Best Equestrian Camping near Columbiana, AL

Oak Mountain State Park Campground features dedicated equestrian sites in the Equestrian campground section, separate from the main camping areas. These sites are pull-through with full hookups including 50-amp electrical service for RVs, making them suitable for horse trailers and larger rigs. Recently remodeled bathhouses in the Equestrian section are maintained to high cleanliness standards even during busy holiday weekends. The campground's layout provides convenient access to the park's extensive network of horse trails. Security patrols regularly monitor the campground areas to ensure camper safety.

The bridle trails at Oak Mountain State Park connect to a comprehensive trail system throughout the 9,940-acre park, allowing for varied riding experiences from beginner to advanced levels. Riders can access multiple hiking paths that permit horses, with trails ranging from flat terrain near the campground to more challenging routes through the park's mountainous sections. The park is located approximately 30 minutes from Columbiana in Pelham, making it accessible for day trips or extended stays. Water access points are available along several trails for horses to drink. While the park doesn't provide horse corrals at individual sites, the equestrian campground is specifically designed to accommodate trailers with adequate space for portable corrals or tie-outs that campers bring with them.

Best Equestrian Sites Near Columbiana, Alabama (5)

    1. Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    96 Reviews
    Hoover, AL
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (205) 620-2520

    "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."

    "It's the largest state park in Alabama."

    2. Chilton County Minooka Park

    4 Reviews
    Calera, AL
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (205) 312-1376

    "Right now there’s about 30-40 spots, spaced out well, and lots of trails! There’s a small lake but it’s only for fishing. Can’t paddle board or canoe here."

    "Lots of trails to hit on the dirt bikes or ATVs. We go for day riding trips once a month or so."

    3. Backcountry Site — Oak Mountain State Park

    1 Review
    Pelham, AL
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (205) 620-2520

    $6 - $18 / night

    "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."

    4. Wind Creek State Park Campground

    47 Reviews
    Alexander City, AL
    47 miles
    Website
    +1 (256) 329-0845

    "Lots of trees and lots of waterfront lots on the shores of one of Alabamas most beautiful lakes."

    "Of course you are on the at one time largest man made lake so all those water activities. There are nice trails that are adequately marked. Once again updates would be nice."

    5. Bama RV Station

    3 Reviews
    Peterson, AL
    48 miles
    Website
    +1 (205) 722-7005

    $30 - $35 / night

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Equestrian Camping Reviews near Columbiana, AL

150 Reviews of 5 Columbiana Campgrounds


  • J
    Aug. 5, 2021

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Stayed at Equestrian Campground

    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.

  • C
    Oct. 24, 2020

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Fun for the whole family

    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.

  • Jeff A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 8, 2021

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Add this place to your list!

    What an amazing campground! Alabama knocked this one out of the park. From the first time you enter the park, which isn’t too far from BHam or the interstate, you’re transported to a different place where things move much more slowly just the way we like it. The campground is a 5 mile ride from the main entrance. A beautiful winding road takes you all the way, deep into the property. If you’re lucky, you will see plenty of wildlife (we saw 7 deer and one rabbit). The campsites are very spacious, we stayed in site A30 which was great! But if you want a view, try A26 which overlooks the lake. There is a general store on property that even has propane. If you’re active, they offer bike and hiking trails, horse riding, kayak and paddle boat rentals, and a couple of beaches. Don’t wait, book your stay here ASAP!

  • M
    May. 17, 2020

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    First time with my family

    I've been wanting to visit Oak mountain and we booked last minute May 1st-3rd. They were booked completely except for an equestrian pull through site. I had already made plans with my family and another (both first timers with our own young families). I asked about pitching tents on the gravel and they said people do it. We had two tents on complete gravel and had enough tarp and mats that it really didn't bother us. The stables were right in front of our eyes, and we could hear the peacock next door, which was lovely actually. Their horses on their farm were roaming around and it was beautiful! Bathrooms were absolutely perfect and cleaned what seemed twice a day from the cleaning logs. They were maybe 300 feet from us and since the RVs all have hook ups we seemed to be the only ones using them, really. Everything else was basically closed down, but when we went to hike the water fall trail, it seemed so crowded that I wasn't surprised when we saw the ranger show up to send people out of the falls, so we didn't waste our time. I'd go back to enjoy the beach and trails, with a bike definitely!

  • R
    Jul. 1, 2019

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Perfectly adequate for ourneeds

    We needed a one night stopover Campground. Aesthetics are important, so we chose Oak Mountain State Park for its mountain beauty. We thought we’d reserve the campsite (B36) based on its being at the end of the area and near the shower/restroom. Major pros to the campground would be an apparent lot of things to do: what looked like a zip line water skiing place, lots of major inflatable stuff in the beach swimming area, equestrian trails and stalls for horses, hiking trails... and our site was near one of the playgrounds in the campground. The staff in the office and host folks were wonderful and friendly. But, our site was an asphalt pad ( perfectly level) with no grass around it. While the campground is surrounded by forest, There were some trees, and some shade, but not enough space around us to sit back ( on our asphalt) to enjoy them. The shower was perfectly hot and adequate water pressure, but there is one shower in each shower house/restroom, and it was right inside the restroom door with a bend in the wall and one plastic shower curtain. My daughter felt exposed, but there weren’t so many people using the showerhouse to be problematic. The two toilet stalls were also enough for the number of people that needed to use them. (There are other similarly sized showerhouse/restrooms not too far away.) This campground met our needs well, but we weren’t overwhelmed and didn’t rush to book a return overnight after our trip. There are many reasons to love this place ( and the tent camp spaces looked fantastic!!!) but for what we needed I’d have to say it was just perfectly adequate.

  • Mary S.
    Nov. 5, 2018

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Close to Birmingham; close quarters

    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.

  • J
    Jul. 28, 2021

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Equestrian Campground

    We stayed at the equestrian campground at Oak Mountain. It was very nice and quiet. Once you go through the gate take your first left and keep driving. We only stayed 2 nights and didn't get to see everything they have at the park. We want to go back!

  • Ethan K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 1, 2017

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Great camping close to Birmingham

    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!

  • Johnnie  J.
    May. 30, 2019

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Beautiful Park - Plenty to do!

    *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!


Guide to Columbiana

Oak Mountain State Park, located approximately 30 miles from Columbiana, Alabama, offers extensive trail networks spanning 9,940 acres with elevations ranging from 600 to 1,260 feet. The park's camping options include traditional campgrounds, backcountry sites, and specialized equestrian facilities that accommodate riders with various experience levels. Winter temperatures typically range from 30-55°F while summer months average 75-90°F.

What to do

Mountain biking on dedicated trails: Oak Mountain State Park features extensive mountain biking options with trails for all skill levels. According to Soren B., "This place has everything, mtn bike, gravel bike, trail running, road running, road biking, golf, equestrian, sailing and fishing. It has wifi throughout and almost everywhere in the park has cell reception."

Explore backcountry camping sites: Backcountry Site — Oak Mountain State Park offers a more secluded experience away from the main campgrounds. One camper named Cat notes, "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."

Visit the wildlife center: Located within Oak Mountain State Park, the wildlife center provides educational opportunities with rescued animals. Asher K. recommends "the TREE TOP NATURE TRAIL" and mentions a "very neat trail with rescued owls, turkeys and red hawks."

What campers like

Clean, modern facilities: Wind Creek State Park Campground consistently receives praise for its well-maintained amenities. Kim T. shares, "Beautiful park, numerous bath houses, laundry, camp store, playgrounds, mini golf, and so much more. Secluded campground with RV and tent sites right on Lake Martin."

Year-round accessibility: When seeking equestrian camping near Columbiana, Alabama during winter months, campers note the different experience. According to Erin L., "We were the only trailer in loop D. It was quiet and very enjoyable! Being right on the lake and having the ducks swim up really thrilled our dogs. The bathrooms were very clean."

Water recreation options: Oak Mountain State Park Campground offers multiple water activities beyond the equestrian trails. Scott C. explains, "Great camping area for RV's or tents. Big lakes for fishing, swimming or canoeing."

What you should know

Security and service standards: The campgrounds maintain regular security patrols and staffing. Maureen L. reports, "So clean. Shower house and bathrooms clean and big. Gorgeous views. Lots of things to do in the park."

Reservation requirements: Most campgrounds near Columbiana require advance booking, especially during peak seasons. Romeo M. from Wind Creek notes, "Check in is at 4 pm and check out is at 2 pm. Spots are close together but I've seen worse. Campground is clean and wasn't noisy."

Seasonal variations: Chilton County Minooka Park offers different experiences throughout the year. Patty D. explains, "This RV destination has seen significant improvements overs the last 2 years and they are still working on things. Right now there's about 30-40 spots, spaced out well, and lots of trails!"

Tips for camping with families

Choose sites with playground access: For horse camping families near Columbiana with young children, look for campgrounds with play areas. Kim T. notes that Wind Creek has "numerous bath houses, laundry, camp store, playgrounds, mini golf, and so much more."

Consider backcountry alternatives: For families seeking more privacy than the main equestrian campground, backcountry options provide seclusion. Cat recommends, "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."

Plan for varied activities: Bama RV Station provides a convenient base for families exploring multiple recreation areas. Ronnie H. mentions, "Quiet campground with 3 dog parks level lots. Numerous sewer as well as non sewer lots."

Tips from RVers

Select appropriate hookup types: When RV camping near horse trails around Columbiana, verify what hookups are available. Napunani from Oak Mountain shares their experience: "Reserved 363 days prior to arriving. Very friendly check in staff. Huge park…very nicely landscaped and neatly mowed. Quiet. Regularly saw ranger driving through campground. A30 level site and nearly full shade coverage."

Consider site layouts: RV sites at different campgrounds offer varying arrangements. Matthew K. at Wind Creek advises, "Great location, water views. Only negative is that the wifi is not strong, but Verizon signal is great."

Research access routes: Some campgrounds have challenging entrance roads. Napunani warns about Oak Mountain: "No notice by park on the south entrance roadwork and roundabout construction...horribly tight to maneuver... recommend North entrance/exit until construction is completed."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Columbiana, AL?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Columbiana, AL is Oak Mountain State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 96 reviews.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Columbiana, AL?

TheDyrt.com has all 5 equestrian camping locations near Columbiana, AL, with real photos and reviews from campers.