Laura S. Walker State Park

State park in Georgia, United States

31°08′31″N 82°13′01″W / 31.142°N 82.217°W / 31.142; -82.217Area626 acres (253 ha)Established1937Governing bodyGeorgia Department of Natural Resources

Laura S. Walker State Park is a 626-acre (253 ha) state park in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located near Hoboken and the Okefenokee Swamp, the park is named after Laura S. Walker, a Georgia writer, teacher, civic leader, and naturalist (she is most famous as the latter). The park's location near the Okefenokee makes it home to many exotic plant and animal species, including alligators, great blue herons, and pitcher plants. The park includes a 120-acre (49 ha) lake and a championship 18-hole golf course with a pro shop.

History

In the 1930s an effort was made to recognize Waycross, Georgia, conservationist Laura S. Walker for her work promoting forestry and other civic activities. At the urging of Georgia's senators, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation to establish the Laura S. Walker National Park in her honor.^[1] She was the only living person for whom a state or national park was named. In 1937, the federal government purchased distressed farmland for the park under a federal land utilization program authorized by the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act.^[2]^[3] Work on the park was undertaken by the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1941, the national park was deeded over to Georgia, becoming the state's 13th state park.

Facilities

42 Tent/Trailer/RV Campsites
6 Cottages
7 Picnic Shelters
4 Group Shelters
1 Group Camp
1 Pioneer Campground
Swimming Beach
Kayak Rentals
Bicycle Rentals

Gallery

Tent and trailer campsites
Picnic shelter
Group shelter
Swimming area
Kayak and paddle board rentals

Annual events

Okefenokee 10K Race (March)

References

^ "Laura S. Walker: The Woman Behind the Park". Friends of Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
^ "Laura S. Walker State Park Established 1941" (PDF). Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
^ Thomas J. Straka; S. Knight Cox; Heather T. Irwin. "Current Use of Federal Land Utilization Projects Granted to State and Local Agencies" (PDF). Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Clemson University. Retrieved April 13, 2018.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Laura S. Walker State Park.

Laura S. Walker State Park
U.S. Geological Survey Map at the U.S. Geological Survey Map Website. Retrieved January 8th, 2022.

Protected areas of Georgia

Federal

National Historical Parks, historic sites and military parks	Andersonville NHS Jimmy Carter NHP Martin Luther King Jr. NHP Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Ocmulgee Mounds NHP
National monuments	Fort Frederica Fort Pulaski
National forests	Chattahoochee–Oconee
National wildlife refuges	Banks Lake Blackbeard Island Bond Swamp Eufaula Harris Neck Okefenokee Piedmont Savannah Wassaw Wolf Island
National Natural Landmarks	Heggie's Rock Marshall Forest Okefenokee Swamp Panola Mountain Wassaw Island
Wilderness areas	Big Frog Wilderness Blood Mountain Wilderness Brasstown Wilderness Cohutta Wilderness Cumberland Island National Seashore Ellicott Rock Wilderness Mark Trail Wilderness Okefenokee Wilderness Raven Cliffs Wilderness Rich Mountain Wilderness Southern Nantahala Wilderness Tray Mountain Wilderness
Wild and scenic rivers	Chattooga River
National trails	Appalachian Trail Pinhoti National Recreation Trail
Other protected areas	Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Cumberland Island National Seashore Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve

State

Parks	Amicalola Falls Black Rock Mountain Chattahoochee Bend Cloudland Canyon Crooked River Don Carter Elijah Clark F.D. Roosevelt Florence Marina Fort Mountain Fort Yargo General Coffee George L. Smith George T. Bagby Georgia Veterans Hamburg Hard Labor Creek High Falls Indian Springs Jack Hill James H. "Sloppy" Floyd Laura S. Walker Little Ocmulgee Magnolia Springs Mistletoe Moccasin Creek Panola Mountain Providence Canyon Red Top Mountain Reed Bingham Richard B. Russell Sapelo Island Seminole Skidaway Island Smithgall Woods Sprewell Bluff Standing Boy Creek Stephen C. Foster Sweetwater Creek Tallulah Gorge Tugaloo Unicoi Victoria Bryant Vogel Watson Mill Bridge
Historic parks and sites	A. H. Stephens Chief Vann House Dahlonega Gold Museum Etowah Indian Mounds Fort McAllister Fort King George Fort Morris Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation Jarrell Plantation Jefferson Davis Memorial Kolomoki Mounds Lapham–Patterson House Little White House New Echota Pickett's Mill Battlefield Robert Toombs House Travelers Rest Wormsloe
Forests	Bartram Broxton Rocks Dawson Dixon Memorial Hightower Paulding Spirit Creek
Other	Centennial Olympic Park Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center Jekyll Island Len Foote Hike Inn Radium Springs Sapelo Island Stone Mountain Park

County,
municipal
and other

Parks	Bobby Brown Park Chehaw Park Cobb County Parks Hartwell Lakeside John Tanner McIntosh Reserve Murphey Candler Park Okefenokee Swamp Park Robert G. Hunter Memorial Park Roswell Recreation and Parks Seaborn Jones Memorial Park Shaking Rock Park
Forests and nature preserves	Autrey Mill Nature Preserve & Heritage Center Fernbank Forest Marshall Forest Morningside Nature Preserve Phinizy Swamp Nature Park Reynolds Nature Preserve
Nature and environmental education centers	Birdsong Nature Center Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center Chattahoochee Nature Center Cochran Mill Nature Center Dauset Trails Nature Center Dunwoody Nature Center Elachee Nature Science Center Georgia Nature Center Grand Bay Wetland Education Center Melvin L. Newman Wetlands Center Oatland Island Wildlife Center Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center Panola Mountain State Park Nature Center Sandy Creek Nature Center Savannah-Ogeechee Canal Museum & Nature Center Tidelands Nature Center Tybee Island Marine Science Center West Atlanta Watershed Alliance Outdoor Activity Center