Best Tent Camping near Equality, AL

Campground Review: My wife and I had the amazing opportunity to stay at Parksland retreat this weekend making our first campground reservation through the Dyrt. Parksland is a beautiful off the grid campground and home that is well cared for and a wonderful experience to stay at. They have set up several areas for guests depending on what your camping preference is. The owners live at the highest point of the property and have an outdoor kitchen surrounded by a garden and chicken coop with woods in every direction. If you are interested in what would typically be considered classic car camping you can stay at one of the many tent sites they have set up around the kitchen area. Many of these sites already have tents set up for you to rent or if you prefer to bring your own tent you can use one of the other available spots. All of the sites in this area are already covered with large industrial tarps so you can stay dry no matter the weather. If you are interested in a more private area they have two more primitive, trail campgrounds a short hike down the hill that each has cleared ground providing space for several tents. On this trip, we had reserved the further, more private and smaller site but ended up staying at the closer site since it was available and more convenient with the weather conditions. 

We arrived at the campground on Saturday around noon and got a tour around from Dustin the owner where he showed us all of the options. We then climbed down the steep hill with all our gear and set up camp before the rain came in. Since the site was relatively large we were able to find the perfect spot for our tree tent. After a quick lunch of grilled cheese, we headed off to explore the hiking around the area. Dustin suggested we take the Ridgeline loop trail and with only a couple of wrong turns, we managed to complete the loop and finish at the swimming hole. Although the water was cold it still felt wonderful and is a much welcome amenity in the hot and humid Alabama weather. Other than the poison ivy (which you can’t really do anything about) the hike was really scenic and a good afternoon trek. Make sure to take the map though cause it helps to make the turns at the right spots. We got back before the rain began so had time to take advantage of the hot shower they have available and cooked dinner by our fire (firewood is provided). We whipped together a wonderful sweet potato and chili combo with recipe inspiration provided by Fresh off the grid. After dinner, we cleaned up around camp, moved everything under our tent, and climbed in for the night. 

Although we were prepared for the rainstorm that we knew was coming overnight we were not prepared for rain inside our tent… We woke up in the middle of the night with puddles on our sleeping bags and a storm raging outside. Luckily we were able to stay warm and relatively dry but woke up intermittently. In the morning with rain still pouring we decided to just trek back up the hill with the gear and load up the car since we were already wet. We packed everything up and headed on home discussing how even with the crazy weather and unfortunate leakiness we had a fun and adventurous time and were glad we went. 

Overall, Dustin was so welcoming and helpful throughout our entire stay and he has created a wonderful oasis that makes a perfect getaway. I highly suggest checking it out. 

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Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to try out new and interesting products at campgrounds I visit. On this trip, I stored all my food in the RovR RollR 60 Cooler to keep it cold and fresh for the weekend. My takeaways from using the durable rolling cooler are:

1. Transportability: Although there are now several rollable rotomolded coolers out on the market none are designed with off-road capabilities like the RovR. With large inflatable tires, I was able to go over steps and rocks, move through waterlogged mud, and glide gently over gravel paths with minimal amounts of effort. The cooler is on the heavier side but this was barely noticeable since it is so much more maneuverable than any of the other options. On top of that, it comes with a collapsible gear bin that attaches to the top proving even more space to keep gear that needs to be moved around. Since this campground required a short but steep hike to get to over fairly rough terrain there was no possible way we were getting any other cooler to and from this campsite but with the RovR it took 1 trip. I was able to roll the cooler down all by myself with most of our cooking gear loaded in the bin on top. My wife could then carry down the tent and clothes and we were able to get camp set up much sooner and get to eating lunch. Although I wouldn’t want to backpack with a piece of gear like this (though you probably could) I can’t imagine a camping situation where the RollR 60 wouldn’t succeed in making food transport easier. I also loved the design feature with the handles on the side since I have a tendency to perpetually hit my heels while pulling things directly behind me. 
2. Temperature Stability: I didn’t get a chance to test this out to an extreme level since we only camped for one night but I did get a general idea of how well this cooler holds its temp. We loaded it up with ice and food on Friday afternoon to save time on Saturday and then unloaded it when we got home on Sunday and about half of the ice was still sitting in the bottom and everything felt like it was coming out of the refrigerator. The ingenious design also features a water runoff area underneath the dry bin so that you don’t have things sitting in a large pool at the bottom. This also ends up surrounding the dry bin with ice cold water turning it into a refrigerator of sorts. 
3. Dry bin: Speaking of the dry bin this is by far the best design I have seen for organizing a cooler yet. It has two deep sections that sit all the way in the lowest part of the cooler as I mentioned earlier. This was so helpful for 2 reasons. First, the items in the dry bin actually stay cold rather than when the dry bin sits at the top of the cooler in the warmest part making you decide whether you would rather have your frozen items in cardboard packaging either soaking in the water at the bottom or fully thawed in the dry bin at the top. The second amazing thing about this dry bin is that it is deep/tall enough to store items that need to stand straight up. We were able to put things like sour cream and open cans of olives and jalapeños without worry about them falling over when the ice melted. Take a look at the picture I included to see just how much it helped with keeping everything organized. 

Overall, this is by far the best high-end cooler I have had a chance to try out. My wife and I found ourselves continuously impressed and excited about how well this cooler was designed and how much fun it was to use. If you are ready to pull the trigger and spend a little bit to get a nice cooler I can’t recommend the RovR more highly.

In New England it's challenging to find a campground that is open in late November/early December but that's certainly not the case in the south! Sometimes I experience the opposite problem, tons of people everywhere thanks to the warmer weather. However, when we pulled into Gunter Hill this time of year we were surprised to see how empty the place was. There were a few large RVs in the area but only one other tent camper like ourselves.

The sites are nicely spaced out so even if there had been a lot of people there, it wouldn't have felt too crowded. Large old trees with beautiful Spanish moss provide plenty of shade in the sites. The river also runs pretty close to some of the sites as well. Our site had a nice paved pull in as well as a gravel area with a large picnic table and fire ring. In addition there was a stand up grill available as well. On the other side of the concrete pull in was a nice flat spot for us to pitch our tent. Plenty of room for everything here. Water and electric hookups were easily accessible right in our site. The ground below the water spigot drains well and doesn't create a large mud puddle when you use it, a piece of campground engineering I have come to greatly appreciate. The site has a nice lantern/trash pole that includes a small shelf, great for all sorts of things!

The bathrooms are nice and were all maintained. We didn't use the showers but the toilets and sinks were more than adequate for morning and evening necessities.

The location is great, right outside of the city and perfectly placed for us to stop on our road trip from the national park sites in Tuskegee and heading to them in Selma.

Despite being two females and the campground being relatively empty, we felt incredibly safe. I mention this because this is not always the case when we camp in southern states.

Traveling back east, we found Chewacla State Park campground on The Dyrt. Due to heavy rain, did not make it as far as we wanted, so this was a last minute same day reservation, which we made online.

Total fees were $42 for a full hookup site. We got site 34 which is an 80' long back in spot. Super easy to back in, even in super dark conditions with heavy cloud cover and no street lights of any kind.

Water pressure is awesome and they have both 30 & 50 amp electric. Sewage is nicely placed in a low spot so you won't need a hose lifter (a rarity in our experience).

Out spot is across from the bath house, but also the dump station. No smells, but I would imagine mornings might be a bit congested and noisy as other campers are leaving and dumping.

Also directly across from the site is a large picnic shelter. Sites are decently spaced apart, though site 35 is a pull through, and though unoccupied on our nights stay, might make it feel a bit more cramped.

Our site had a fire ring and picnic table. And even though it's close to the highway, no noticeable traffic noise. Only thing we could hear were some kids playing across the campground.

It's about 5 minutes off the interstate and very easy access (just watch out for the staggered speed bumps at the campground entrance...it's narrow, too.

No wi-fi in the park. But Verizon 4G was 3 out of 5 bars on my Samsung S20+. 

Overall a great spot and easy to reserver online for those looking for a calm and peaceful overnight. Looking forward to getting a run on the trails in the morning!

Campground Review:

If I were asked my favorite place to backpack in Alabama I would easily say Mount Cheaha since it has the best views and you get an ever changing hike with rivers, waterfalls, and peaks all in a single day. One of the great backpacking loop within the Cheaha wilderness is the skyway trail and the Cheaha Falls Campground is my favorite place to stay while doing it. Although this site might not have some of the same spectacular views you get by staying on one of the peaks it has a waterfall and a cool fresh stream which can be a lifesaver in the Alabama heat. You also get the advantage of flat ground and plenty of sites to pick from and spread out. There are also enough spaces around to bring a whole group. 

This camping area is made up of around 3-4 separate spots that have their own built up fire pits and cleared tent areas. Since it is a backcountry site and you have to hike in several miles to get here there aren’t really any amenities and whoever sets up shop first gets the site. An alternative option if all sites are taken is to climb the hill and stay in the shelter but that often gets claimed first and requires carrying your water up a steep slope. 

If you do decide to stay here I highly recommend arriving early and following the stream down to get to the waterfall. You can scrabble along the steep slope and have a wonderful space to set up a hammock, dip your toes, or even go for a swim if the day is hot enough and the water level high. It is a perfect way to relax after a long day of climbing the peaks on the other side of the trail. 

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Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, I tested the Grandtrunk Nano 7 Premium Ultralight Hammock. I love bringing a hammock with me when I backpack so having one that is lightweight enough to not overload my pack was very exciting. Some of the things that I really loved about the Nano 7 hammock are:

1. Weight and size: This hammock is seriously light. I often struggle whether to bring along the hammock on backpacking trips when I wont be using it for sleeping but it wasn’t a question this time. It took up almost no space in the pack and didn’t take me overweight even with the lightweight straps. The decreased weight and footprint come with the cost of a slightly smaller surface that is tight for 2 people but it still works and is worth it in the end.
2. Comfortable material: The fabric used to make the hammock is a super lightweight nylon that feels somewhat different than other hammocks of the same quality and has a little more slick to it. I actually found it to be very comfortable and it even helped me feel cooler which was an advantage. 
3. Built in carabiners: Many of the hammocks on the market use heavy carabiners attached to additional rope to hold the ends of the hammock together but the Nano 7 has small lightweight carabiners that attach directly to the hammock material and make it easy to set up and hook into the tree straps.

Overall this hammock was well thought out and every aspect was designed to reduce weight while still remaining comfortable and easy to set up.

We started our hike in from Chinnabee silent trail parking and headed up toward chinnabee lake. We found this spot nearby the big swimming hole "devils den" about 1/2 a mile from the chinnabee lake parking area. We stayed at campsite 9. For 2 nights in April and it was amazing. Little to no bugs, plenty of trees for shade and hammock camping. And a good fire ring built from large river rocks. Plenty of wood around for a fire though it was mostly pine that burnt extremely well but left resin on all our cookware. This site was comfortable for our group of 4 but we felt like we were almost at max capacity at this site. I give this spot 2 👍🏻👍🏻

This walk in campsite is right next to the waterfalls. Tons of exploring can be done around camp or you could extend the trails and explore Devils Den Falls as well! There is an established fire ring, lots of flat places for tents and lots of trees for hammocks. The walk from Chinnabee Silent Parking lot is 1 mile. It looks like people also park along the entrance on road 600-G making it only a 1/2 mile walk into camp. 

I was sad to see trash left behind in the fire pit. Please pack out what you pack in (and help pick up along the way too!)