4 State Parks near Savannah for Nature Day Trips

Skidaway Island State Park is the shortest nature escape by car from central Savannah. Fort McAllister adds a historic fort to a riverside walk, George L. Smith offers millpond paddling, and Crooked River takes you farther south for coastal forest and marsh. Choose one as a return outing, with time for a walk or paddle and a picnic rather than a circuit of all four.

Choose a park for your day

Independent return drives from the Savannah Visitor Centre, ordered by outward driving time. Totals cover driving only.

Criterion	Skidaway Island	Fort McAllister	George L. Smith	Crooked River
Outward drive: time / distance	about 31 minutes / about 16 milesBest	about 40 minutes / about 30 miles	about an hour and a quarter / about 78 miles	about 2 hours / about 114 miles
Return drive: time / distance	about 29 minutes / about 15 milesBest	about 37 minutes / about 29 miles	about an hour and a quarter / about 78 miles	about 2 hours / about 112 miles
Round-trip driving: time / distance	about an hour / about 30 milesBest	about an hour and a quarter / about 59 miles	about 2 and a half hours / about 156 miles	about 3 and a half hours / about 226 miles
Visit commitment	Half-day	Half-day, longer with fort	Full day	Full day
Landscape	Maritime forest, salt marsh	Ogeechee River, earthwork fort	Cypress-tupelo millpond	Coastal forest, salt marsh
Main outdoor activity	Walking, wildlife watching	Walking, picnic	Paddling, mill visit	Walking, wildlife watching
Daily parking charge	—	Per vehicle, $10 proposed, not confirmed in force	Daily ParkPass, amount —	$10 per vehicle

Choose Skidaway for a short forest-and-marsh walk, Fort McAllister for a river outing with history, George L. Smith for paddling or Crooked River for a longer coastal day. The longer drives leave less time at the park, so give the millpond and Crooked River a full day rather than adding them to another outing. Georgia state parks combine outdoor recreation with protected landscapes. State historic sites focus on historic places, while national monuments are a separate federal designation. Fort McAllister includes a historic fort within a state park, so you can choose a nature visit without making history the whole day.

For beaches instead, choose a Hilton Head day trip from Savannah.

Skidaway Island State Park

Skidaway Island State Park suits a half-day of maritime-forest walking, salt-marsh views and wildlife watching. Make the Sandpiper Trail your walk, pause to look for birds along the marsh, and leave room for a picnic before returning to Savannah. It is the choice here that leaves the most time for the city later in the day.

The interpretive centre gives you another focus alongside the outdoor walk. Pair it with the trail rather than treating the visit as a long hike, especially if you have children or prefer frequent pauses. A picnic makes a natural end to the outing without adding another destination to the drive.

From the Savannah Visitor Centre, drive to the park entrance and keep the outing centred on the forest and marsh. Walk earlier in hot weather and carry water and insect repellent. Closed footwear is useful on damp ground, and after rain you should allow for slippery or muddy footing rather than expecting a dry path throughout. Leave time to stop and watch wildlife rather than setting a fast walking pace.

Fort McAllister State Park

Fort McAllister State Park combines a half-day Ogeechee River outing with the Redbird Creek Nature Trail and an optional earthwork-fort visit. Choose the trail and a picnic for a shorter day outside Savannah, or add the fort and museum if the historic attraction is part of what draws you here. The fort gives this park a different focus from the forest-and-marsh walks at Skidaway.

Treat the outdoor walk and the historic attraction as separate parts of your visit. Parking is charged daily per vehicle, and fort admission is separate. If you want both walking and history, allow a longer stay rather than trying to fit the fort around a hurried picnic.

The museum opens 8am–5pm, so put it before a late-afternoon walk. Ranger-guided fort tours run Wednesday–Sunday at 2pm, as scheduling allows. Leave your plans flexible if you want a guided tour rather than making the rest of the outing depend on it.

Drive from the Savannah Visitor Centre to the park near Richmond Hill, and return to Savannah after your chosen activities. Take water and insect repellent for the nature walk, and use the picnic as a proper break between trail time and the historic attraction. A riverside outing is still an outdoor day, so shade and a pause matter in hot weather even when the walk is your only activity.

George L. Smith State Park

George L. Smith State Park is the choice for a full-day millpond outing with paddling at its centre. Parrish Mill Pond’s cypress and tupelo trees make this an inland alternative to Savannah’s coastal marsh parks. Pair time on the water with the Parrish Mill covered bridge and a land-based nature walk, rather than spending the whole visit in a boat.

On-site hire includes canoes, kayaks and jon boats for the pond. Choose a craft suited to your group and your paddling experience, and keep the outing within your abilities. Leave enough energy for the paddle back, especially when wind or heat makes the return harder than the outward journey.

Day visitors can use the park from 7am–10pm, with a daily parking ParkPass. Start from the Savannah Visitor Centre early enough to enjoy the pond without rushing, and keep the return drive in mind when deciding how far to paddle. Daylight and weather are more useful guides to time on the water than the park’s evening closing hour.

The mill and a nature walk also make a worthwhile land-based visit if you prefer not to paddle or the weather turns unsuitable. Bring a picnic, drinking water and sun protection, and leave space in the day to enjoy the mill as well as the trees around the pond. This is best treated as one inland destination, not an extra stop after a coastal park.

Crooked River State Park

Crooked River State Park near St Marys suits a full coastal day of forest-and-marsh walking, wildlife watching and a nature-centre stop. Its nature trail offers a day-use loop through forest and marsh, while water access gives the visit another focus. Make this a park-only outing from Savannah so the longer return drive does not cut your walk short.

The Interpretive Trail is 3/8 mile on concrete and grass. The River Walk Nature Trail is 5/8 mile on grass, dirt, mulch and boardwalk. Choose by surface as well as length, particularly if uneven ground or wet footing affects your walking. Concrete on part of a route does not mean a paved surface throughout.

Day access begins at 7am. The daily ParkPass is valid on the day of purchase at any Georgia State Park. Set off early from the Savannah Visitor Centre, take a picnic and allow time to pause for wildlife rather than trying to add another destination south of the city.

Carry water and insect repellent, and favour cooler daylight hours for walking. Keep Cumberland Island for a separate ferry excursion, rather than combining its boat journey with this driving day. Crooked River’s forest, marsh and nature centre give you a complete outing without an island crossing.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: fares and charges, opening hours, key figures, and services.

• Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division — fares and charges
• Crooked River State Park Park Map
• Georgia Department of Natural Resources, State Parks & Historic Sites — key figures
• George L. Smith State Park map
• Georgia Department of Natural Resources, State Parks & Historic Sites Division — service
• Georgia Department of Natural Resources, State Parks and Historic Sites — fares and charges
• Georgia Department of Natural Resources, State Parks and Historic Sites Division — opening hours