Bent Tree, Georgia
3,500 acres of gated mountain community in Pickens County, Georgia, approximately 60 miles north of Atlanta. The 110-acre Lake Tamarack sits at 1,450 feet of elevation and reaches 85 feet deep — restricted to electric motors only because the lake serves as a community drinking water source. An 18-hole Joe Lee championship golf course anchors the amenity offering, joined by Bent Tree Stables (a full-service equestrian center rare among Georgia gated communities), six tennis courts including two indoor courts for year-round play, two community swimming pools (one heated for adults only), a beach, the Tavern at the 19th Hole restaurant, library, post office, and on-property RV and boat storage. Bent Tree appeals to buyers who want the intimate gated mountain community experience at a smaller scale than Big Canoe with year-round-active amenities.
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Submit a Photo →What Bent Tree Is: 3,500 Gated Acres With a Deep, Quiet Drinking-Water Lake
Bent Tree is a private, gated, deed-restricted residential community of approximately 3,500 acres in Pickens County, Georgia, with the main entrance gate off Highway 53 in the Jasper-Tate corridor. The community is governed by Bent Tree Community, Inc. (BTCI), which administers gate security, internal road maintenance, common-area maintenance, amenity facilities, and the community-controlled portions of Lake Tamarack. The community draws drinking water from Lake Tamarack at a permitted withdrawal of approximately 0.23 million gallons per day, with a parallel withdrawal from Chestnut Cove Creek — making Bent Tree one of two Pickens County gated communities (the other being Big Canoe with Lake Petit) where the central lake is also the community water supply.
Because Lake Tamarack is a drinking water source, gas-powered motors are prohibited. Only electric motors, canoes, kayaks, sailboats, pedal boats, and similar non-fuel craft operate on the lake — the same restriction that produces the quiet-water character at Big Canoe. Buyers who specifically want conventional gas-powered boating should look at Lake Burton, Lake Allatoona, Lake Lanier, or the Georgia Power lakes; both major Pickens County gated communities preserve quiet water for the drinking-water mission. The trade-off is the genuinely tranquil character that engine-free water produces — no wake activity, no engine noise, no fuel concerns. For buyers who specifically value that character, Bent Tree and Big Canoe both deliver it; the choice between them turns on scale, amenity model, and other community characteristics rather than on lake boating type.
Lake Tamarack: 110 Acres, 85 Feet Deep, Stocked with Trout
Lake Tamarack at approximately 110 acres is the central water amenity of Bent Tree. The lake is unusually deep for a southern community lake — reaching 85 feet in the deepest sections — and sits at 1,450 feet above sea level. The depth profile supports a cold-water layer that allows Lake Tamarack to hold trout, which the community stocks annually alongside the warm-water bass, bream, crappie, and catfish populations. Annual trout stocking is rare in southern community lakes and is one of the distinctive features of Lake Tamarack's fishery.
The lake was created by impounding a tributary stream during the original community development. The South Dam underwent significant rehabilitation work in 2020-2021 following a 2018 overtopping event caused by a 6-8 inch overnight rainfall. GZA Environmental designed the rehabilitation including articulated concrete block overtopping protection, replacement of the upstream bulkhead wall, and an effective embankment drainage system that addressed historical seepage problems. The infrastructure investments reflect appropriate ongoing maintenance for a roughly half-century-old dam and have brought Lake Tamarack's dam infrastructure into compliance with current Georgia Safe Dams standards.
Year-Round Tennis, Equestrian Center, and the Distinctive Amenity Mix
Bent Tree's amenity infrastructure includes several genuinely distinctive features. The tennis facility offers six courts — hard surface, clay, and two indoor courts — supporting year-round play regardless of weather. Bent Tree Stables provides full-service equestrian access including English and Western lessons, boarding, trail and arena rides, summer camps, special events, and horse shows. The Joe Lee 18-hole championship golf course is the centerpiece of warm-weather amenity use. Two swimming pools (one heated for adults only), a beach, miles of walking trails, a dog park, a covered picnic area overlooking the lake, library, post office, and on-property RV and boat storage round out the amenity inventory. Few comparable Georgia gated communities match the breadth of Bent Tree's amenity package at the 3,500-acre scale.
Everything We Cover on Bent Tree
Independent research on every topic buyers ask about this 3,500-acre gated community — the BTCI voluntary membership structure, the deep electric-only Lake Tamarack, the Joe Lee golf course, the rare on-property equestrian center, and how Bent Tree compares to neighboring Big Canoe.
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