Best Cabin Camping near Dauphin Island, AL

Blakely State Park is a very large State Park, with different choices for camping. There are larger primitive tent sites, smaller tent sites with power/water hookups, RV sites, two primitive cabins and 2 newer cabins which are very nice. There's TONS of hiking, a battleground for history buffs, a playground, a boatdock, lots of hiking, horseback riding etc.

I stayed in one of the two Squirrels Nest, which are primitive cabins. Basically open air cabins. 2 walls, a roof and 2 walls of screens. There are two wooden platforms for beds. A twin and a queen, and barstools to sit inside and look out into the woods, over the hill in which they are nestled. There's a sink (but no water) and a cabinet, and outside a large deck with bench seating. Below is a fire pit and picnic table. There is a shared porta potty outside of the two cabins. These cabins are a bit of a drive out in the woods, so make sure your vehicle is up to it. It's very peaceful out there. My cabin was inhabited by mice at night, so I kept my food in airtight plastic paint bucket containers & my belongings covered by garbage bags on one of the platforms and had my air mattress inside a pop-up mosquito tent, so the mice did not bother me. I was after all in their house. I sprinkled peppermint oil around my gear & my bed platform to keep the mice away. Next time I will have my food in a large cooler so that the wildlife is not attracted.

There are hiking trails by these sites, as well as, steps down the hill, leading off into another trail.

i would stay there again. Great place to get away.

Dauphin Island is an amazing place! The island is not very large, but has lots to do. There are several good restaurants, ice cream shops, a great seafood market called Skinners, where you can order fresh seafood from the steamer (we ordered crab legs twice during our stay 😋), parks, bike paths across the entire island, great fishing, a bird sanctuary, an Estuarium (similar to an aquarium), and beautiful white sand beaches, just to name a few!

We stayed at the Dauphin Island Campground in the tent area on site 8. The check in process was fairly time consuming , as it is all written out by hand. Check out is the same way, and they don’t take online reservations. The people in the office are amazing though, so it was ok!

The campground map is not accurate for site selection. We were first given site 5, which looked great on the map, but was not great for our rooftop tent. Also, there is no way to see the ocean from ANY site, so don’t think you’ll have ocean view. On the map I thought we might be able to have a glimpse of the Gulf, but not so. Site 8 was perfect for us, nice shady spot with view of the trees in the bird sanctuary. All tent sites have water and electric hookups. They do not allow anything to be hung from trees, including hammocks, so bring hammock stand if you plan to use them.

The RV sites are all pretty close to each other. The row nearest the bay has water views, but is also next to the road and auto ferry. Several long time residents stay at this campground, Possibly seasonal.

The restrooms/bathhouse was immaculate! They have a designated cleaning at 9-9:30 daily, and they were in excellent shape. There’s also laundry facilities on site. There’s a camp store, and a fish cleaning station, and playground as well.

Beach access is in the back of the campground near the tent sites, we took our bikes and that was the best way to get there. It took us less than a minute to be on the beach. The beach was fairly empty and that’s what we loved the most! Like having our own private beach. Take a cart to haul your chairs, umbrella, etc, or plan on packing it on your back like we did. The people who were fishing were catching fish the whole time, so if you enjoy fishing, this is a great spot.

We absolutely LOVED Dauphin Island, and will definitely return, but if we come back in the summer, we will bring the pop up tent so we can have A/C, as it is blazing hot!

I have done tent camping at this park a couple times. All of the sites are close together and the ants are ridiculous. I had read reviews about the ants prior so I came prepared. Each site has a picnic table & fire ring. There is a boat launch, which is popular, a pier and also 2 cabins that you can rent. This is a popular park for RV's. And of course there is a shower house & covered picnic tables.

I chose a specific site with water view which was enjoyable. The street lights throughout the park are very bright, so if you're light sensitive when you sleep, use a darker tent. All the sites have power & water hookups.

April 4, 2021 Camper Van Site: Harper #7 Primitive $20 Over 2,000 acres crisscrossed with trails. Interesting replication of the ghost town of Blakeley which disappeared around 1830, but before then it rivaled Mobile in population and economy. Harper loop, where I camped, is at least a mile into the woods and has no hook ups. The sites have picnic tables and fire rings and offer decent privacy. Bath house is 7 minute walk. My shower was cold. Dumpsters near bath house. Staff house nearby. Staff very pleasant and helpful. Wish I could stay more than two nights.

RV park closer to entrance.

PROS 

Quiet 

Minimal streetlights 

Site 435 level 

Asphalt parking pad is extended as an area for the picnic table 

Pedestal BBQ in good condition and free of ash upon arrival 

Moveable metal and wooden picnic table 

Super clean climate controlled bathhouses 

Very nice, large, park laundromat with coin changing machine. Detergent sold at camp store. 

Recycling available at dump station 

Super bike trails 

Good park WiFi 

TMobile 3 bars 

CONS 

No senior or vet discount 

15.25% resort fee charged 

15% sales tax charged

$5 reservation fee charged 

Site 425 no shade - we were HOT in January! 

No info provided that state park does not provide campfire rings. Campfires are permitted but you must bring your own campfire ring/pit 

Picnic table top rotted leaving large holes and unuseable

Two roll-off compactors for the campground located at the dump station near the entrance/exit. If you are not camping in that area you are in for a hike.

I rented from them one of their rental campers they also have R.V lots for rent they have pavilion and laundry pretty quiet it's right at fowl river Rd on Bellingraph Rd. Just south of the coldest swimming hole you will ever exp. And Bellingraph Gardens if you love beautiful flowers and trees you can see alot of southern hospitality here and just a mile down fowl river Rd is a nice place called Memories fish camp to launch a boat in fowl river with peirs for fishing and a small bait shop that has cold drinks, snacks, and beer at the end is grocery store and other shops and entertainment , and nice restaurants take a right and over the bridge is Dauphin Island with Fort Gains then the ferry to Fort Morgan And the beaches of Gulf Shores

Gulf Shores Alabama Gulf State Park Current camping spot on the canal. Ours is a nice pull thru with electric and water. Almost 500 sites here from tent to big rig friendly. Spacious sites, some with foliage, some with Lake or canal views. Grills but no fire pits. Right now there's a shortage of usable bath houses because of hurricane damage repairs in progress. Good wifi, local TV, and cell service. Close to stores and dining. Free access to adjacent pier. Great coastal access. Free use of bikes. Lots of great paved and boardwalk trails. Gators, snakes, armadillos and birds reside here.

Despite the appearance of an unglorified RV parking lot with basically zero privacy and not much space in between the individual RV’s, this spot is a decent stopover if you need to pull your mobile living room over for a short spell. Lakeview RV Resort has more than 100 individual parking lanes for residents and I found the community to be inviting and friendly  there’s even some social gatherings poolside (very nice feature) each night around sundown. 

Of course, the gem of this place is the 16 acre lake, which I was able to get my kayak into for a few quick handful of laps early in the morning. If you’re driving an RV or hauling a camper behind your SUV, then this concrete camping parking lot just off of Highway 15 (due north of Interstate 10) near Saucier may just be the perfect spot for you. But if you’re a diehard tent camper like I am, you’ll be out of luck. 

With ample slanted and elongated parking lanes for your parking pleasure, all of the sites come equipped with the typical 30 / 50 amp electrical hook-ups, waste disposal and water connections, picnic tables, garbage receptacles and even a community BBQ. Additionally, they’ve got a small boat launch, cement / asphalt pads, internet, laundr-O-mat, pavilion for large group events and propane for sale. The restrooms were pretty decent (but could use a serious power spraying).  You’ll discover that both RV’s as well as even a handful of cabins / cottages comingle here, but basically, this is a site designed for and around RV’s.

Insider’s Tip? Near this RV parking lot, you do have access to all of the nightlife and entertainment you would expect to find in nearby Biloxi, and of course, there’s the world-famous Gulf Shores beachheads that are just a short drive to. I’m a diehard foodie, so after a few days of cooking campside, I like to head into town for a nice local meal. There’s 2 great places I could recommend, right off RT. 10, due south of Lakeview RV Resort– either Puff Belly’s Brewery, Pizza& Grill(great live review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b55Vs2hnJk4&t=7s) or Fried Green Tomato, which lives up to its reputation as the Best Fried Green Tomatoes in the South(https://www.tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/souths-best-fried-green-tomatoes/). 

Overall, for the price, convenience and location, Lakeview RV Resort isn’t a bad spot for a night to take a break. 

Happy Camping!