You’ve heard the name and seen the jaw dropping pictures of this magical place, but just where is Lake Martin, Alabama?
You’ve seen it on national news sites like MarthaStewart.com and Yahoo! where it was named as one of the 15 Most Beautiful Lakes To Visit In The United States. You have seen our area’s glamping at The Destination highlighted as one of USA Today’s 10 Best Glamping Spots In The Country. Campers are in awe when they hear about the pristine natural experience that awaits at Wind Creek State Park, which is one of the largest state-operated campgrounds in the United States. National Park enthusiasts come to the area just to get their passport stamp at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. And even Garden & Gun has featured the beautiful area that makes up Russell Lands, which is a dream paradise in itself. They also happen to offer so many fun activities for residents and visitors alike at Russell Crossroads.
To see the images of this place, you probably think it is just a fairytale land for outdoors enthusiasts that isn’t even real. The colors of the sunsets add to that question of reality because you have never seen anything like it. However, this is a real place, and we are ready to welcome you 365 days a year. But the question still remains……. where is Lake Martin, Alabama?
The Location Of Lake Martin, Alabama
Lake Martin, Alabama is located in Central East Alabama. It is an enormous lake, that touches three counties-Coosa, Elmore, and Tallapoosa. It has almost 900 miles of shoreline, and covers more than 40,000 acres. Yep-its really that big! There are many communities where you can find a place to stay around Lake Martin when you visit, such as Alexander City, Dadeville, and Eclectic.
What Major Cities Are Near Lake Martin, Alabama
Atlanta is only 2 hours away from Lake Martin, while Birmingham is 1 1/2 hours away. Montgomery is a little less than an hour. Columbus, Georgia is also just a little more than an hour away.
When talking about cities near Lake Martin, we also couldn’t leave out Auburn. It is only about 30 minutes away. When visiting the Lake Martin area, Auburn is a very convenient place to visit for the day as well. The drive there is super easy and it is a fun place to also explore during your trip.
Flying Into The Lake Martin Area
Unless you are making a road trip (and depending on where you are, there are some very scenic ones that lead to the area), most people fly either through Atlanta, Montgomery, or Birmingham. Then just hop in your rental car, and set forth on your epic road trip to Lake Martin. The trek won’t be that long from any of these locations, but be sure to make it fun. I like to crank up the tunes and jam out to some Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama.” It’s an extra cool experience when you are making the drive from Georgia, and have that song strategically timed to be playing as you cross the state line and see the Sweet Home Alabama sign welcoming you to the state.
Alexander City also has a small airport that is owned and maintained by the city. T.C. Russell Field does not have commercial flights, but has a 18/26 runway that is 5417 feet long and 95 feet wide. The airport is equipped with MIRL, MITL, PAPI, and AWOS. The telephone number to reach the AWOS is 256-329-1820. There are also fueling options at the Alexander City airport.
Driving To The Lake Martin Area
With new technology like Google Maps and Waze, roadtrips have been made so easy. Just put in your location where you are headed at the lake, and they will bring you right there. I especially love Waze because I can easily change up the voices that give me directions. During the Christmas season, I was even able to use Santa Claus to help navigate my way on my road trip. It is also sometimes a good tool to be able to tell you when there are hazards in the road, police, etc.
There are some beautiful drives that lead to our area, and you will enjoy the journey itself. One thing to note though since we do have a lot of people that drive over from Georgia, please remember that although it is not far away, Georgia is on Eastern Standard Time and we are on Central Standard Time. Please keep the time zone change in mind, especially if you have to be somewhere at a certain time (like a flight leaving out of Atlanta.) I may or may not be telling you that out of personal experience…… but trust me, keeping the time zone difference in mind when traveling between Lake Martin and Georgia is something to remember.
Since so many have heard about this awesome place, and never really knew where it was or how to get here, we hope that this clears things up and shows you how easy it is to get to Lake Martin.
See you soon!
