Looking for the best Dauphin Island tent camping? The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Dauphin Island's most popular destinations.
Scout
Large campground. Not near the beach. Seems to be decently maintained. Bathrooms were updated and clean. Campground not near the park restaurants . Would be a long walk to get to them. Decent hookups. Beware of the ants!!!!!! The whole campground is infested with stinging ants. There are ant piles all over the campsites. I was stung really bad after accidentally getting near an ant hill. They are really bad!!!! Almost had to go to the ER.
Traveler
Nice and quiet. Good separation between campsites with shade. Bathhouses clean and close to most campsites. Plenty of walking trails. Love the Bird tower and kayak launch. Sandbar near launch to hangout when paddling. Perdido Key state park is close by for great beach access. Free if staying at Big Lagoon.
GuideCampground and beach area as well as bathrooms are in good shape. Camp sites are missing shade trees from hurricanes. Worth a stop👍
Legend
Beautiful campground with large spaces. Wildlife is in abundance. Hosts kept us informed of the weather. Close to everything.
RangerIf it didn’t have the Gulf weather and bugs and or for that matter, the campers, this would be a five star campground. I sit here writing this review at the pool. I opened my book to read and the lady next to me brought out her Bluetooth speaker to blast music. Last night, a family chowed down on a can of pringles in the pool. Trash everywhere at the fishing docks. My husband went to put our wash in the dryer last night and dryers were filled with abandoned clothing. People have bicycles with horns.
We did make the mistake of coming here during one of the busiest weeks of July, but that doesn’t mean that every campsite should be littered with crazy amounts of gear, despite it being so obviously oppressively hot and muggy that much of it seems unusable. I want to reiterate: the weather is vile but I still can’t imagine bringing fans to plug in OUTSIDE of my camper. The campers next to us have a large trailer, camper bus, a large truck and a golf cart. In one spot. That doesn’t include the bikes, the chairs, the tents, etc.
The actual campsites and facilities are nice. Individual campsites are spacious and level and come with a grill and picnic table. Some site locations are much better situated than others (I would never want to camp along Campground Road - it’s insanely busy with cars and bicycles). It’s great to have a large pool w backside, clean and fairly large laundry facilities, a camp store and an exceptional network of bike trails. There is also a very awesome nature center, several playgrounds, pickleball courts, a boat ramp, and free bicycle rentals! There is ten bathhouses and while only three bathroom and shower stalls each seemed insufficient to me there wasn’t anyone in the bathhouses any time I utilized them. They were super clean and in reasonable proximity to all of the sites in the loop.
The campground, which is massive (500 plus sites) consists of several loops, and is smack dab in the middle of the State Park. Campers get free parking at several beaches in the Park, which we utilized (beach was pretty quiet in the morning). I thought that was a great perk. We didn’t get to bike much between the heat and rain but the trail system looks amazing and there were plenty of staged opportunities for both free and paid bike rentals.
The campground is located right smack dab in between Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, which is ideal if you want to go play some miniature golf or grab a bite to eat.
I think coming off season is probably the best bet - we honestly didn’t even feel like we were in nature when we came and it was so darn humid I didn’t really want to nature anyway! I think the campground would benefit from allowing less vehicles at each spot - from my vantage point, I’m literally staring out at nine trucks for maybe three campers.
GuideWe stayed at spot 448. It was a pull through spot with a good amount of morning and late afternoon shade. Site was somewhat level, maybe about.75” lean on one side. Bathrooms were relatively close, but there was a lack of stalls for how many campsites there are. There is a lack of places to throw trash and the dumpsters are all the way back at the front of the park, it’s quite a drive. Not a lot of street lights throughout the campground made things nice and quiet at night. It was very nice that almost every spot had full hookups. The site had decent Verizon cell service, around 10-20 mbps. The Tmobile service was around the same. Service seemed to be better the closer to the main road you were in the park. The biking trails were amazing, very wide, with a good amount of shade. Lots of activities to do around the park besides the beach. You can walk or bike to the beach, although it's around 2 miles depending on where your spot is. Your parking pass for the campground also provides free parking at various beaches around the park. It’s only about a 15 minute drive to either gulf shores or orange beach for even more things to do. Overall the campground was clean, relatively quiet, right next to the beach, with a ton of activities. Negatives would be how expensive it is, lack of bathroom stalls, and since the park is so massive, it takes a while to get everywhere.
TravelerClean restrooms and nice clean showers,nice big pool,beach nearby
Traveler
Very clean, well kept park. Good space between sites. The only downside I could find was I10 is close enough to be heard. 5 minutes away from battleship park. Plan for a whole day there if you really want to see everything they have to offer. Only an hours drive to the Naval Air Station at Pensacola. Highly recommend the museum there as well as Blue Angels practice viewing.
ScoutCheck~in was a breeze, nice people in the office. Site was easy to back in and very clean.
Legend
Stayed here because it was so close, literally a block away, from the Mississippi Colosseum, for granddaughters cheer competition. We checked it and were greeted at arrival, with information packet. FHU, back-in concrete pad, and small dog park. A nice clubhouse and facilities, although we did not use. Directly across the street from the beach, perfect for photos. Clean pool but too cold to use. Very close to neighbors and backed up to apts, which the garbage truck came super early on Sat, dumpster on other side of fence. We were up early, but if you like relaxing and peacefulness, probably not my choice. Close to lots of area attractions, stores and restaurants. Many closed for off season, however. Waffle House next door to RV park. Good for short stay!
Legend
Our site was pull thru, all with FHU, great water pressure, gravel sites. Great place to decompress and unwind, in a natural environment. Spacious sites, also saw a nice tent area, several portable potty’s, and a free to use washer and dryer in the Hanger/guest clubhouse , that also has a sink station, picnic tables, and grilling area! Lots of added touches! 3 dog parks, dog washing station, mutt mitts throughout park(which was much appreciated,) a nice playground, tree swing, volleyball area, soccer field, and disc golf. This is our third time here, the first was for the balloon festival, and we stayed in a smaller back-in site, second time was for our granddaughter’s cheer competition, in Orange Beach, and now we are here to kick off the summer with our grand at OWA! The pull through site was partly shady and more than accommodating, with our truck and 40” RV. T-Mobile was ok, but we used our Starlink for work and streaming, which was awesome…no interference. We went to the fireworks at OWA tonight and ate at The Goat and watched the playoffs! The rest of the week will be full of fun at Tropic Falls, and ACC is within minutes of restaurants, stores and beaches!
Scout
Pitbull friendly they didn’t bay an eye. Great staff super clean place. Friendly people.
RangerAwesome state park with incredible facilities. We had reserved a campsite for our camper van, with my elderly parents renting a cabin at lakeside eagle cabins (also part of state park). It wasn’t a feasible option to walk between the two on a regular basis, so we ended up staying with them in their cabin so we could be together. It was phenomenal. New, modern, three bedroom cabin with awesome screen porch. Campground was clean and nice too. Good hiking trails in the park. We would return!
LegendThis is a beautiful state park with lots to do for the kiddos. They have nature trails, a swimming pool, tennis courts, shuffle board and a nature center where you can learn about local wildlife. There are several lakes for fishing. The beach is across the highway from the park, so you have to drive or take the shuttle service - there is a shuttle that runs throughout the park. It is a large park and very spread out. Tons of bathhouses - We did not use so can’t comment on the status. We did see alligators on the nature walk. Super cool. Most of the sites do not have shade, just fyi. the beach had one of those rollout handicap mats so you could get your wheelchair closer to the water. LOVED that!!
GuideThese campgrounds areamazing. We have full hookups, wifi, activity center with pool, tennis courts, horseshoes and volleyball. Great hiking and biking trails.
TravelerWhat can I say? Gulf State Park is the one by which all other parks in the region (NW Florida/Alabama) are to be compared. Everything you want: Hiking, BIKING, access to the beach, fishing, etc. Many sites have shade and a degree of seclusion. 28 or so paved bicycle trails, great Wifi, etc.
Only caveat: Good luck trying to book a site. Takes a pro, or a bot or something. It's rightfully popular.
Scout
They are not calling guests with reservations to let them know that there is no longer free cable or internet. The outside pool is empty and unsafe. They have removed putt putt, basketball, and docks for fishing. Also, the amenities listed, like alcohol and market, do not exist. More lies to get people in. After raising rates and getting really bad feedback, they are now begging people with promos to get them to stay. And don't let them tow your rv because they don't have the truck that they use insured. So if they damage it who pays for it? They can't afford repairs in the park so don't count on them paying for your repairs if it gets damaged. I see no future for this park with the " investment " management company they brought in. More worried about filling their pockets than caring for guests. It's sad that the summer folks will show up and find all of this out and be stuck because all of the other parks will be full for summer. It's companies like this that take the fun out of the rv life. If you want to see for yourself Google REEAF and RVPM. They don't even treat outside investors well.
Scout
Great location. Staffs are friendly and helpful. The RV sites are well mark. We will be back to stay
Ranger
Cute little beach that wasn’t crowded at all. The water gets deep fast. It’s a nice spot to park and be to your spot with little walking.
RangerI enjoyed walking around by the water. This is by ocean springs a little town with awesome art!
Traveler
Passed through one night stay. Convenient to get to off I-10, shady spot and full hook up. Should have used our own shower, but I like to look around......not good. Code to use the shower wasn't necessary because door wasn't shut and locked, shower was NASTY, but they did provide your own personal brillo pad for cleaning.....Wait, that wasn't a brillo pad!......lol. Walked dogs in the morning to have to retreat back to camper due to pit bull running around off leash. Probably won't be back.
Ranger
Seems newer, close to town but not with all the noise, set far back from the road, clean, really nice pool, great amenities. Reasonably priced. We would visit again
TravelerI know there are new owners but when I pulled in there was no one in the office. They had a lot of long term people with some pretty old rigs. Did not like the place at all and I moved on.
GuideThis was our first visit to Gulf Shores State Park in Alabama. The check in was as slow as molasses even though they had lots of staff, mostly standing. Waited in line for 45 minutes with one person ahead of us taking her sweet time to book a future campsite. Our site was nice, spacious with privacy. We were worried about the alligators and snakes so kept pups on a short leash.
The beach was beautiful, with sandy white shores and lots of shells. However, if you have dogs, it's a no-go so they have to stay back at the camp. They do have a lovely dog park, right on the lake where dogs can run and swim, but the 'do not feed alligators' was a concern. Locals said they had never seen one in 15 years... so not sure and not sure I want my dog to be the exception.
We enjoyed the friendly, southern hospitality of the town and would definitely return. I would investigate other dog friendly places in the area.
GuideThis site is ok with a mix of nice and ok sites. The sites are a bit crowded but the overall location is nice. Would come back but would also be open to explore other sites in the area
GuideThis is a great site at a great location. We arrived in the dark but luckily we had the gate code in the email to move in set up our spot. The next morning we were amazed by the beautiful location of it. Highly recommend will definitely come back here
GuideAwesome state park! Plenty of room between spaces which are staggered so you aren’t looking out your door at another trailer. We lucked out and got a waterfront site. Had a great seafood dinner at Felix’s just down the road. Would love to come back for more than just a couple of nights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Dauphin Island, AL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Dauphin Island, AL is Shady Grove Campground with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 3 tent camping locations near Dauphin Island, AL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
