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Established Camping

Brushy Lake Recreation Area

Brushy Lake Recreation Area, near Danville, Alabama, is a cozy campground that offers a peaceful escape for those looking to unwind in nature. With around 13 campsites, each equipped with picnic tables and fire pits, it’s an ideal spot for gathering with friends or family around a campfire.

The campground features a lovely paved trail that leads to the lake, perfect for a leisurely stroll or some fishing off the pier. Visitors have noted the quiet atmosphere, making it a great place to relax and enjoy the sounds of nature. One camper mentioned, “It is very quiet and very dark at night,” which adds to the serene experience.

For outdoor enthusiasts, Brushy Lake is surrounded by the beautiful Bankhead National Forest, offering excellent opportunities for canoeing, kayaking, and hiking. The lake is known for its fishing, and many campers recommend bringing your canoe along for a day on the water. As one reviewer put it, “The lake is great for canoeing. Make sure to paddle upstream going towards the bridge to check out the creek.”

While the campground has basic amenities like vault toilets and water access, it’s worth noting that there’s no cell service, which some campers find refreshing. Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or a longer stay, Brushy Lake Recreation Area provides a charming and relaxing environment to connect with nature.

Description

National Forest

National Forests in Alabama

Brushy Lake Recreation Area offers everything from camping, picnicking, boating, and fishing to sanitary facilities including a bathhouse.A 33-acre lake, Brushy Lake has 13 campsites that accommodate very small recreational vehicles and tents. Campers occupy sites on a first come, first serve basis.

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Location

Brushy Lake Recreation Area is located in Alabama

Detail location of campground

Coordinates

34.29634641 N
87.27009193 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Fair
  • Verizon
    Unknown
  • AT&T
    Good
  • T-Mobile
    Unknown

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group

Features

For Campers

  • Trash
  • Phone Service
  • Drinking Water
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol

Contact

General Info


Reviews

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4.5

out of 5

15 Reviews

Reviewed May. 16, 2022

Peaceful campsite

Really small campsite (about 13 total) with pit toilets and water. We stayed at campsite 2. Most if not all campsites have fire pits and picnic tables. No Verizon service there but if you drive up the road past the visitor center, you can get a few bars. We got there around 10 on Friday morning and a lot of the spots were taken and was pretty much filled up by the end of the day. However, there was enough space between sites where there was not much noise from others. There is also an easy paved trail to the lake with a pier.

Sitesite 2
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Hayden E., May 16, 2022
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Hayden E., May 16, 2022
Reviewed Dec. 5, 2021

3 Days and 2 Nights

decent little campground and was quiet, nice views with a short hiking trail considering the price and availability for 5$ a day I would definitely recommend.

Site4
Month of VisitNovember
Reviewed Oct. 24, 2021

It Was An Adventure

I love the experience it was a beautiful camp site and it was a good little vacation can’t wait until next time

Month of VisitOctober
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  • (5) View All
Reviewed Apr. 28, 2021

Great relaxing place

We love this campground.   Very relaxing atmosphere.   Hiking is good!!!  It is very quiet and very dark at night!!!!!  Great family outing!!

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Leesha J., April 28, 2021
  • The falls are a short, easy hike from the campsites.
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Reviewed Apr. 18, 2021

Decent campground for the price

Sites are pretty spacious. Has a water spigot and vault toilets. There is a bathhouse but it's a short walk to the day use area. This campground is small and usually stays full.

SiteSeveral different ones
Month of VisitApril
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Reviewed Jan. 29, 2021

$5 Waterfront Camping

Brushy Lake is a lovely spot in the beautiful Bankhead National Forest. The 33 acre lake is perfect for canoeing or kayaking. The fishing is excellent. There is a nice trail that goes from the campground along the lake that is paved. If pavements not your thing you can adventure a little farther off the beating path and traverse below the beautiful bluff trail. We visited in late January and experienced the beautiful songs of the birds. They were large and loud. That made not having cell service all the better. The water spickets are not operational at brushy lake during the winter. But, just a short 3.5 miles down the dirt road water can be obtained from the Owl Creek Horse Camp area. The horse camp also has 2 bars of Verizon 4G if you need to call out to check in, but still want to stay by the lake. Bike riding down the dirt roads was also an activity that we enjoyed while staying at Brushy Lake. Specifically we stay at site four which worked great for launching the canoe. Also, site 4 was prime because outside of the pad for the camper there was a great tent pad setup for our friends who visited during the weekend. Outside of all that, there were pit toilets, nice large metal picnic tables, metal fire rings and lantern post at each site.

Site4
Month of VisitJanuary
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Gregg G., January 29, 2021
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Gregg G., January 29, 2021
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Gregg G., January 29, 2021
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Reviewed Nov. 14, 2019

Decent

Tent sites were good. The bath house was over at the day use area so that wasn't convienent. This park could use a little maintenance.

Reviewed Jun. 22, 2019

Great overnight spot

Easily accessible spot to overnight. Close to Sipsey Wilderness and several waterfalls. Clean and quiet. Short paved walking trail, fishing pier, restrooms/showers.

  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Josh B., June 22, 2019
Reviewed Jan. 13, 2019

One of my favorite places to camp

Warning: this place has no cell service, that could be a good thing or a bad thing. We don't seem to mind it. I do recommend downloading an offline version the area in Google Maps, just in case.

This is a really good place for weekend camping! Me and my family love to go camping here. The lake is great for canoeing and fishing. There is a primitive restroom in the camping area and a restroom with a shower and running water in the day area. There is a nice paved trail that goes from the campgrounds halfway around the lake to the dam.

It only cost $5 a night to camp here and the park is on the honor system.

This is a video I made on my last camping trip: https://youtu.be/MK391ssfNe8

Reviewed Aug. 12, 2018

Brushy Lake Camping with Family

Very family friendly. Has a fire pit and picnic table at each campground. There is a 2 stall bathroom in the middle of the campsite and another set of bathrooms with a shower a short walk away. Beautiful hiking, complete with a waterfall witching just a few minutes walk. Bring your canoe and fishing pole too! We go every year and cannot wait to go back.

Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Melanie C., August 12, 2018
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Melanie C., August 12, 2018
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Melanie C., August 12, 2018
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Reviewed Jun. 27, 2018

Great Campground

love going to Brushy Lake to camp only costs $5.00 a day and fishing is good I was there 2 weeks ago and the campground looked great going back soon. No phone service though.

Reviewed Jun. 18, 2018

PERFECTION

Have camped here twice now and absolutely love it. The lake is great and the area around it is great to explore.

Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Sarah M., June 18, 2018
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  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Sarah M., June 18, 2018
Reviewed May. 21, 2018

Beautiful park

Currently there are 2 bathrooms with flush toilets and running water (1 nearest road has cold water showers), 3 covered pavilions with multiple concrete picnic tables. Sites are decently spaced with picnic tables near sites close to water, will need to form your own fire ring with stones. Boat ramp, dump station, and beautiful trees everywhere. There are water moccasins in this area so beware of them.

Park is currently making an RV area with pads and it is closed while they upgrade.

Free to camp there at time of review.

SiteNo numbered sites, but was in back near boat ramp parking area
Month of VisitMay
Reviewed Nov. 1, 2017

Great camping, but have to drive to hikes

Sipsey is a great place to camp if you want to travel a bit further outside of Birmingham. We did a really nice hike, but we did have to drive a bit down the road to get to the trail head. We had a pretty nice set up at our campsite and had a decent amount of privacy from other sites. The nature in this area is very cool and consists of caves that you can hike through and giant rocks with massive roots growing down the side which can be climbed on (check out the pics!). The campsite had a nice picnic table and grill, although we didn’t use the grill provided because we brought our own.  

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Ethan K., November 1, 2017
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Ethan K., November 1, 2017
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Ethan K., November 1, 2017
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Reviewed Jun. 27, 2017

Ranger Review: Primus Onja Stove at Brushy Lake Recreation Area, AL

Campground Review:

Located right outside of the core part of Sipsey wilderness (William Bankhead) this campground is a great place for people who want to be around other tent campers and want something a little more secluded. Many of the other sites in the are are packed with RVs and can get crowded during busy season but on a Wednesday night we had the whole place to ourselves. The sites are each pretty sizable and have a good bit of privacy. They also each have a picnic table that is bolted to the ground and a hook for hanging gear and trash. 

One of the great parts of this campground is its location relative to some amazing hiking. Only a 15 min drive away are several trailheads that get you deep into the magical waterfall filled forest of Sipsey. You can use this site as a basecamp for only $5 a night and have easy access. The sites also are on a first come first serve basis with no management at the site. There is a central water pump and bathrooms without showers. Though you can go down the road 30 seconds and get to the attached day use area that does have nice hot showers and large clean bathrooms.

The one big downside to this site is that there is no swimming access to the lake. With hot Alabama summers we were hoping to get in the water but it was too marshy to make that happen. If you are in to fishing there is a nice dock for that and tons of fish in the lake. 

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**Product Review:**

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, I tested the Primus Onja Stove. My wife and I have been using my parents car camping stove and this was a major upgrade.

After some serious dinner and breakfast cooking my favorite things about the stove are:

  1. Portability: Since you can attach the gas canisters in advance and the whole stove packs up nice and tight it is really easy to carry to your site and quickly get it going. It would also be easy to get it to a picnic site or packed up for a boat trip. I really liked that I didn't have to worry about bringing the gas since I knew it was already set and ready to go.
  2. Design and style: Wow! I have really never seen a stove that looks this cool. When you open it up the frame extends out giving an elevated surface to cook on making it easier to work with when you don't have a table to cook on. I especially loved that the wood top functioned as a separate cutting board. My only suggestion is that when you get the stove you treat the wood with cutting board oil since it got a little roughed up with all the veggies we cut up.
  3. Flame control: Although I didn't perform a water boil test we were able to cook a variety of meals including grilled veggie sausages, chickpea couscous, grilled portobello, quinoa oatmeal, and coffee all at different temperatures. Everything came out perfect and it was one of the easiest cooking experiences I have had at a campsite. The flame is pretty sensitive to slight adjustments in the dial but we were able to get the heat we wanted and when opened fully it puts out a serious flame.
Month of VisitJune
  • Don't those mushrooms look delicious?
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  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Asher K., June 27, 2017
  • Review photo of Brushy Lake Recreation Area by Asher K., June 27, 2017
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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Does Brushy Lake Recreation Area have wifi?

    No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Brushy Lake Recreation Area does not have wifi.