Chewacla State Park Campground

**Chewacla State Park** near _Auburn, Alabama_ was a nice place with some old architecture and nice mountain bike trails.

At the front gate the employee was so busy talking to his friend, possibly another employee, that he couldn’t be bothered to answer any questions. Then his friend felt the need to tell me make sure my dogs were on leashes in a totally snarky voice/attitude. When I stated my dogs would be leashed she said “yeah that’s what they always say”. That could have ruined the whole visit.

I attempted to have an enjoyable time exploring the trails and area and soon forgot about the evil female at the front gate. I really like the old bridges along the roadway and trails. I missed the falls :( The original CCC cabins are renovated and still in use.

The lake is pieceful due in part to only non-motorized vehicles permitted. There is a nice beach area with sand and pavilion.

The campground has an old showerhouse but it was in good repair. Not totally creepy at night. The sites are level and shady and depending on which site you get mostly private. The tent area sits between the two RV loops.

Rude employees 

We tent camped during football season.  They have clean facilities.  Several trails.  We will go back.

War Eagle

Nice hiking trails here.  Mountain biking is also allowed on many of the trails. Trails are along the lake, along the creek, and in the woods.  Trail map is well done and helpful.  Easy to get to this state park that is not far from interstate hwy I-85 near Auburn, AL.  Some pictures attached taken while hiking and sight seeing.  Both RV camping and primitive tent camping can be done here.  Cabins/cottages can also be rented.  

Hiking, camping, and sight seeing at Chewacla State Park, near Auburn, Alabama

Chewalca State park has a lot of activities for anyone in the area to do. They have one the best mountain biking trails in the area; however, I did not get to try it out during my visit. I enjoyed the trail which loops around the lake and has an area where I could see the water fall. I also was able to find a spot to setup my hammock and enjoy the mist coming off the water fall. The park was good, but I wanted more challenging and exploring hike. This park is great if you have children and pets. The trails needed a little more work. 

A great camping and hiking experience for Southeast Alabama.

Chewalca State park has more to offer than just hiking. There are several mountain bike trails of varying diffivulties. There is also paddle boating and kayaks available for the lake. Throughout the hike there are canopies and grills where families can hang out. The hike was easy and not very long. The trail loops around the a lake and brings you to a waterfall on the back side of the lake. The waterfall is easy accessible and you can get as close as you wish.  The park is also pet friendly. 

Easy hike and Family orientated activities

Primitive sites are fantastic. Lots of room and privacy (woods in between sites) and dog friendly. Has a pond with small beach area and diving dock for kids and paddling and playground. Hiking options are around the lake or down the small river or stream with lots of places to set up hammocks and a few small waterfalls. I think the longest hike is 3 to 5 miles so not a lot of full day hike options.

If you're into Mountain Biking the park has recently devoted a lot of time and resources to bike trails and obstacles and they're phenomenal.

Overall, great site and definitely worth the camp if you're in the area or pulling through but lack of long trails and unique attractions make it where I wouldn't travel here specifically for this park.

Great primitive sites with hiking, water, and trails

As a first time mountain biker, this park was tough! There were several hiking and bike trails to choose from, and they were clearly marked. This is a great place to start mountain biking and there are increased difficulty trails for when you get confident!

Mountain Biking!

This is a great campground just off the interstate with great swimming, biking, and a waterfall. It has a lot of history related to Auburn University and is popular with students as well as past generations of students. But it continues to be a good family friendly destination. Flat campground with good services. We recently stayed in a cabin after staying in the campground years prior. The cabins are built by CCC and are lovely historic dwellings with great stone fireplaces and wood work. We were in cabin 2, the sofa bed needs to be replaced. The lake connector trail goes in front of the cabin but down the hill. On a Saturday in spring this trail is highly trafficked. The cabin comes with a flat bottom john boat but our was actually TAKEN after we unlocked it. The park rangers could care less when we reported it. The experienced mountain bike trail is just next to the cabins and is a great obstacle course for kids learning. The playgrounds are old and outdated but this can be a good thing  to those nostalgic for swinging metal playgrounds. The concrete diving pier on the lake is a classic with an old school high dive. We were not there during football season for our second stay but it is very hard to get a cabin in the fall. It is a great family destination for the day or the weekend.

Avoid during football season

My husband and I stayed here in May. They weren’t very helpful at all when we got ants from them. They just sprayed even more chemicals that we already tried and called it a day. We had to leave 2 days early. We were staying here to celebrate our marriage with friends and family so we were already stressed. This wasn’t at all what we call a good time. 

Beware of the abundance of ants

Even though you are technically within the city limits of Auburn, you really feel like you are away from it all. Perfect for camping with the Boy Scouts or just a day of hiking with the family, there is something for everyone here. Covered pavilions, fishing, hiking, camping, bike trails, you name it, there is something for everyone. My preference is to hike, but if camping is your thing, there are plenty of options, from primitive camping to RV spots. Try this hidden gem!

Secluded yet convenient

It’s in a nice park with water features, they have a swimming area, small creek, and falls. Many areas have killed mtb trails to ride, worth a sniff, the camp fees are a bit steep for a state park in my opinion beyond that great 

Good for MTB

My kids love this place! The waterfall is pretty big and is literally a 5 minute hike. Kid friendly for any age. The rocks and water make it a perfect outdoor play and adventure space for kids. Mine never want to leave. The playground is great and the lake for swimming is a hit. Mine love the vintage High Dive. Not a crowded park. It’s a good pit stop park or all day hang out. It’s clean and my older kids enjoy the biking. Meant for all ages. Campsites and cabins. This whole place is a well kept secret ☺️!

Kids Dream

We stayed at Chewacla State Park as a quick call in for same day reservations, you can’t makes reservations on-line but can by calling or emailing your request. For additional information you can find answers at their web site (https://www.alapark.com/parks/chewacla-state-park). We spent two days here and was assigned to site # 10 of the 1st loop. There are two loops consisting 36 sites, one loop of 16 sites and another with 20. All sites except # 1 and # 2 have water, electric, sewer and TV connections. There are also 10 primitive camp sites located between the two full hook up loops. We used the swimming area which is close to the camp ground, the lake has a swim platform which has an elevated diving board about 10 to 12 feet high. There are many hiking and biking trails throughout the park, there are some very aggressive mountain bike trails with challenges to test even the expert riders. We also visited the waterfall which is a man made feature built by the CCC and doubles as the dam for the lake. This is a nice park but I feel it would be very crowded if all sites are full, the facilities are also showing their age regarding the bath houses but were cleaned daily. 

There was excellent Verizon phone service and LTE data, we also received about 12 very clear over the air TV stations. 

Convenient Stopover During Travel

Hiking here was a perfect escape. The trails were litter-free (with the exception of a can or two) and eventful (ranging from intermediate to a challenge). The scenery was diverse and fruitful - waterfalls, streams, rock formations, trees, frogs, birds, butterflies, colorful mushrooms, etc. You would not think you were anywhere near a popular college town when you are in the park. 

Beautiful!

Parked late one afternoon to get a driving break in road trip. Tent camping from dusk till dawn was peaceful. Lots of areas to climb though the trails.

A great park outside a perfect southern campus. War Eagle!!

Traveling back east, we found Chewacla State Park campground on The Dyrt. Due to heavy rain, did not make it as far as we wanted, so this was a last minute same day reservation, which we made online.

  

Total fees were $42 for a full hookup site. We got site 34 which is an 80' long back in spot. Super easy to back in, even in super dark conditions with heavy cloud cover and no street lights of any kind.

  

Water pressure is awesome and they have both 30 &amp; 50 amp electric. Sewage is nicely placed in a low spot so you won't need a hose lifter (a rarity in our experience).

  

Out spot is across from the bath house, but also the dump station. No smells, but I would imagine mornings might be a bit congested and noisy as other campers are leaving and dumping.

  

Also directly across from the site is a large picnic shelter. Sites are decently spaced apart, though site 35 is a pull through, and though unoccupied on our nights stay, might make it feel a bit more cramped.

  

Our site had a fire ring and picnic table. And even though it's close to the highway, no noticeable traffic noise. Only thing we could hear were some kids playing across the campground.

  

It's about 5 minutes off the interstate and very easy access (just watch out for the staggered speed bumps at the campground entrance...it's narrow, too.

  

No wi-fi in the park. But Verizon 4G was 3 out of 5 bars on my Samsung S20+. 

  

Overall a great spot and easy to reserver online for those looking for a calm and peaceful overnight. Looking forward to getting a run on the trails in the morning!

Great little state park just outside Auburn.

Chewacla was a favorite to visit for a few hours a a local college student and now it’s an excellent location to take the family on an RV trip. Many of the sites back up into the woods for shade and a hint of privacy with plenty of space to setup outside. We are staying in the second loop and really like our site. The sites near us (28-33) all look great for space. There are a few pull-through sites but none of them look as good to us as these on the back side of the second loop. 

Beautiful hiking, amazing mountain bike trials, and lake swimming give you plenty to do in the park and the surrounding area has lots of shops and restaurants if you want to get out of the park for a bit.

WiFi works great in our section as well if you need that. Speed test showed 10Mbps on my device and I had no issues streaming 4K on a Roku TV. 

All sites have a grill and a picnic table from what I could see. Plenty of trees for  hammocks and clothes lines, and shade as mentioned.

Smaller State Park, Excellent Location

I am rather new to tent camping so I really appreciated the helpful folks running the camping area.  Each spot had electricity, water, great internet, picnic table and places to build a fire.  Each site is shielded from the next by trees.  Bathrooms and showers are used but clean.  Clear maps available for hiking or biking.  Nice lake with swimming and boating.  Pet friendly.  Could not have asked for more or better.

Could Not Have Asked for Better

We called to book our stay while on the road and were treated with friendly, helpful staff. Our site was perfect with plenty of space and easy to get into. We hiked a trail to the waterfalls and really enjoyed the view.  There is a lake on the property with a beach. This was a great place to stay!

Great Campground

First time in this area and very pleased with the campground and site. Close to Auburn and Tuskegee. Site utilities were in good condition and we enjoyed the area. Verizon signal good. 

Wooded Sites Close to Auburn 

We only walked the trails but the many mountain biking trails here were quite impressive. Hot showers, clean bathrooms, flat campsite for our van, and excellent WiFi!

Awesome trail biking

Nice hiking trails, mountain biking trails, a lake, a waterfall, and cabins. What more could you ask for all in one spot? Campground is a bit cramped, but the showers and bathrooms are clean, and the trails are well maintained. Close to shopping. Very quiet at night. 

Nice campground with lots of activities

Everything was so green and beautiful. Was able to accommodate a same day reservation and late check in. Clean restrooms, and nice accommodations. Although we just stayed one night, our morning walk to the lake was a great way to start the day!

Beautiful Quiet Stop

Stayed here while grandson played Allstars in Smith Station Al . Nice small park with lots to do feom bike trails to swimming and waterfalls 