Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Bankhead National Forest

This is a great little campground tucked away on the edge of Bankhead National Forest. The location of the campground makes it an excellent location to enjoy the numerous waterfall hikes in the area. The campground was laid out well with spacious gravel sites and full hookups. Sites 2-4 had good views of the pond/field, sites 10-15 backed up to the tree line to provide a little shade all other sites had full sun. The camp host was super friendly and helpful. They have a general store, laundry, bathhouse, and small dog park. The campground has hiking trails on the property if you don’t have time to visit Bankhead NF. If you’re in the area or wanting to spend time in Bankhead NF I’d recommend checking this campground out.

This is a great campground which puts you near all the magic of the Sipsey Wilderness Area in the Bankhead National Forest. We last camped here in May 2020 on Yellowhammer 21 and there was a bit of a sewer smell in that area when it’s hot, so beware of that, but otherwise the campground is great. The trails in the nearby Sipsey are just amazing. If you go hiking, make sure you have AllTrails with a downloadable trail map before you leave the campsite, because there is not great cell service on most trails, and it’s easy to get turned around in some places. They also sell a waterproof Cart-o-Craft map in the stores nearby that can be super helpful.

The entire Sipsey Wilderness is gorgeous, but if you want a trail with lots of great spots to camp, this trail is fantastic. Don't expect bathrooms or drinking water to be nearby, but if you're looking to really get away from it all and do some primitive camping, this is a great place to go. You'll find fire pits at most of the sites that previous campers have made, but that's about it. Most of the time, except during dry spells, there are LOTS of waterfalls. Also lots of shallow places for the kids to play in the water. Watch for snakes and bring bug spray. If you want a good campground in Bankhead National Forest near Sipsey that is more modern with a bathhouse, picnic tables, etc, try Brushy Lake. But this trail is perfect for primitive camping.

This particular creek is one of my favorite canoeing destinations, as I grew up paddling along this river at summer camp. As an adult, it's been fun to return and spend time actually camping in the Bankhead National Forest. While I don't enjoy the heat and humidity the south has to offer in the summer months, this area provides well shaded sights and the cool water to keep the heat at bay.

This isn't a terribly busy camping area (I've never felt crowded here) and there are 102 sites ranging anywhere from $19-$38/night. Another highlight, unlike many USFS camping facilities this one has flush toilets! Not that there's anything wrong with vault toilets but flushing ones are nice!

If you find yourself in or around the Jasper area, take a moment to explore this national forest and why not spend a night or two in the woods while you're at it!

This campground is not open year round. It's season is early March-late October.

The campground was clean and stayed quiet. About 40 feet between sites. Trees but no underbrush, so no real privacy between sites. The campground is geared towards RV's. It's not bad. There is water and electric at all the sites. Dont plan on playing in the lake unless you get the outer side of the loop. It's good that the waterfront sites are not reservable in that you have a chance at something. I've never been one to plan out my camping weekends 42 years in advance like everyone else seems to. Its on the far south side of bankhead national forest. We went to hike some trails in the Sispey wilderness and it was about an hour drive to get up there. Our neighbors, which I think are camp hosts are friendly enough, but they left there dozen strands of led lights on all night. It looked like the Vegas strip not the woods. I prefer the woods. But if you like the big RV culture you will probably love this place. I'll keep looking for a quiet place in the woods.

This RV park is right on a lake, but a bit away from anything else. If you have any sort of boat, kayak, paddle board, bring it! There is hiking about an hour away at the Bankhead National Forest.

You can pick your spot when you arrive. I like that.

A and B sections are the original sections. C section is brand new with 50 amps hookup. All the big rigs there.

I was on C74 with a great backyard overlooking the hills.

Bathhouse is brand new and squeaky clean. You can see that almost no-one uses the campground shower because one of them doesn’t have a curtain to separate your dry clothes from the water. And neither of them have a caddy or any spot where you can put your soap.

Pool was not open when I was here in April which was a shame. It was hot enough. I would have enjoyed a swim, especially so we there is not much else to do. I don’t have a boat yet. 🙁

A decent Thousand Trails campground.

I had no reception with Verizon but my AT&T hotspot had good reception.