SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, announced today it will resume day-use and boat launching fee collection at Thurmond Lake beginning April 2nd and will no longer accept cash at these areas.
Automated fee machines that accept credit/debit cards only, have been installed at the ten locations where day-use or boat launching fees are charged (listed below). Fee collections were suspended since March 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. The automated fee stations, made possible with CARES ACT funding, will also eliminate the need for continued cash collection and associated health and safety concerns.
The Corps charges a $5 per vehicle day-use or boat launching fee at the following areas:
- Amity Recreation Area, Lincoln County, Georgia
- Clarks Hill Park Recreation Area, McCormick County, South Carolina
- Dordon Creek Ramp, McCormick County, South Carolina
- Gill Point Recreation Area, Lincoln County, Georgia
- Keg Creek Ramp, Columbia County, Georgia
- Lake Springs Recreation Area, Columbia County, Georgia
- Modoc Ramp, McCormick County, South Carolina
- Morrah’s Ramp, Elbert County, Georgia
- Parksville Recreation Area, McCormick County, South Carolina
- Scott’s Ferry Ramp, McCormick County, South Carolina
- West Dam Recreation Area, Columbia County, Georgia
America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes such as the America the Beautiful Senior or Access passes will be accepted. Use of these passes do not require the purchase of a separate Corps of Engineers Annual Pass or payment of the park use fee.
Corps of Engineers Annual Passes will also be accepted and can be purchased for $40. The pass allows unlimited nation-wide use of all Corps managed day-use and boat launching fee areas for a 12-month period from the month of purchase. Contact the Thurmond visitor center at 800-533-3478 for more information.
In addition to the areas listed above, the Corps also manages numerous less developed recreation areas that do not charge a fee. Recreation areas and boat ramps that are managed by other entities such as state or local government may charge their own fee. The Corps of Engineers Annual Pass and America the Beautiful pass are not valid at non-Corps managed areas.
The Corps is one of the nation’s leading federal providers of outdoor and water-based recreation, hosting millions of visitors annually to its more than 400 lake and river projects. It’s estimated that 90 percent of Corps-operated recreation areas are within 50 miles of metropolitan areas, offering diverse outdoor activities for all ages close to home.
For more information, contact the J. Strom Thurmond Project Office at 800-533-3478, or 864-333-1100.
Please be safe when recreating on or near the lake this summer. Remember: Life jackets worn, nobody mourns.
Release no. 21-008