Turnipseed Campground

Pack some water and head out. Great hikes with water falls. Pit toilet, no water, critter proof trash cans. First come first serve. Cash box available to pay. We had cell service. Used 10' trailer/ camper. No hookups or running water.

Closed until March 1, 2023

This is a cute car camping site that we have stayed at several times. It provides great access to hiking in Cheaha and is perfect as a home base for adventures in the area. It was actually closed for COVID when we were there but I believe that it is now reopened. I would definitely check online to make sure it is open before planning to camp here. I would definitely suggest this site over the main Cheaha campgrounds since it is more private and primitive which I prefer. Not a great site for RVs though.

Quiet and serene. I love this campsite.

Stumbled upon this gem on our way from Nola back home to Raleigh NC. It’s a beautiful well maintained campsite with huge lots!!! Quite, serene and a ton of hiking trails all over. Absolutely loved it and will return every chance i get. Oh and it’s a whopping $5 a night the best bang for your buck I’ve seen yet!!! It is first come first serve tho but there’s about 10 or so campsites too choose from. I highly recommed!!!

Beautiful camp sites well maintained and only 5$ a night

Great simple campground with a fire pit and grill, 1 table per spot, and a lantern hook. Turnip seed is a first come first serve park, using a $5 per tent honor box. However, if there are no spots available you can easily walk down one of the two trails and find a spot someone has made. This is connected to the Pinhoti Trail, and branches off to the Silent Trail where one can visit The Falls and Devil's Den.

We were there April 25-28, 2019. During Thursday and Friday it was mostly empty. Saturday night it was half full. Peaceful, clean, nice hiking. The State Park just up the road has a small camp store and restaurant if needed. Saw some snakes, evidence of bear. Has access to the Pinhoti Trail. Best for tent and van camping. Maybe a tiny RV.

Went to the ranger station and they recommended us to this campground and since we have been here it's been very peaceful and quite and relaxing... We are the only 1s up here for the time being but there's some good walking trails that we hiked on was easy to make a hot meal with the fire ring was able to eat in peace saw some wildlife but not to many just a lot of woodpeckers and a few sparrows but that's about it ... There's to in the outhouse which is amazing lol... Are first time here in Alabama drove here from Dallas oregon so I must say great campground to get away from the noise towns of anninston...a short drive also 24 miles approx 40 minutes drive...

Although there is Turnipseed campground not too far from here it can be full at times and this site provides a free group alternative if you are willing to take a short trek with your gear. Make sure to check out my review of Cheaha Falls Campground and Turnipseed Campground where I discuss the entire loop and the best times of year to visit. The site is right along a small creek and is composed of a large cleared out flat area with a few trees. You could definitely set up a bunch of tents and have a whole boy scout troupe. If you only stay for one night I highly suggest trying to complete half of the loop and go up to see the views on the southern side of the road.

Campground Review:

This was my second time at Turnipseed but my first time there in springtime and it is a world of a difference. We got to the site late on Saturday night and made our way down the short dirt road to get to the campground area. When we arrived we realized all of the sites were already taken and there wasn’t really any space around to set up camp. Since we were backpacking the next day we just decided to crash in the trunk of the car and call it a night. It worked out perfectly and there were plenty of spaces to park to make this happen. 

One of the great things about this campground is that it is much more primitive than some of the more RV targeted sites up at cheaha peak. It still has an outhouse and each site has a hook and fire ring but otherwise there aren’t many amenities. You can’t reserve online so you will have to show up early in the busy season to get a spot. On the other hand it is pretty spread out and you won’t be bothered by rangers driving around late at night or big groups of campers getting in your space. 

Overall, I would highly recommend Turnipseed if you don’t want to backpack but want a more primitive site to get away to. It’s only 1.5 bourse from birmingham and a little further from Atlanta but you feel like you are in a different world. 

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Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, I tried out the Renogy Foldable Powerport Solar Panel. Some of the things I really loved about the solar panel are:

1. Weight: the first thing that struck me when I opened up the solar panel was just how light it was for how many panels and how efficient it is. Weight is a huge concern when backpacking and having an energy source at this size is amazing. Just make sure you are in an area with direct sun cause otherwise it’s not so effective. Also you will need to carry a battery pack with you since there isn’t one built in. 
2. Dual plug: The panel has 2 usb slots for charging and a small Velcro pocket that could hold a phone or battery pack to avoid cables dangling everywhere. The ports are also designed to deliver the power according to the device plugged in and are termed “smart” ports. I found while using it that it struggled to charge two devices at once but this was probably more due to the challenge of finding direct sunlight. However, it still ended up charging one device more than the other if it could pull enough power to at least charge one. 
3. Attachment hooks: This was a crucial design component and I’m glad they included so many attachment options. The panel came with 2 small carabiners that are perfect for attaching to a backpack and there are so many loops on the solar panel that it gives you lots of flexibility in how to attach it. I was able to get mine setup on my backpacking pack so that it had the best upward angle towards the sun. Take a look at the pictures below to get a better idea.

Only about a dozen sites, most to partial shade (it's in the forest), plenty of downed pine not far. Sites are positioned well and decent for tent or something like a motorcycle camper. No water but up the mountain, at the Cheaha State Forest campground, you can refill when nessesary. There were a hand full of walk in sights off the trails heading through.

We had a great trip. There were only a few other campers at the campground and we were all spread out from each other. Even when the campground is full you will not be on top of other campers. I would not recommend this campground to anyone in a large RV. It is very cheap though. Where else could you stay for $5 a night other than backcountry?

We camped right by the enterance when you first come into the campsite, all other spots were full. I would say there are about 10 spots maybe less or more. Each site is spaced a good distance from the other. It's very nice to just drop five dollars in a box and go camp there are no attendants here. There is no running water or showers but there is an outhouse. Nice place to disconnect from everything.

This is a tiny densely wooded primitive camp. There are outhouses but no water, some sites have old picnic tables and/or a fire pit. The fee is very small. Perfect way to escape from society completely :)

Yay: simple campground, not much to say about it but we loved it. We saw and heard a lot of birds and wildlife here!

Nay: as the name implies, it is used heavily by hunters. I would not go here in an RV.

Surprise: explore as many trails as you can, especially the Pinhoti trail. There is a ton of diversity in this area, including lovely plants, geology, animals, and deep almost completely undisturbed wilderness. Truly an exceptional area.

This campground is great for two reasons. First off it is in the Talladega National forest and close to some incredible hiking and views. Second it is well setup with lots of space for each campground along with individual picnic benches and fire pits. Camping here you will get lots of privacy and it wont feel overcrowded like so many of the other sites in the area. Additionally you don't have to worry about pesky check ins since you just fill out a form and drop off your $5 fee in the box. The fall is a great time to see this area since the leaves are gone and the views open up. Give yourself plenty of time to go on several hikes to see the different peaks in each direction on the trails.