Overview Gill Point Recreation Area is a rural park on the northern end of J. Strom Thurmond Lake, off Georgia State Highway 79. The 70,000 acre lake and its 1,000+ miles of shoreline provide excellent boating, water skiing, swimming, fishing, hiking and picnicking opportunities. Recreation Thurmond Lake provides some of the best fishing, hunting, and water sports in the southeastern United States. Anglers fish for largemouth bass, bream, crappie, catfish and striped bass. The large lake offers endless boating, water skiing, jet skiing, canoeing and swimming opportunities. Facilities Gill Point Recreation Area is a wooded day-use area with a group picnic shelter that can accommodate up to 24 people. Amenities include flush toilets, drinking water, a boat ramp and dock. Natural Features Hot, humid summers and mild, pleasant winters characterize this heavily wooded area on the shore of Thurmond Lake. A mixed pine and hardwood forest covers the site, providing summer shade and fall color. Elevation is 335' above sea level. Wildlife is abundant around the lake. Visitors regularly see southern bald eagles, migratory waterfowl, wild turkeys and whitetail deer.
Source: rec_gov · last verified 2026-05-19