Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Birmingham, AL

Update for most recent visit: This is by far the best place to camp near Birmingham and has many different options. I was just there this past weekend and it was so beautiful to see all the fall colors starting to show. My wife and I hiked up to the King’s Chair lookout on this visit and it was such an amazing sight. I would definitely recommend this time of year to visit the park. Make sure to check out my videos that show off some of the great features of the trails. The campground here has several different types of sites including walk in (tent only), RV, and even horse camping. Just make sure to check in advance if they have space since it can fill up in the busy season.

Quiet campground with 3 dog parks level lots. Numerous sewer as well as non sewer lots. Economy camping option in the economy storage area. Numbers posted for assistance as well as campground office in with the self storage office.

This is a friendly, clean, campground. Staff is helpful, guide you to site and help you park. Sites provide easy access with ample space for RV and vehicle or trailer. Quiet park, pet friendly with areas to walk you pet with grass and trees.

Oak mountain state park has been a favorite of mine since I was a child. There's so much to do; and its always growing. It's the largest state park in Alabama. Theres lakes, waterfalls, nature trails, basket ball court, volley ball, a petting zoo, horses back riding, water sports, dirt bikes trails, BMX course, archery, cabins, primitive camping and rv's , a beach, a wildlife rescue center and so much more. If you're in the area do yourself a favor and check it out.

I hiked the red trail loop. The trail is used for hiking and mountain biking. Easy trail to follow with good signs. Overall the trail was moderate and was a fair distance a little over 10 mile hike. Not difficult and pet friendly.

Very happy at this campground. But there aren't many campers here. I think they are at the main campground. But regular RV campers are allowed at the Equestrian center. We are close to the farm/petting zoo. Also the horses are next to the campground. Very quiet and reasonably priced.

Beautiful park with lots to do! Oak Mountain is a big state park with lots to do (golf, biking, archery, lots of trails that are very well marked, petting zoo, very neat trail with rescued owls, turkeys and red hawks, and more). Great camping area for RV’s or tents. Big lakes for fishing, swimming or canoeing.

I’ve been going here since I was a kid and it’s one of my favorite places in the world. You’ll never run out of things to do between the endless hiking trails, the museum of wildlife, and the wildlife rescue center. There’s an archery station within the park and a petting farm. The campground is easily navigated with multiple bathhouses per campground so you’ll always have one nearby.

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.

With the sites being inside Oak Mtn State park you get to enjoy the other attractions in the park which include Hiking, Biking, Petting Zoo, Horseback Riding, Lake, Swimming Beach, Wakeboard Course and BMX Track. They have a good number of site with a few having electrical hook up. They also have RV spots. They have a playground for the kids to play on. Several bathhouses spaced out over the camp ground. They also have a small convenient store located in the check in office.

So I've only camped here in a Tent & RV. There are nice Bathhouses that include Toilets, Urinals, Sinks, Stand-Up Showers & Lights! There is also WiFi and a small beach. And Cabins that are not in the campground area you can camp Primitive campsites, one's with power & water hookups and others w/power, water & sewage and a fire🔥pits in every campsite.and you can bring your own boat as long as you Only Use an electric motor like a trolling motor. There is fishing and pets are allowed. Also certain nights there will be games including bingo for all campers to participate in & win stuff. Every Sunday morning there is an indoor/outdoor Church gathering.

This park and campground is one of my favorites for sure. The park is full of things to do such as hiking, horseback riding, a petting zoo, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, swimming, bicycling, etc. The campsites are awesome with both primitive and powered sites. The one I stayed at was close to a small lake in a good shaded area and plenty of good trees to tie up a hammock. Campers beware do not leave any food in totes outside of your camper or tent the squirrels will chew a hole in the lid trying to get to the food lol... The bathhouses are nice and plenty located throughout the campground. Due to covid-19 you may want to check in with the front office and see what activities are available before booking. When I went it was at the early stages and even then some of the activities were closed. 200 Terrace Dr, Pelham, AL 35124

(205)620‐2527

This state campground in the Birmingham AL metro area is a quick getaway for city and suburban dwellers. We were looking for continued warm fall weather on a slow trip north; this met the warmth and fall criteria in late October. The proximity to the city made it a good choice for exploring Birmingham.

Campground as Hotel

We left in the morning and came back in the evening. Using the campground strictly for accommodations worked out well; it wasn't a place where we would have wanted to hang around the campground all day. The large RVs crammed on sites that weren't very large gave us a closed in feeling. We pulled down the shade in our teardrop to avoid the light pollution from the campers who leave ground lights and other decorative lights on all night. (Do they leave their outdoor holiday lights on all night at home?)

Tent Only Sites

• The tent only sites are the best feature of this park. You can pitch your tent among the trees away from the RVs packed together in the rest of the park. 

• There's no power or water at these sites.  

• These sites are listed as tent only, but the park office attendant told us there were a few where we could fit our vehicle and teardrop. We declined because we thought we'd be too close to the road although we later saw several that would have been fine

• Site 42B is the BEST SITE IN THE PARK! You walk down to the site from the parking area, and then there's a great view of the water. I took a photo looking back at the site from the beach area.

Other Sites

• All sites not designated tent only have electricity and water. There are some sites with sewer hookup as well as 50 amp power. See site map photo.

• Loop A's sites are more spread out than sites in Loop B.

• Loop B: B33 was ok. I recommend sticking to the outside of this loop because there are two roads down the center where you'll have sites on both sides, across the road and behind you. Inside the loop seemed crowded because there were large RVs.

Restrooms

Several restrooms are spread throughout the park. They each have a couple toilets and a shower along with hot and cold water in the sinks. Restrooms are clean and a checklist indicates they're inspected 2 or 3 times per day. Everything works fine, but they could use an update inside. If the usage at the end of October is any indication of overall usage, this park is heavily used. It's close to Birmingham which has over a million people, one-fourth of Alabama's population. The state of Alabama should step up and do some renovation.

Site Taxes are HIGH

Be prepared for a significant jump to the cost when taxes are applied. Our campsite fee was a reasonable $22.65/night which included a 15% senior discount. Regular price is $26.65. Taxes and a $4.50 one-time fee were added for a grand total of $85.62 for 3 nights. If you're counting, that's 20+% in taxes.

Things To Do In The Park: boating, fishing, swimming, hiking. You can purchase a detailed hiking map for $1. If you aren't from the area and want to take in some Birmingham history, there are options.

• Red Mountain Park has hiking trails along with old iron ore mines. There's an adventure park with zip lining, climbing, etc.

• The base of Vulcan, Alabama's entry in the 1904 World's Fair, is the best place to see Birmingham. The museum next to the statue was well done; it provides a history of this steel city.

• The park across from the 16th Street Baptist Church (site of the bombing on 9/15/1963 that killed 4 young girls) is a window into the sad part of Birmingham's history. There's also a civil rights museum nearby.

• The craft breweries (Good People and Avondale) were good. And great barbecue at Saw. Pizza was good at Post Office Pies but they need to put more basil on a pizza advertised as a white basil pizza, not 5 little scraps.

This is a gem right in the Birmingham area! Oak Mountain is located in the suburbs of Birmingham, but it's surrounded by a vast natural area and a huge lake. I camped right on the lake and it was the perfect place for a midnight swim!

Oak Mountain is a great camping spot for people that want to have a quick escape from the city of Birmingham. It is located only about 20-40 min outside downtown. Oak Mountain has several of options of things to do away from just camping and hiking (which of course are also great to do here). The roads offer a great opportunity for a nice long bike ride. There is a huge lake which is perfect for swimming and family picnics, especially on a hot and humid Alabama summer day. We had a fantastic time camping at Oak Mountain and will definitely be back!

We love going to Oak Mountain SP when we are close to Birmingham! Beautiful and peaceful!

Love this park, you really forget how close to Birmingham you are. Lot’s to do here, camping , biking, fishing, hiking . So worth a visit if you’ve never been here .

I was very excited to visit Birmingham for my first trip. I didn’t know what to expect out of the city although I have heard several things about it’s long standing history.

One of the most attractive things about this location was that it was close to the Botanical Gardens which I had seen raved about and a lot of top magazines. Southern Living had featured them as one of their southern living gardens and I was very interested in seeing exactly just what that had in store.

Since I am a tent camper finding a location close to a city is sometimes somewhat difficult. However Birmingham location and proximity to this park are very close and that made for the best of both worlds.

While I was at the campground I enjoyed a wonderful tent site that was primitive. They have both primitive and improve sides at the campground and you can pick and choose from either. I enjoy the primitive sites simply because it does save a little bit of money while on one of my budget blog trips this stretches my dollars further and helps me go a little bit farther to the next location. I noticed that the RV sites were plenty long and could accommodate almost any size rig and still have space. There were both pull through and back and sides for both tent campers and RV campers.

The shower house although it was not the most improved our house I have been to was nice and the water pressure was strong. I enjoyed several hiking trails while out at the park during the day and then made my way into Birmingham for the evening.

The community of Birmingham it’s a wonderful place and I truly enjoyed this stop I only hope that I can explore it more on my next trip there. So many things to do while here it was hard to not have a bit more time here.