicle carrying one to five people. Boat-launch charges can differ from ordinary vehicle entry.

“Break-even” means the visit on which repeated daily payments equal the pass price. It does not account for discounts, free-entry days or separate activity charges.

Forsyth’s $60 pass covers four lake parks

Forsyth County charges $10 for a daily pass and $60 for an annual pass at Mary Alice Park. Visitors 55 and older receive a 10% discount on the annual pass, reducing it to $54.

The annual pass covers Mary Alice, Charleston, Six Mile Creek and Young Deer Creek parks. For a household using those locations at least six times during the pass year, buying annually costs no more than six separate daily visits.

The pass is particularly relevant while Tidwell Park remains closed for Forsyth County’s raw-water project. Boaters displaced by the multiyear closure may be using Six Mile Creek or another county-operated ramp more often.

A Forsyth pass applies to participating county-operated lake parks, not every Lake Lanier destination with a Cumming or Gainesville address.

The $40 Corps pass has the broadest reach

Hall County now cooperatively manages several Corps recreation areas, including Van Pugh North, Old Federal, Little Hall, Burton Mill and Balus Creek.

Vehicle entry at fee-charging locations is $8. The $40 Corps annual pass reaches its purchase price on the fifth visit.

It also travels farther than the local passes. The Corps Annual Day Use Pass is valid for 12 months at Corps-managed day-use areas and boat ramps nationwide.

That broad coverage comes with an important limitation: the facility must be operated by the Corps or participate in its pass system. Federal ownership of the underlying land does not automatically make a locally managed park eligible.

America the Beautiful passes are also accepted at the jointly managed Hall County–Corps locations. Hall County’s River Forks annual pass is explicitly excluded there.

River Forks operates under separate prices

River Forks charges $7 for a vehicle carrying up to five people, $12 for six to 11 people and $20 for larger groups. Walk-in admission is $3.

Its annual pass costs $60, so a household arriving by car in the smallest group category would need nine day-use visits to exceed the pass price.

Visitors 55 and older are exempt from the River Forks day-use fee. That exemption should not be confused with the separate $7 boat-ramp charge.

Boaters should also check conditions before driving there. Hall County continues to mark the River Forks ramp as temporarily closed because of low water. The park and campground remain open, but the closure removes the principal reason some visitors would otherwise choose that location.

Don Carter’s pass covers the state-park system

Don Carter is the only Georgia state park on Lake Lanier. Its parking follows the statewide rate: $10 daily or $70 for an annual ParkPass.

The annual pass becomes equivalent to seven daily visits and covers more than 60 Georgia state parks, not just Don Carter. Seniors 62 and older receive a 50% annual-pass discount, while active-duty military members and veterans receive 25% off when purchasing an eligible discounted pass in person.

A Georgia ParkPass does not cover Corps recreation areas or Forsyth and Hall county parks. The word “annual” therefore does not mean universal access around the lake.

For occasional visitors, the daily difference is small. Frequent users should choose a pass based less on the lowest headline price than on the ramps, beaches and parks they actually use. Five visits to Corps-managed parks justify one pass; six visits to Forsyth’s four participating parks justify another. Crossing from one management system to another can put the fee back at the entrance.