We are in site 80 for 5 weeks for the holidays. The campground was largely empty during the week. AT&T coverage is poor at best with only 1 Bar and 0.2-0.6 MB/s. I use AT&T’s Mark the Spot app and ping this location every time we stay here. Hopefully, some day they will improve service here. T-Mobile had 1 Bar but 4 MB/s. There is no WiFi. We had marginal satellite coverage at our site with the trees bare and there would likely not be much at most of the other sites either due to the heavy tree cover. We were however, able to get 29 OTA DTV channels with our omni antenna. We did have 50A service at our site, but I don’t believe they all have it yet. 

Our GPS(RV Life app) always indicates that you turn from Monte Sano Blvd onto Denison Ave, but don’t go that way, very narrow. Go one street past Denison to Nolens Ave, which goes straight into the park.

The sewer receptacle connections are not threaded, so you'll have to weigh down your sewer elbow to prevent it from coming out of the receptacle.

Our site was massive, but was situated right next to park entrance and major hiking thoroughfare.

Our site had a place to park and a fire ring that was full to the rim of coals and half burnt logs. It didn't take long to clear it out, but the pit was extremely muddy and lighting a fire meant a ton of smoke. No picnic table here.

The best sites were along the ridge, but are divided into AB sites. So you are sharing basics amenities with a neighbor. This site design seems to be suited for families or groups, but if you are wanting a site with a view you are kinda stuck. Not all of the improved sites are suitable for tents.

Their staff is A+ if you have never been, call ahead and book over the phone. The staff know this campground well and can steer you in the right direction every time.

The lower score comes from the park being rough around some of the edges. The CCC museum is a small shack, not really worth your time. The Northern Alabama Japanese Tea Garden is a bit of a head scratcher to say the least. There is a disc golf course the plows through the middle of it and the trails (while peaceful) lead you off to the main road.

We had booked two nights here, but decided to move on after only one night. 

(Sadly didn't have time to take pictures, but the leaves were beautiful.)

Leaves were in peak color, the temperature was 65 all day and night due to wind and was a really pleasant

Decided to do some fall camping in Huntsville to see the Rocket Center. Found this campground and couldn’t be happier. From an RV perspective, this place is phenomenal. We managed to snag a full hookup pull through site on fairly short notice. Site #30 turned out to be more than large enough for our tiny camper and could likely hold the largest 5th wheel/dually combos on the road or a 30+ foot travel trailer plus two vehicles. I walked the site off at an estimated 70 feet long. Sites throughout the park are pretty level, and ours required no leveling from side to side. Picnic areas are large and located on the proper side of the sites. Fire rings are large, steel, and have cooking grates. All sites that I could observe had all connections convenient and didn’t require any exceptionally long power, water, or sewer connections. I really liked the buddy sites for those who might be traveling together, but for those looking for some separation, this campground provides that. No parking slide to awning here. If a view is on your must have list, I suggest sites 46,48,49,51,53,55,57,59,and 61. These sites back up to the hill side and views through the trees are gorgeous. I’m sure it’s even better in the winter when leaves are gone. Camp store is nice and sells firewood ($7.50/bundle as of this review). Highly recommend checking out the Japanese Tea Garden for an easy, quiet hike. Wildlife is abundant and have little fear of humans. Squirrels and deer routinely entered our campsite while we were sitting around.

We've lived in Huntsville since'87 and never camped at Monte Sano. Once we sold our house we camped their through the Christmas holidays to be near family. We got a lot of rain and our particular site did not drain well, so would probably choose another next time we stay, though the office said they were going to do some site maintenance. So, maybe that will improve. There is lots of great wooded, hilly hiking on Monte Sano, which we took advantage of between the rains. Sites are spacious; you are liable to see the occasional deer out your window. Since the sites are quite wooded, though not secluded from each other, satellite coverage is likely only possible after leaf fall. We had intermittent DISH coverage at our site. Downtown Huntsville is a mere 15 minute drive with lots of dining and cool nightspots(try Humprhies. Also visit Lowe Mill, Stovehouse, Campus 805. Plenty of good local breweries. One thing we will say about Huntsville is their recycling is limited (no glass). We hope that soon changes.

Although we have been to Monte Sano many times to hike and attend events, this was our first time camping here. Monte State Park Campground is a large campground with 15 full hookup sites, 59 water& electric sites, and 21 primitive tent sites. All the sites are gravel, most sites are wooded with lots of shade, and most site are mainly level. All style sites include a picnic table and fire ring. 

Check-in is at the camp store if you arrive during store hours or with camp host if you arrive after hours. We stayed on site 24, which had complete shade throughout the day. This site backs up to a draw and each evening just before dust we could watch the deer walk up through. 

The bathhouse is centrally located, newer, and cleaned daily. There are also laundry machines available between the men’s and women’s area. 

Firewood, ice, limited grocery items, and souvenirs were available at the camp store. There is a full grocery store about 15 minutes away. 

We found ok to limited cell phone service with Verizon throughout the property. The state park did have wi-fi near the camp store. 

The park has many trails for hiking and mountain biking, as well as host the North Alabama Japanese Garden. The North Alabama Land Trust also connects to the state park and adds many more miles of trails. We hiked about 15 miles this weekend and there are many more miles to explore on another visit. 

The state park is located 5 minutes from Huntsville where you can find many restaurants, breweries, and the Space& Rocket Center. Check the Huntsville visitor’s center website for all that is offered in the area. In addition, the Burritt on the Mountain located just minutes from the park entrance and has an open air museum and an amazing overlook of Huntsville. 

We are very excited that this gem is located so close to use and are proud to call this our home camp!

This is my new favorite park close to home. Monte Sano is located in Huntsville but you would never know it once get get up here. It is so peaceful. The sites are shady & far enough apart that you feel like you have a little privacy. And if you love to hike then this is the park for you. Wonderful trails that are clearly marked. There is a trail for all skill levels so you can decide how intense you want and how long you want to hike. There are several sites on the edge of the mountain that offer stunning views but they go quick so it’s hard to get those. The same with the few sites that offer full hookups. Having sewage isn’t that big of a deal for us but it is nice to have. We came up here last summer & there was literally a 10° difference in temperature when we got to the top of the mountain. So even in the heat of summer it’s pleasant up here. If you like to venture out there is plenty to do in Huntsville & several great places to eat. The bathhouse could stand to be updated but it’s usually clean & the water is hot so I’m happy.

We visited Monte Sano State Park in the middle of summer (June) and stayed in the campground for five nights. We made our reservations through the Alabama State Parks web reservation portal at https://guestrez.megasyshms.com/5Q5BT for campground and cabin rentals. 

The campground is located near the city of Huntsville, Alabama to the east. The park was easily accessible and the drive from the city to the park was not typical as it takes you though some of Huntsville’s neighborhoods before arriving to the park’s entrance. Once we arrived we went directly to the visitor’s center where the staff was friendly and organized. Our paperwork was already completed so the check in process was quick but very informative. We also received the gate code for the campground as the gate is electronically operated and closes after every opening to provide a welcomed level of security. We stayed in site 25 of the first loop, the park was not crowded in the campground as the summer temperatures were near extreme highs. The camp sites are very well spaced and there’s enough trees and underbrush to offer privacy. There are a few sites that have full hookups but most are without sewer. The park map I’ve included shows the ones with full hook up services. The bath houses were clean and orderly, the staff came by in the mornings to clean and restock. There are two camper/tent loops with rest rooms and showers at each. One tent only loop with no facilities but beautiful large sites. 

The park has several scenic areas where the views of the mountains are great and provides a nice place to sit and ponder. There's also an operational Planetarium on the park sponsored and operated by the Von Braun Astronomical Society (https://www.vbas.org/). There are shows on Saturday’s at 7:30PM with an admission or $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for students. You will need to get there early though as parking is limited but worth the effort to visit. 

There are miles and miles of bike and hiking trails here, on the weekend it’s amazing how many cyclists come here to ride the trails. Some of the trails are very aggressive and some moderate for those of us that want this pace, the parks paved roads also offer a good place for a casual ride in the evenings. 

All in all, we really enjoyed this park and will add this to our return list in the future. I also have to recommend a visit to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center (https://www.rocketcenter.com/) in Huntsville, you won’t be disappointed.

We stayed 4 nights in our 23 foot Airstream in site 14, a pull-thru, with our 2 kids, ages 5 and 13. A hiking trail that leads to the Japanese garden runs directly behind the site and it is close to the bath house, but not too close 😉 The Japanese garden is small but lovely and definitely worth the short walk.

Nearly every site was full while we were there (because of the city wide celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing), but it never felt crowded and everything remained clean and well stocked. We attended a show at the planetarium, they run every Saturday. The 13 year old and I enjoyed it but the 5 year old and my husband found it excruciatingly boring. If space and astronomy aren't your thing, don't go 😂 On clear nights you are invited to look through the telescope. The view from the overlook just past the planetarium is not to be missed.

We had zero Verizon service at site 14 but it was nice to unplug. If we wanted to check the weather or email we just took a quick bike ride to the sites on the bluff or to the camp store. The store doesn't stock much but there's a great little family owned grocery store, Star Market, at the bottom of the mountain. We got pizzas and some hot items from the deli. Everything we tried was good!

We took an afternoon to tour Cathedral Caverns which is about 20 miles away. If you are even remotely interested in caves or nature or pretty things DO NOT MISS IT! There are not words enough to express the spectacular beauty of the caverns. There's a paved path the entire way, making it accessible to everyone regardless of physical capability. They offer a golf cart tour to those unable to walk the 1.5 miles. It's wide open and triggered none of the anxiety I typically feel in a cave.

Back to the camp ground... lots of wild life to see. Tame-ish deer wander among the camp sites and snack nightly at the camp host's site. Mind the 15 mph speed limit! They are not bashful about giving tickets. Very friendly staff. We'll definitely be back

Ranger Review: Aftershokz at Monte Sano State Park, Huntsville, Alabama

Campground Review: First before I get into my review, I am TOTALLY BIAS at Monte Sano SP ! I LOVE this park, the only thing that could make it better is if there was a lake or attached watercourse. The hiking is moderate to extreme up and down some interesting rock formations. The mountain bikers and bikers seem to enjoy themselves too, flying down the closed roadway or the steep roadways and challenging themselves on the rocky terrain. I’ve been several years now and still haven’t gotten around to all the trails. The campground is laid out in two loops and a dirt loop for tent campers. I was in site 19 which was in the way back, unfortunately near a “pond” so a few mosquitoes were about. Otherwise pretty spacious sites. I hung my hammock and could have put up a tent. Pretty quiet though the campground was close to full. The showerhouse has a pay washer and dryer in the front. Older building but well maintained. Coded gate entry and plenty of trail access right from the campground. Some excellent overlooks a cool waterfall hike and an adjacent land grant. I’ve run several trail runs here and you always see something new. I also found ANOTHER excellent hole in the wall restaurant in addition to several others in the area. https://www.poboyfactory.com/ Worth checking out ! Monte Sano SP has so much to do you could easily spend an extended time there and not be bored, unless you want to be. I mentioned water at the start of this review, though there are no water sports within the park there is more then one option available not very far away. Definitely worth visiting again!

Product Review: As a Dyrt Ranger I get to review interesting products. I had the most excellent mission of trying out Aftershokz https://aftershokz.com/pages/technology. I am not a fan of headphones, they don’t fit well in my ears, they are in my ears, I can’t hear anything else, SO I don’t use them. Enter the Aftershokz! Different take on headphonz, on their site you can read about how they work, in laymen terms (my take) the Aftershokz sits on your bone and the vibrations create the sounds that you hear....It makes sense to me but you should read the information on the site, lol. So anyway, nothing in my ear, I can hear what’s going on around me and no worries of them falling out of your ears. I wore my Aftershokz for a trail-race in Monte Sano SP. Once I put them on I pretty much forgot they were there. I could hear my music and hear what what was going on around me. The sound level is adjustable on the headphone. I also checked the reception distance while working in my backyard. I had good sound at about 50 yards without anything in between. Rechargeable, flexible and sweat proof are additional plus’s.

To get to this park, you drive right through Huntsville neighborhoods. We made our reservations earlier in the week but had a different site each night because the park was going to be full.

In my opinion, all the sites are nice because the campground is in the woods. And you can pitch a tent far from the road in the separate primitive area.

On Saturday night, I couldn't believe the number of TVs outside the RVs. I guess this is an inexpensive way to experience an Alabama football game outside. :) Sites were crowded with lots of people; one site had about 8 cars along the road during the game. Fortunately people were in a good mood because Alabama was never in danger of losing.

Alabama's Campground Taxes Are HIGH

Our sites with water and electricity were $26/night although a senior discount was applied for Thursday night. (No discounts on weekends.) We paid a one-time fee of $5 and the total cost was $93.55. Taxes are almost 20%.

Amenities

• There are only 2 restrooms/showerhouses which seems a bit on the low side for this campground. They're clean enough but the staff should check them more often on a full weekend in the fall. By Saturday evening, there were no paper towels and the toilet paper was gone from all except one stall. And it was still like that on Sunday morning at 9.

• Standard amenities include a fire ring and picnic table at each site, dump station, and trash dumpsters out front.

• Sites (except primitive sites in the tent area) have power and water. There are also some sites with sewer hookup.

Hiking

The number of hiking trails is what made this park appeal to us. You can pick up an excellent map at the park office.

Other

• There's a disc golf course and a Japanese garden.

• Primitive sites were full so we didn't ask if a teardrop trailer could be taken back there. The road to those sites is a bit bumpy but we could have easily fit on those sites. A call to the park would be worth it if you're interested.