Best Cabin Camping near Estillfork, AL

My first experience with Cloudland Canyon State Park was on a day hike, and my second was photographing a wedding here--which should set the stage for what type of place this is! 

The park can be spoken of in two separate sections; the East Rim and the West Rim. The East Rim is home to several cabins, the group lodge, one of the full service campgrounds, and the main trailhead, as well as the ADA accessible overlook trail which is where many of the iconic photographs of this park come from. This side is very popular for day use as the one mile out and back hike to Cherokee Falls draws in campers and people from Chattanooga coming in to enjoy the towering waterfall and the swimming hole below. The campground here is smaller, and less private than the west rim loop, offering 24 tent/RV sites that have 30A electrical hookup, gravel tent pads, picnic tables, and fire rings, along with a bathhouse and playground. The main road to the trailheads and day use area runs past this loop and while there are trees for shade they do not offer any privacy. 

The West Rim side houses the pioneer camping, west rim loop, the yurt village, and the remaining cabins. We have not been able to see the inside of the yurts, but they are spaced away from each other and off the road, and offer a lot of privacy; the loop that serves the yurts it not connected to any other road, and has a shelter, playground, and bathhouse. 

The West Rim camping loop has a total of 48 tent/RV sites with 30 or 50A hookups, water, gravel tent pads, picnic tables, and fire rings. This loop is far more wooded and offers a greater variety of site size and privacy, and has an extremely quiet and peaceful vibe to it. If the east rim is good for those using their campsite as a home base for exploring, the west rim is perfect for campers who want the convenience of a bathhouse with running water and/or the ability to run electric in their RVs, but without giving up the feeling of being immersed in nature. Sites 4-9 are well spaced from each other and great for tent campers and families who want their kids to have room to play, and while site 37 does not have as much privacy being in the center of the loop, it does have one of the most perfect climbing trees I have ever seen in a public campground. 

There are 16 cottages/cabins, and Georgia State Park cabins really cannot be overstated; they are well appointed, well maintained, and absolutely beautiful, and are spaced out to offer a feeling of seclusion: perfect for winter getaways, or for people who enjoy total creature comforts at night with nearby adventure during the day. Word of advice; cabins 1-5 are on the east rim and the waterfall trail runs almost directly behind them, so there is a loss of privacy there, especially on busy weekends. 

Finally, the park offers 4 pioneer sites and 30 walk-in backcountry sites. I have not seen these in person yet, but it is worth noting this park has accommodations for every type of camper out there.

There is not enough good I can say about Cloudland Canyon. About 45 minutes from Chattanooga, it is a must-see for anyone traveling from out of state who want to add adventure to their tour of the city, a home base for the many hiking and climbing opportunities within the park, or just a beautiful and peaceful place to spend a few nights out in nature.

We visited Monte Sano State Park in the middle of summer (June) and stayed in the campground for five nights. We made our reservations through the Alabama State Parks web reservation portal at https://guestrez.megasyshms.com/5Q5BT for campground and cabin rentals. 

The campground is located near the city of Huntsville, Alabama to the east. The park was easily accessible and the drive from the city to the park was not typical as it takes you though some of Huntsville’s neighborhoods before arriving to the park’s entrance. Once we arrived we went directly to the visitor’s center where the staff was friendly and organized. Our paperwork was already completed so the check in process was quick but very informative. We also received the gate code for the campground as the gate is electronically operated and closes after every opening to provide a welcomed level of security. We stayed in site 25 of the first loop, the park was not crowded in the campground as the summer temperatures were near extreme highs. The camp sites are very well spaced and there’s enough trees and underbrush to offer privacy. There are a few sites that have full hookups but most are without sewer. The park map I’ve included shows the ones with full hook up services. The bath houses were clean and orderly, the staff came by in the mornings to clean and restock. There are two camper/tent loops with rest rooms and showers at each. One tent only loop with no facilities but beautiful large sites. 

The park has several scenic areas where the views of the mountains are great and provides a nice place to sit and ponder. There's also an operational Planetarium on the park sponsored and operated by the Von Braun Astronomical Society (https://www.vbas.org/). There are shows on Saturday’s at 7:30PM with an admission or $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for students. You will need to get there early though as parking is limited but worth the effort to visit. 

There are miles and miles of bike and hiking trails here, on the weekend it’s amazing how many cyclists come here to ride the trails. Some of the trails are very aggressive and some moderate for those of us that want this pace, the parks paved roads also offer a good place for a casual ride in the evenings. 

All in all, we really enjoyed this park and will add this to our return list in the future. I also have to recommend a visit to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center (https://www.rocketcenter.com/) in Huntsville, you won’t be disappointed.

Despite what the website shows there are a couple of pull through sites. Nice state park that is well maintained. Awesome views from the rim trails. Power and water hookups only. Clean bath houses with laundry facilities. Lots of covered pavilions for group gatherings. Cabins and yurts available to rent. Lots of trails from mild to exterme. Walk in tent sites. Mountain bike rentals, disc golf and tennis courts as well as a fishing lake.

Sites are nice with grill and picnic table.

Great spot with lots of activities.

Hobbs Cabin itself is a primitive shelter, with six wood bunks. Maximum occupancy is six people. Features a wood fireplace and fire ring. Spring is located approximately 50 yards south of Hobbs Cabin. Spring is located approximately 50 yards south of Hobbs cabin. Spring water may not be available during dry conditions. The cabin can be accessed via the North Rim Trail or the North Plateau Trail, which can be combined as a loop for an overnight trip.

The weather was less than ideal on our trip (rain) but we made the most of it and had the best time! There was firewood left under the cover of the porch, so we had dry wood for the wood fire place. So cozy!

Visited Lake Guntersville State Park, for the day. After taking our granddaughter to Screaming Eagle Zip-line Adventures, located at the gorgeous Lodge, we visited the Campground…and it’s amazing! At the office, we were helped by Rocky, who was friendly and knowledgeable! We received CG info and a map, as well as rates. We are already planning our next trip to visit! The general store was stocked with necessities, as well as souvenirs. Of course we had to get some ice cream! There are several types of sites, monthly, cabins and tent camping. There are boat slips (local rentals) and a Pavilion on the water, basketball and tennis courts, playground, shady dog park, splash pad, and clean bathhouses. Firewood and ice can be purchased at the store. There are also many trails to hike and bike . It is easy to see that this SP is well maintained! The SP Lodge is worth visiting, which has a nice restaurant. LGSP has a golf course, and the quaint town is close by and has shopping and several restaurants.

Great older campground with lots of options. Cabin, RV, tent. Hiking galore. This old campground atop Mont Sano has something for everyone.

We had such a great time at MSSP. We stayed in two sites (since we decided we wanted to stay longer when we got there): 48 & 61, which were both bluff sites. 48 is directly across from the bathhouse. My husband and I both agreed that the bathrooms could’ve been cleaner. I only looked in the showers since we have one in our camper and they were yucky and I’m glad we didn’t have to use them. Site 61 was our favorite of the two since it’s the last one on the bluff before the road goes into the primitive area. All the sites seem to be spacious which we liked. The office staff were all VERY kind and VERY helpful. The camp store itself is small but had pretty much anything you might’ve forgotten. The bike trails are numerous and while we don’t mountain bike we did ride our cruiser bikes down past the rental cabins and on past the gate onto a nice wide gravel trail. It was beautiful and we saw lots of wildflowers and deer. I highly recommend this park. It was lovely.

Monte Sano State Park is located near Huntsville in northeast Alabama. In Spanish, Monte Sano means “Mountain of Health.” In the late 1800s, visitors from across the United States came for “the season” to experience and enjoy Monte Sano’s fresh air, spectacular views and mineral springs. Fourteen rustic cabins, 11 of which were built by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC), are perched on the side of the mountain and are equipped with kitchens, fireplaces, separate showers and baths, cable television, outdoor grills, picnic tables, and porches for taking in the amazing sunrises.

The park also features 89 improved campsites, a primitive campground and a camp store.

Very clean with both day areas and multiple camping areas. Lots of rv sites and tent camping, along with walk in camp sites. Also have cabins and glamping!

Lots of trails, frezby golf and a fishing pond.

We arrived at this place and was taken on the views it has. The park had easy access and great cabins. The hikes to the waterfalls was challenging but well worth it. The campground store was great and friendly.

We recently stayed in a cabin and it was enjoyable. There were white tail deer everywhere, chipmunks, a tiny ring neck snake on a trail,...Huntsville is very close and a neat little store just in town called Star Supermarket. The park staff were all helpful and friendly.

There is two rv/tent camping areas, east and west rim. West has more sites but I prefer the east because of the access to the Canyon. Also yurts and primitive Camping plus cabins as well. The Canyon is beautiful from the top but you must hike down to see the falls!

On this trip (May 2020) we stayed in one of the cabins on the east rim. It was right in the loop for camping.

It's an amazing campground with sites in the east and west rims of the canyon. The views were amazing and there are a ton of hiking trails. My kids keep asking to go back.

I agree with the other reviews posted so far. Nice (but small) lots, most were level. Tents and cabins are available also. Nice staff, we got there after they closed but someone still met us and helped us find our spot. Nice bath house, laundry house, swimming pool, and dog park. Very close to Chattanooga sights.