Best Cabin Camping near Chelsea, AL

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

Want total privacy with the every kitchen supply, shampoos, comfy beds, wood for the fire pit, coffee and plenty of amusements provided? Almost 100 perfect reviews and very reasonable prices ensure you are lucky to book this cozy tiny barn.  Great movie selection, oldie classic records for the victrola, hammock, outdoor dining furniture , rockers on a covered porch plus several trails thru the lovely 10 acres of farmland gives plenty to do. The private setting in the woods is less than a mile from a highway only 40-40 minutes to Birmingham in an area of lovely rolling hills and horse farms. Perfect safety & rest from a trip on Highway 20 or 59 with a loaded car. Kids & adults love the precious moose and bear decor. Book this if you can!

We had a two day primitive camping trip at site P109. Nicely shaded site. Water spigot between out site and P107. It had stone fire rings. No picnic grill. Only problem for me was very rocky terrain. The primitive campgrounds only have toilets, if you want a shower you will have to purchase a shower pass for improved campground bath house. Looking at surrounding sites I believe P108 and P120would have been great sites. P108 for a great sunset and P120 for a great sunrise. We stayed in Cabin 3 next two nights. Cabins 1-4 &16 are in one area and provide the best views. For a great sunset view from your patio while cooking out or just chilling, choose cabin 1. There are lots of hiking trails and 3 waterfalls in the park. There is a rich history with the Civilian Conservation Corps here and if you want to learn more there is a quest that begins at the store and takes you around the park. The CCC built the observation bunk house, the custodian cabin and garage, the water reservoir, several cabins, Cheaha lake and the bath house at the lake. All built by hand in the 1930s. An amazing place with amazing views and an amazing history.

We spent the weekend in site A59 with two tents and three people. It is a nice, level site with plenty of room for everything we needed. Most tent sites in the campground have cinder block retaining walls build in that make the sites level and are very convenient for setting up your kitchen area.  The picnic table was old, but large and quite serviceable. There was a sturdy fire ring with grill at every site. NOTE: ALL tent sites in this campground are considered walk-in only, meaning that you can't drive right into the site with your car. Some are closer to the road than others, and it is hard to tell this from map. A59 was maybe 75 yards uphill from the parking spot on the road. Not a problem for us to carry our gear up, but it might be for some. We really liked this site because it backed up to the woods and was nice and shaded. Other tent sites were visible, but not close enough to feel crowded at all.

Check in was easy. You do not have to pay the park entrance fee if you are camping over night. Maps are available at the store. Staff was very nice and friendly. Firewood is available for $8 a bundle, but it was green and would not burn. I will take the propane fire pit next time.

The bath house was fine. Not luxurious, but not bad at all. As always, take your own toilet tissue - better safe than sorry. The bath house was warm and cozy, the toilets worked, and there was hot water (very hot) and soap. The hand dryer in the men's side was broken. As far as COVID precautions, there is a sign asking that only one person go in the bath house at a time, but that is not really practical, so a mask is a good idea.

The activities in the park are fantastic. We hiked for 5 hours and never had to cover the same ground. Views are glorious. There are dozens of other things to do, also. The kayakers seemed to be having a great time, as did the mountain bikers. People are friendly here. Lots of dogs, all responsibly leashed.

*It's been a while since my last visit, but since I camp there every year, several times each summer, I figured I'd go ahead and do a quick review anyway.

Every summer for the past few years I've traveled to Oak mountain, typically going several times each summer (July and August) to run the Southeastern trail series. Although there are numerous back country camp sites, I've always stayed at the campground due to its convenient location, and always stay at the same campsite (B6) each visit. The campground is divided into two sections (A & B) and each campsite has parking right at the site itself.

Although the first few tent sites on the B-side are located right off the road, they're set back far enough that they feel pretty secluded with plenty of trees to give a slight sense of privacy. These first few sites have no electrical hookup or water, but are located a short walking distance from the front bathhouse (bathroom and shower). The bathhouse directly across from my site is rarely busy, and the single shower is clean with plenty of hot water.

Each site has a cinderblock retaining wall, a picnic table, and a steel fire ring with a flip-top cooking grate. If you're tent camping, the pad is dirt with a layer of pea-gravel, so a sleeping pad is a must. Firewood is easy to find in the surrounding woods if there hasn't been a lot of people thru the area. Otherwise, wood is available at the store at the entrance to the campground. The campground is easily accessible from the parks back gate entrance, which is only a short driving distance to pretty much anything you could need (restaurants, gas, groceries, etc).  There's even a small beach area at the back of the campground exclusive to campground guests. The staff is always friendly and reserving a campsite online is easy.

One of the great things about Oak Mountain State Park is that there's plenty to do aside from the camping; hiking, mountain biking, horse stables, a BMX track, an archery range, canoeing, paddle boats/ paddle boarding, several lakeside beaches with playgrounds, a wakeboarding course, a wildlife rehabilitation center, and a treetop nature boardwalk which features several enclosures where you can view birds of prey up close. Also, if you're into trail running or mountain biking, there are several race series held at the park each year.

All in all, I love this park and already have my reservations made again for this summer!

The campground is very acceptable. Some RV sites with FHU and some without sewer. Tent sites also. We have camped here many times on many different sites in the B section. Sites mostly level and drain ok when it rains. Campground registration is easy and painless and staff is great. There is a dump station on the way out of the campground. They sell firewood and fill propane. Some sites near/on lake. This campground stays crowded most of the year. FHU sites go first. Campground is 5.5 miles from main entrance. 

The rest of the park is amazing. Probably 50 miles of hiking trails. Over 30 miles of biking trails and most are maintained regularly. Also horse/hiking trails and stables. Cabins on semi private lake. 

18 hole golf course and is enjoyable and easily walkable. 

Marina with kayak,canoe,sup and pedal boat rentals. This has been closed due to covid19 though. You can still rent these at the cable skiing area near back entrance. Picnic tables everywhere. 

Archery area with targets and elevated shooting platform.

Pump track and BMX track.

Costs 5$ per person to enter park but included if you are camping. 

Will visit again.

Very large park with lots to do within the park including golf, archery, several lakes, and hiking. We had hoped to hike to Peavine Falls, but since we arrived on the first day after Daylight Savings, we ran out of daylight and needed to get an early start the next day. As with other parks we have been in this fall, the lake was closed for swimming for the season. 

The campground is more than five miles from the entrance to the park and is quite large. It was surprisingly crowded for the first Sunday in November. We did not have reservations but were able to secure an electric site (a frost warning was in effect, so we wanted to be able to use our heater). We could have had our pick of tent (no hookup) sites. Many of the sites had the feel of an RV park. There was no privacy/separation between the sites and the sites vary significantly in size and quality. Some are pull-through, some are paved, some are gravel. Site 9 was level but not all of them were. Each site had a very large picnic table and fire ring. Check-in is at a small store that has some basic supplies but you are within 20 miles of Birmingham and the surrounding suburbs so you can easily stock up on groceries and other needed supplies before arriving. 

The bathrooms and showers were a little worn but serviceable. It was appreciated that they were heated. 

What is it about trains and campgrounds? As soon as we settled in for the night, we started hearing the very loud trains throughout the night and into the next morning! 

An ok campground but unless we were going to take advantage of some of the activities available, we probably would not camp here again.

The campsites at Oak Mountain are fairly well travelled and can get pretty packed though they provide all the necessary amenities for camping. Most of the tent sites have a level gravel area with a picnic table and fire pit to set up your site. However, the water pumps are often a little bit of a walk and shared between several sites. They are also very strict about the number of cars and this can make it tricky with a larger group. Overall it is a ok campsite but in a great park with awesome hikes. I would still recommend a visit to anyone who is willing to deal with camping close to your neighbor.

PROS 

Senior discount 

Reserved 363 days prior to arriving 

Very friendly check in staff H

Huge park…very nicely landscaped and neatly mowed 

Quiet 

Regularly saw ranger driving through campground 

A30 level site and nearly full shade coverage 

Moveable wooden and metal picnic table 

Metal fire pit with cooking grate 

Campfire wood for sale at park office 

Don’t miss the TREE TOP NATURE TRAIL! 

Good food at The Grille at Oak Mountain State Park inside the Pro Shop at The Oaks Golf Course 

All major shopping and eateries just beyond the park boundaries in Pelham, Hoover and Birmingham 

CONS

$5 reservation fee for making my own on-line reservation 

Street lights throughout campground 

Toilet/shower facility heavily used which badly needs updating 

Campground trash dumpsters are beyond the campground gate…not walkable 

Poor signage upon entering Park. We stopped at the first building on the right, as it was marked RANGER OFFICE with a large, rig-friendly parking area, but it was not a check-in for campers. Then we went through another gate on the main roadway and it wasn’t the campground check-in either. Campground directional signs after we got through that gate. Glad we didn’t arrive in the dark! 

Limited and very tight rig parking at campground gate check-in 

No notice by park on the south entrance roadwork and roundabout construction...horribly tight to maneuver... recommend North entrance/exit until construction is completed…that’s how we departed. 

Never saw a camp host 

No WiFi 

2 bars Verizon