Best Campgrounds near Elba, AL

We stayed at Kickback Ranch over the Christmas holiday, and it was the perfect setup for our family. I reserved an RV site for my teardrop camper—it was peaceful, quiet, and had everything I needed to unwind. I also booked a few cabins for the rest of the family so everyone could have their own space. The Wagon Wheel cabin ended up being our gathering spot—it was spacious, well-stocked, and made meals and family time easy and comfortable. We were able to hop on the Wi-Fi when needed, and the outdoor grills came in handy for cooking a few good meals together. The staff were kind and helpful anytime we had questions, but otherwise let us enjoy our stay without interruption. It was a great winter getaway, and having everyone close but with their own privacy made it even better. Would absolutely come back.

Our GPS led us directly to the campground (CG) on US-231, conveniently located on the west side of Troy, AL. Check-in was quick and hassle-free. We stayed at site 60, which featured full hookups (FHUs) and a level cement pad with well-positioned utilities. Water pressure was high, so we used a reducer. The CG offers WiFi, but we couldn’t locate the guest network during our overnight stay. This wasn’t an issue, as we relied on our Starlink and T-Mobile home internet, which performed well despite just one bar on our phone. Verizon reception was also solid at three bars. The CG provides cable, which we didn’t use, but our camping friends in site 59 confirmed it worked well. The older section of the CG is shaded with mature trees, while the newer area has fewer, making it ideal for satellite users. Compared to our last visit a few years ago, the only noticeable upgrade was the addition of tiny houses near the office. The CG remains clean and well-maintained. One downside was the heavy traffic at our site from long-term residents returning from work, many of whom didn’t observe the speed limit. Deer Run also offers water and electric sites in the newer back section, which we plan to request for future short stays.

Note - I drive a 20’ van - so non level is ok for me but these sites were not level - but I spent 2 nights sat/sun - and it was gorgeous especially for sunrise. Wish I could have stayed longer but I didn’t want to get stuck there in the rain - it was about 5 miles of dirt roads to get in there and they were well maintained but I didn’t want to risk it.

There are 2 hiking trails - more like atv trails that go to either side of the lake from the campground. You can go further into the forest but it was deer hunting season so I didn’t explore.

It was so peaceful and the sunrises over the lake were breathtaking.

$5 a day and there is a QR code on the board to pay, or you can by an annual pass for $40 if you plan on staying at least 9 days it’s worth it. It doesn’t hold your place on the form unless you create an account which is why the dyrt link doesn’t work.

Overall if I’m passing through again I would go back.

Also appreciated the free trash cleanup, clean porta potties and picnic tables. No fire rings really but you can tell where people burn campfires.

It’s a well maintained park and you can tell a lot of love has gone into it. Even had a ranger come through!