*Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Dexas. I only work with companies I truly believe in and all of the opinions in this post are my own.Β
Georgia State Park Hopping with Dexas
If you’ve been following our adventures for a while, you know that we travel a LOT! Road trips, hiking, camping… the mutts and I are always on the search for the next adventure. Traveling with dogs means more fun, more giggles, and more stuff. Over our years of traveling together, I’ve tried a lot of products for my dogs. A lot of them come and go or get replaced by something better, but these are here to stay. I started using Dexas bowls almost 4 years ago now. In fact, I still have (and use) the original bowl that my husband bought a long time ago at a state park when we accidentally left our fold up pocket bowl at home. That was it, we never looked back.
Dexas just sponsored an awesome 4 day camping adventure for us and we can’t wait to tell you all about it! We camped and hiked our way around northern GA. Read on to follow along on our adventure!
Park #1: Sweetwater Creek State Park
Our first destination was Sweetwater Creek State Park. We got to the park, which is right outside of Atlanta, on Thursday afternoon, only to find out that I actually booked a site for the wrong days. HAHA! At the time, it seemed like a bad omen, but in the end it really worked out for the best. They did have one campsite left for that night, so we grabbed it and set up camp. We’d just have to move on the next day and find somewhere else to stay for the rest of our trip. When you travel a lot, you learn to go with the flow. It’s all part of the adventure! (at least that’s what I tell myself so I don’t cry on trips!) π
Setting Up Camp
I’ve developed a pretty good system for setting up camp solo with the pups that allows me to set up uninterrupted. The first thing I do is fill up a large Dexas collaspible bowl with water for them. Then I set out their sleeping bags to give them a place to settle, and the last part is their favorite. Next comes the high value, long lasting treats. I usually use bully sticks, pig ears, etc. This time it was hooves. As you can see in the picture above, the dogs stayed put well longer than it took me to set up camp!
Sweetwater Creek
Once we were all set up, we really started to feel the heat. We were lucky that the temps were pretty decent, considering it was early August. It was in the 80s but SUPER humid, so we set off on the Red Trail in search of a cool down spot. Sweetwater Creek did NOT disappoint!
The Mill Ruins
Right along the creek at the end of the trail are these gorgeous ruins, which are what remains of the Manchester Manufacturing Company. They are usually open to the public, where you can wander around and explore. During our trip, they were being renovated for safety reasons, but we will definitely be back again once the restoration is complete in a few months.
If you’re a Hunger Games fan, you may recognize this mill. They filmed part of Mockingjay here!
It was a bit disappointing that we couldn’t explore the old mill, but the creek is worth a trip to this park in itself. The rocky creek is a great swimming spot for dogs and humans alike, with it’s large flat rocks and numerous perfect swimming pools. During the day, there are people, pups and families sprawled out all over the creek, enjoying a break from the heat.
Our favorite time to visit was early in the morning or in the evenings, when you have the whole place to yourself and hear nothing but the soothing sounds of the rushing water all around you as you sit in your own personal spa.
Park #2: F.D. Roosevelt State Park
We rose bright and early on day 2 and went back to the creek to tale a dip to cool off. Then, we did some rock hopping and exploring along the creek and hit some more the the park’s 12 miles of trails. We had to pack up and leave by 11, so I broke down camp and loaded up the car in search of a campsite for night 2. We were headed towards a free campground about 2 hours south when I passed a sign for a state park I had never heard of. So, I pulled off the road and did some googling to see if it was worth checking out. It looked AMAZING, so I called and guess what?? They had campsites available!!!! Score!
The Perfect Campsite
And not just any campsites, SWEET campsites!
F .D. Roosevelt State Park was amazing. The staff at the office was super friendly and they even allow dogs to come inside the building, which is practically unheard of in our area. We were directed towards the tent camping sites and found a primo spot right on the water. Time to throw up a tent to save this sweet spot. I popped up the Dexas Double Elevated Feeder for the pups and we all had some lunch before hitting the trails.
Dowdells Knob
Our first destination wasΒ Dowdells Knob, which was a favorite picnic spot of President Roosevelt’s. He actually built his “Little White House” in nearby Warm Springs, which is where he died in 1945. Roosevelt owned most of the land that is now F.D.Roosevelt State park and would come here often to admire the view and dine in nature. He even had a barbecue built right near the ledge that’s still there to this day (filled in to preserve it). You can see a section of the BBQ to the right of the photo above.
From Dowdell’s Knob, you can access the PMT, or Pine Mountain Trail. The gorgeous trail is 23 miles long and follows theΒ Pine Mountain ridge in west central Georgia.Β The pups were happy that I brought the Dexas Snack-Duo, so they had plenty of water and treats along the way. We only ended up hiking about 2 miles of the trail before Ringo started limping a bit. He had broken one of his toe nails clean off about a week earlier and while it didn’t bother him to walk on dirt or fairly level surfaces, this trail has a bit too much loose rock for him to handle, so, time for Plan B!
Scenic Drive
We headed back to camp for a bit and the pups started to get restless, so I decided to take a drive on theΒ Pine Mountain and Callaway Gardens Loop, a scenic drive near the park. The drive was full of gorgeous views and spectacular overlooks. We found a quiet place to pull off, loaded up in the back of the truck, and settled in for a relaxing siesta.
Sleeping bags, pillows, a water cooler, treats, and our double collapsible Dexas bowl.. what more could you need? Besides dog snuggles and a view, of course!
Downtime
After our drive, we went back to camp to relax by the lake. Boomer hunted for frogs and we all ate some dinner by the water. Then, as the sun set, one of our super friendly camp neighbors invited us over to their site to hang by the fire. We talked about dogs and cats and hiking and adventures and had a great time, while the dogs slept by the fire. We had big plans the next day to hit a third state park so we wandered back to our site for some shut eye. The dogs were nice and exhausted and practically begged for me to open the tent as soon as we got back.
Park #3: Providence Canyon Outdoor Recreation Area
Our next and final park that we wanted to visit on our Georgia Park Hopping trip was Providence Canyon Outdoor Recreation Area, otherwise known as Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon. Sounds cool right? Well, it was AWESOME!
If you read our last blog post, When a Hiking Trip Turns into a Cat Rescue, you know about the drama with the dumped cats and the.. umm.. “mean” park ranger. But you didn’t hear about the awesome hiking here. Before I found the cats, we did a whole lot of exploring in this beautiful canyon. The canyon, and therefor the canyon floor, is soft, delicate sand and clay, which is how the canyon was created in the first place. Bad farming practices led to LOTS of erosion, and the canyon you see today. One of the perks of the soft sands is that the canyon floor is nice and soft, perfect for Ringo and his sensitive paw.
I could go on and on about the beauty of this place, but I’d rather let the pictures do the talking. So here goes…
The dogs and I had a great time exploring the canyon, but man was it HOT! Thankfully, we had our Dexas collapsible travel cup and LOTS of water to keep the pups hydrated.
After trekking through this wet, sandy, muddy canyon, the dogs (and I) were SUPER muddy. Bright red clay is good like that. Just what you want in your tent right? Dirty, muddy dogs. Dexas MudBuster to the rescue!
Canyon Cat Rescue
The rest of our trip got a bit crazy to say the least, as many of our trips do. But this time, it had a super happy ending! We came home with 2 more sweet, loving pets. They will forever be the best unexpected mementos we could wish for from this amazing trip. Thanks Dexas for making this trip possible, and by extension, this happy ending for Luna and Gypsy. Miss our last post? Check it out here for the deets!
We can’t WAIT to get back to Georgia and do some more exploring. With our Dexas gear, of course! Hope you enjoyed reading about our adventures!
Thanks for reading,
Debbie & The Mutts
(and the panther sisters too)
35 Comments
What an epic adventure! It really looks like you and your dogs had a great time in Georgia. I’ve never been, but I’m adding some of these parks to my list. The Dexas products look ingenious too. I could use a quality bowl for hiking with my dog. Thanks
Thanks Stephanie! We had the best checking out new trails all over GA. I definitely recommend you checking out both the parks and Dexas’ Popware for Pets line. We literally don’t leave the home without their bowls, ever!
A huge heartfelt thank you to Boomer, Ringo and Debbie for taking along our products on this great Georgia adventure….what a treat! Looking forward to the next outdoors challenge! — your friends at Dexas
No thank you, Jeff! It was so much fun getting to check out new places with the pups and show off some of our favorite gear along the way. We can’t wait to do another trip! π
Oh wow, that MudBuster thing looks pretty cool. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I imagine you all got pretty muddy at the canyon. Did it actually keep your tent from getting gross? That’s our biggest problem when we bring our dog camping with us.
Hey Angela! I’m so glad you asked. Yes, it works amazingly! I’m pretty sure I tracked in 500% more dirt and mud than the dogs did. Maybe I need a human sized MudBuster?? LOL I actually wrote a full review on the MudBuster a while back if you want to check it out for more info! https://www.lifewithmutts.com/2017/03/15/dexas-mudbuster-review/
Such beautiful hiking trails and such happy pups! We are not campers at all but definitely take our pup for lots of hikes (I have several posts on hiking in and around SF if you ever visit us in California)
Thank you π The pups had a great time on the trails. Sleeping outside is not for everyone, but I’m happy to hear that you and your dog get to enjoy the beauty of nature through hiking! π I’ll definitely reference your posts if we ever make it to the west coast!
Gorgeous photos and story! We are bringing in a few of these Dexas products into our store – love them!
Thank you! And yay! That’s great that you’re bringing Dexas to your store. I swear by their gear! I’m sure your customers will be thrilled. Thanks for reading!
Beautiful photos and great description of your trip. We’re happy to hear the kitties are still with you and doing well. It sounds like the Dexas products are the ideal hiking/camping tool for pets.
Thanks! It was an awesome trip for sure. Being able to help Luna and Gypsy was the icing on the cake!! π And we LOVE Dexas gear. We don’t leave home without them.
Some awesome-looking places. Though the photo of the two dogs on the high rock so high above everything makes me freak out π
Thank you! We got to visit some amazing parks on our trip. HAHA, there was ground underneath the rock the dogs were standing on right outside of this shot. It does look a little precarious in the picture, but I promise they were in no danger π Thanks for reading!
TOTALLY FABULOUS post!!!
I adore the pictures, and love the location. Can you tell I’m jealous of your trip!!!
Why thank you so much!! It was an amazing few days in some truly beautiful parks. The dogs and I had a blast. Can’t wait for the next one. Thanks for following our adventures π
You guys do travel a lot haha. I have a Dexas bowl I use for travel. I’ve looked at the big ones, are those dishwasher-safe? Mr. N eats raw so we’re constantly washing bowls.
We try! LOL I have the itch to get back out already. May head to the mountains for a night tomorrow. Working from home makes me go a bit stir crazy sometimes π Yes, the Dexas bowls are dishwasher safe! We feed raw too (when we aren’t camping). I just put them on the top rack. For some of the larger double bowls, the bowl part pops out too so you can wash it easily. I love the smaller bowls for hiking, but the big ones are lifesavers at the campground and when we travel. We use them for road trips, in hotels, glamping, visiting family, etc etc. They pack up so small and are easy to transport.
I picked up a Dexas bowl at a state park somewhere, I do not remember. They are amazing for sure, it makes hiking so much easier. Such a great idea.
That’s crazy! That’s how got my first Dexas bowl too. Aren’t they so perfect for hiking? I love that you can just clip one to your pack and go without worrying about getting the inside of your pack wet, like with our old canvas foldable ones.
OK, this was like eye candy for me. What beautiful scenery and that includes the living beings in it! I believe those are some good bowls, but frankly, that’s not what I was paying attention to. You’re a great photographer! I would totally not mind camping so much, either, if I could go with you. I could be an extra pet. π
I forgot! Thanks for adopting those two beautiful kitties!
Thanks Elizabeth! You are so sweet. π So glad you enjoyed the pics. I love capturing moments of our trips and seeing how much the dogs love to adventure. We definitely found some amazing places to explore in GA. You should totally come sometime! We’ll even bring an extra tent!
Being able to help the cats was the best outcome of this trip. Luna and Gypsy are amazing cats and I feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon them in the park!
That was quite the adventurous vacation! Your pictures are just gorgeous. I did giggle a little with your bully stick/pig ears/hooves tactic. We do the same thing on family movie night. Each pup gets a hearty treat, we hit play, and everyone is settled, quiet, and content. I will need to remember this strategy for traveling as well.
It was definitely a one of a kind adventure! We got to explore some amazingly beautiful places. I love your movie night idea! HAHA, great minds! It really works wonders when setting up camp too. Makes the squirrels just a little less interesting. A little.. π Thanks for reading!
Wow! What an amazing adventure! I will definitely need to try some Dexas bowls before our next hike. They look lightweight and easy to clean which would come in handy when camping.
You definitely should!! We never leave home without our Dexas bowls. They are perfect for hiking, camping, and road trips! I know you’ll love them. And thanks, it was an awesome adventure π
What an amazing adventure! You always go on the best ones and capture such beautiful photos! Dexas sounds like an amazing brand…the mudbuster product sounds so handy!
Thanks Kia! Glad you enjoyed following our adventure. It was such a great time. So thankful to our friends at Dexas for not only sending us on this trip, but making such awesome products to make our adventures SO much easier. The Mudbuster came in so handy with all that sand and mud from our hike in the canyon!
I’m wasn’t familiar with Dexas, but it sounds like they make great products. It looks like you had a wonderful adventure. And you are right, it is much better to go with the flow on adventures! (I actually think that’s true no matter what you’re doing, especially if you have kids and/or dogs.)
We absolutely swear by Dexas product, especially their bowls. I have not been on an adventure with the dogs without one in, jeez.. 4 or 5 years now! We started with one small one and now we have every size and shape they make. The bigger ones are perfect for campsites and road trips and the little carabiner ones are great for hikes.
We had a great time, plot twists and all. Our adventures are always a bit more adventurous than I plan them to be, but it keeps you on your toes and makes it way more interesting. You are so right, going with the flow is key. If you don’t, all you get it extra frustration when you could be having extra unexpected fun! Thanks for reading!
I love this! I love following your adventurous crew, and I am loving that kiss selfie π These look like amazing locations!
Thanks Shayla! We love to hear that people enjoy following along on our adventures. It’s just extra motivation to keep going on more! (like we need an excuse, but still!) π And the kiss selfie.. EVERY time I try to take a selfie with Boomer, Ringo, or Roxie, this is what happens. HAHAHA! Not that I’m complaining in the slightest.
Shared on StumbleUpon Debbie. Great post; it needs some readers. π
Thank you so much!!! I appreciate the share!