Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Anniston, AL

Been parked at Greensporte for 9 months. Great place to stay. Playground for the kids, dog park, swimming pool, boating and fishing. Great staff and guests. Clean laundry and restrooms

This park is located on the highest point in Alabama. It has a great camp store with most basic groceries, hotel, cabins/chalets, group lodge, restaurant with gorgeous views, pool, 6 acre lake ALONG with great hiking trails. There is also a dog park and in general this is a very pet friendly 🐶state park. (Bring the groceries you need- closest grocery store is a 20-30 min drive)and know that the restaurant is decent but it may have varying hours during off seasons.) . 🚍⛺️campground- there are two campgrounds with full hookups. The Upper campground at the top is the mountain near all the major trailheads, restaurant, camp store and pool. The Lower Campground at the bottom of the mountain is near the small lake with swimming area and walking trail around the lake. We stayed at the Upper and in February we had the whole campground to ourselves most of our 2 week stay. All the sites are updated and have water, 30/50 amp electric, sewer, picnic table and fire ring or grill. Bathrooms at upper level can be an uphill or downhill walk. *💲this state park has a $4.75 reservation fee and a 3.75% daily “resort fee” on your base campsite rate. Both of those are not deal breakers but good to know. (Especially since the pool is only open for a limited time)

🏡 there are chalets and cabins. I felt the cabins had the better views than the chalet and more private but these are smaller and more rustic. When you are making reservations for a cabin or chalet be sure to check the occupancy rate for the cabin you choose- some are limited to 2 people and look👀 at the amenities of each cabin/chalet- some are quite rustic but descriptions are given. Good news is that they do have pet friendly cabins.

🏕there are semi/primitive and backcountry style sites. ✏️Note that the semi primitive camp sites (the ones on Tower Road) don’t have a shower house for you to use- there is a bathroom available. If you plan to hike a lot and don’t want to drive your car- try to get sites on the upper part of park. (My personal pet peeve is driving daily to a trailhead when I am camping)

📌There is also a hotel with motel like rooms (near the pool and restaurant) and you can even rent an entire lodge for groups that was very attractive from the outside (this was located at top of mountain near the overlook trail-not really walking distance to pool and restaurant)

🥾hiking - 10.5 miles of hiking in the boundaries of the park with connectors to the Pinhoti. The hiking trails had spectacular views on both sides of the mountain. Hiking poles were helpful! While the .3 mile wooden boardwalk to Bald Rock is stroller and mobility challenged friendly, most of the other hikes were moderate to strenuous for the average person. For example- There is a one mile trail straight down the mountain to the lake and lower campground. That said, we loved the hiking here. Next time we plan to bring our larger back packs and do an overnight on a section of the Pinhoti. Did I mention how awesome the views were hiking?

🚵 mountain biking- there are 5 trails that are multi use... and hikers must yield to bikers on these. While we were here there was a mountain biking race. 🚴‍♀️road biking- the roads in the park had some incline...but I was glad to have my bike to roam the upper part park where we camped. (We don’t bring a tow vehicle) My husband biked outside of the park and you can decide for yourself if you would have fun road biking here after you drive UP the mountain roads to the Visitor Center. *It is 3 miles from the visitor center/park entrance to the lower campground/lake area via non park roads. 🛶- we didn’t paddle here, it was not near our campground and it is only a 6 acre lake/pond. There is a swimming/wading.

Happy Camping! Pamela and Keith

We stayed at campsite 117. Water spigot at site. Picknick table and fireplace. Lots of trees for hammocks. A few rocks on the ground and mostly level. The park has 4 separate camping areas, this one has no showers but flush toilets with sink at the picnic pavilion. This area is on an inclined road, just something to keep in mind when walking it up and down to pool area, campstore or bathrooms. Bigfoot trail start at the last campsite. About every 5th site has power, 117 has not. Sunrise and sunsets are both viewable since this campground area is right on top of the park. Easy access to secured trash cans. Fenced in dog park is located near the top of the road near the bathrooms. Overall very clean sites. Some are more level than others. They allowed us to check in early (11am) since the site was unoccupied. All trails are very short (0.5-1mile). Longer trails are accessible via a short car ride. Pool is available to all campers; clean and cool with restrooms. Staff was very friendly. Fire trucks rolled through in the mornings checking sites.

This is the nicest of all the campsites at Cheaha by far! While it definitely is a bit of a trek to get to, I promise you it is worth it! The views from this campsite are truly incredible, especially if you are lucky enough to have a clear sky for sunrise/sunset. The site is pretty primitive and doesn’t have any hookups but it is fairly large and has plenty of space to cook. There are some premade rock fire pits that are perfect for an evening cook out. There is ample space to set up several tents and hammocks and it is perfect for a large group. Be sure to check out the crashed plane on the way up which you find just off the trail about a quarter mile before the site. This site is a must see if you ever are camping in Alabama!

This place has a heartfelt history with the Indians and loads of stuff to do! There is a petting zoo, hiking trails, campgrounds, swimming spots, train to ride, and during the winter they have a light show!

Nice little lake to play on and around. Very family and pet friendly. Restrooms and showers exceptionally clean. Not alot of paid spots with water electricity and first come first serve so no reservations. Plenty of dispersed throughout the area though.

When we got here they said our site was LC10 but somebody was on it, but they said if somebody was on it pick a spot. So we got on C4 little shade from C2 all the really shaded lots are C7 on down. All tent/power sites are creekside I believe. Up on the end where we are is the “pool” area where tubing begins tubing was about 45-1hr to the end then they shuttle you back for tips. They have a store, bathhouse, laundry, toilet close to my site sites are close together. Fire ring on our site. Seen some dogs so pets welcomed. Should’ve brought my floats :( they aren’t renting because of corona virus $10 to buy one they were nice floats though. We ran to dollar general up the street. We had a great weekend will come back our site was $26.50 a night don’t see water faucets.

The view is fantastic if you are lakeside- but it stops there. Most rentals are along one row and a couple of the lakeside sites. Sites are very unleveled with minimal gravel but almost all have a 6x9 concrete pad. No pool, no fire rings, spotty wifi and frequent brown outs on power. Both shower points smell horrible but appear clean otherwise. Lots of long-term vehicles. People are friendly and pets are welcome.

Camped in the upper primitive site while mountain biking at nearby Coldwater Mountain. Good campsite with great views. Good separation between sites, but the are very close to the road. Only complaint, site (#124) was on a decent slope and spots flat enough for tents were almost in the road. However, great spot in Alabama to camp. Very convenient to the great mountain bike trails in Anniston (http://neaba.net/home.html).

Cheaha State Park is located south of I-20 close to Oxford& Anniston, Alabama. Its in one of the highest areas of the state and the towing incline to get there proves it. If your truck is struggling to tow your camper, this might not be the place for you.

We were here over Easter weekend during the COVID-19 shut down. I was surprised by the number of campers over the weekend with some even tent camping. This park has it all. Nice sites with full hook-ups. What looked like a clean, new bath house, although I didn't use it. Lots of hiking trails, some of which are strenuous. And talk about the scenery! You really are rewarded with stunning cliff side panorama views of the area.

If you're not into camping, this park also has multiple cottages for rent that looked really nice. There is also a lodge, restaurant, and a swimming pool with a view. Many things were closed due to the virus, but it looks like it is a great place when things are open. Since it's a short drive from the Atlanta area, I know we'll be back.

This was our first time to Noccalula State Park. The park is an urban oasis just outside of Gadsden. It is gated. The campground has concrete pads, mostly back in, some shade trees, little grass around the camp sites. Can get very muddy during rains. All have picnic tables and scattered grills. The campground backs up to a public bike/hike trail which gives you easy access to the trails and hike to the falls. There are two hiking paths to get to the falls. If you go from the campground it is muddy, rocky, but a good hike. Stay on the high path! Rocks are very slippery behind and around the falls. If you take the train to the other side of the falls, its an easier hike. There is a suspension bridge that is 0.2 miles from the walking trail on the campground side. It is worth the hike. FYI, look up on the rocks as you get to the stairs to the bridge. There is a huge hornets/wasp nest on the rocks. If you take the trail across the suspension bridge, you have about a 1 mile hike back to the park. It’s rocky and muddy, so wear good tennis shoes for support. We took our 8 and 4 yr old grandsons. They were tired by the end. Thank heavens for the train to take us back to the other side of the falls to the campground. We didn’t have a ticket and they let us ride anyway as our boys were exhausted! There is a petting zoo and old village on the other side of the falls from the campground. It is a ticketed site. The walking trail back us to the campground and is well used. It is well marked, gravel trail. Worth a walk. The campground has a pool. You need wrist bands to enter, so get those at the front office. Really impressed with this campground even though our weather was rainy. Would like to come back at some point

PROS 

Site 27- pull-thru gravel. Very nice moveable 6 ft metal picnic table; fire ring with cooking grate; pedestal BBQ grill 

Campground very quiet Sunday-Tuesday nights 

Frequent ranger drive thrus of the campground 

T Mobile 3 bars 

CONS 

Upon arrival, power outage due to storm and lasted until dark. Check-in was not able to be completed so had to return the next day. 

Paid a transaction fee for making my own on-line reservation along with a resort fee and sales tax 

No senior or Veteran discount 

Site 27 greatly unlevel side-to-side 

Fire ring full of ash upon arrival 

Street light at Site 28 that lights up all of 28 and most of 27 and 27A. 

Extremely tight at checkin station. We had to park partially on AL281. There is a very small parking lot at the check-in station with no loop around 

No trash receptacle in either men’s or woman’s toilets 

Campground noisy Friday and Saturday nights. Lots of loud music. 

Bathhouse not serviced over weekend 

Large rocks throughout the campground had been painted

(by children) an unsightly vivid paint 

Don’t Miss 

Climbing to the top of the CCC Bunker Observation Tower 

Hiking out to Bald Rock 

Berman Museum in Anniston 

Watch—some pull-thru sites have the camper door facing the campground roadway with the picnic table and campfire ring along the campground roadway.

This was a beautiful campground located up a mountain. It was very quite with large sized lots. Dog friendly with a corner store and restaurant nearby. Awesome mountain views and hiking.

Great spot for climbing lots of variety.

The camping spots are great. Some spots with great views, others more sucludened and offer great tree coverage. They have clean bathrooms with showers and a water pumping station. We love this spot for a good adventure! Dog friendly also!

Cheaha State Park is a absolute must visit if you're living in Alabama or visiting. I finally had the opportunity to explore the highest point in Alabama and the beginning on the Pinhoti Trail, which connects Alabama to the Appalachin Trail. However, I am going to describe my hiking and camping experience on the Rock Garden Trail. The trail can be done at the bottom of the mountain or from the top. I started from the top and enjoyed some beautiful views. There were places were I could repel and places where I can set up my hammock and enjoy the beautiful Alabama sunset. This experience has been one of my best thus far since I have not hiked outside of the south eastern area of the country, it was hot during the day, but very cool during the night which allowed me to sleep spectacular. The hike was difficult in areas because there were parts that were straight incline going up the mountain. I would definitely go back.

Located in Ashville, Al, Greensport is a jewel of a place to get away and enjoy the beauty of Alabama. It sits on Lake Neely Henry and spreads across many acres. They are building/working on new sites to expand their capacity and they are doing it right. If you are in North Alabama this should be on your list of places to visit!

This campground is located at the highest point in Alabama. You are surrounded by beauty with plenty of opportunities for hiking. The sites are not crowded and very quiet. You can sit and enjoy looking at the stars and listening to the sounds of nature.

Bugspray and a screen tent are a plus because Alabama grows an abundance of mosquitoes. Headlamps or flashlights are a necessity because the ground is not level and has many toe catchers. The area for the camper or tent is fairly level and has well placed water and electricity hookups.

The Mountain Laurel was in bloom and was breathtakingly beautiful. Well worth the trip. The store was well stocked

I have hiked the back country here and lots of good sites with adequate water make it a good backpacking adventure for beginners. The lodge is good for a meal when you are done and some amazing north Alabama views