Galt's Ferry Day Use Area is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park on the south shore of Allatoona Lake, the reservoir the Corps built on the Etowah River northwest of Atlanta. It sits at the end of Rocky Lane in unincorporated Cherokee County, about 5 miles northeast of downtown Acworth, and it is one of the bigger Corps day-use parks on the lake. Besides the swim beach there is a three-lane boat ramp, a fishing jetty, a playground behind the sand, picnic tables with grills, and a group shelter that seats up to 100 people and can be reserved through Recreation.gov.

From I-75, take exit 277 (GA 92) and head east about a mile to the light at Hunt Road. Turn left and keep straight through the four-way stop, where the road becomes Kellogg Creek Road. After roughly a mile, turn left on Galt's Ferry Landing Road, go 0.8 mile to the third stop sign, and turn left on Rocky Lane to the park entrance. The Corps lists the address as 7299 Rocky Lane, Acworth, GA 30102. The beach and picnic area use their own parking lot, separate from the boat launch lot and its trailer spaces.

The beach is a strip of sand on a cove of the main lake, with a roped swim area off the shoreline and the fishing jetty just to one side. Corps rules for Allatoona state that designated swimming areas are not supervised, so there are no lifeguards and you swim at your own risk. The water inside the ropes is shallow near the sand and gets to roughly head height at the outer line at summer pool, though that changes with the lake level. Allatoona is a red-clay reservoir, so expect greenish, low-visibility water and a soft bottom past the sand. Pets are not allowed on Corps beaches at Allatoona, and the Recreation.gov listing says alcohol is not permitted in the park.

Galt's Ferry is not free. The Corps charges a facility-use fee of $5 per vehicle at its Allatoona parks that have beaches, and a separate $5 launch fee at the ramp. A Corps of Engineers Annual Day-Use Pass costs $40 and works at Corps day-use areas and boat ramps nationwide. Since 2019 the Allatoona day-use parks have been cashless, so bring a credit or debit card for the automated pay station. The park is gated and open in daytime only. Opening hours and seasonal dates are not posted online, so call the Allatoona Lake Project Management Office at 678-721-6700 before a trip outside summer.

A few things to know before you go. Swimming is banned at launch ramps and courtesy docks, so stay inside the ropes and away from the ramp and jetty. The south end of Allatoona carries heavy boat and personal watercraft traffic on summer weekends, and wakes reach the swim area. The Corps lowers the lake each fall and winter for flood control, which pulls the waterline back from the beach and leaves mud and clay exposed. The park can also close outright during federal funding lapses or for maintenance work. On busy summer holidays the beach lot can fill early.

Anglers work the jetty and the shoreline near the ramp for bass and crappie, and the ramp makes this an easy put-in for a canoe or kayak on the lower lake. Red Top Mountain State Park, across the lake, has hiking trails.