Best Glamping near Florence, AL

This campground is located in our hometown of Florence AL and is a Gem of a City Campground.  It is a staple as far as local campers are concerned because of its serene setting while at the same time being so coinvent to so many wonderful attractions. Only a mile or two from some wonderful local restaurants and retail as well as being convenient to the Cities of Sheffield, Tuscumbia and Muscle Shoals, all of which are 5 miles or less.  Its a beautiful setting along the Tennessee River (Pickwick Lake).  Boat launches, picnic pavilions, frisbee golf, fishing pier and a beach in the same park.  Wonderful place to watch sunsets and Sun Rises on the River

Ended up at this location after a crappy night in Alabama. It was very clean nice location. Very nice Mississippi State Park Campground. All the staff were very friendly and Gary was a great guy that we chatted with for a bit after checking in. Restrooms were clean and air conditioned. Family type campgrounds with friendly happy campers. We will be back a lot more in the future.

Located in Northwest Alabama, not far from the Sipsey Wilderness, Dismals Canyon offers an unparalleled camping experience that stands out in the state. While it may lean toward the higher end in terms of cost, the memories you create during a special weekend getaway here are absolutely worth it. During our most recent visit, we chose to stay in one of the cozy cabins, but the campgrounds also present an excellent lodging option. These cabins feature a generously sized kitchen, a warm and inviting living room complete with a fireplace, and two comfortable bedrooms. Outside, there are ample spaces perfect for relaxation and al fresco dining. The campgrounds are situated just across the street from the rest of the park and require a short stroll to reach. They offer a variety of camping choices, each with its unique appeal. For more detailed information about these options, you can refer to their website. A standout experience during our stay was embarking on the night hike the first evening we arrived. This adventure allowed us to explore the canyon in the darkness before immersing ourselves in its beauty during daylight hours. We were fortunate enough to enjoy a private tour on a Friday night and were treated to a mesmerizing display of glow worms, which call this canyon home. While the trails within Dismals Canyon may not be particularly lengthy, you'll find yourself utterly captivated by the allure of the surroundings. Be sure to allocate a full day to fully explore and lose yourself in the canyon's enchantment. In summary, Dismals Canyon delivers a camping experience like no other in Northwest Alabama, close to the Sipsey Wilderness. Whether you opt for the cozy cabins or the campgrounds, you'll be treated to a remarkable getaway. Don't pass up the opportunity to embark on a night hike to witness the canyon's beauty illuminated by the glow worms. With its captivating charm, Dismals Canyon guarantees cherished memories.

I really liked staying here. Lots of space in the forest and a few spots right at the water. Almost no one here in July 2023. Free!

Cant camp here anymore it’s private property and closed off don’t go there

I have camped here twice so far and it is a nice, basic campground. We tent camped but there were a couple of RV's there, so I know there are places for them. It is on a nice stretch of the Tennessee River, and you can swim, fish, and boat there. Plenty of camp sites and very spacious. Popular with the locals and fairly secluded. Pretty woodland all around. There is a bathhouse with toilets, sinks, and cold showers. The bathhouse is pretty centrally located and there are electric lights around it. Usually not crowded. Plenty of dead wood to collect for firewood. There is a covered area with picnic tables near the bathhouse. Also a few picnic tables around the grounds. There are also plenty of trash cans and fire pits. You can park right next to your site. Very good for family camping. Within a few miles there are a couple of gas stations/convenience stores. Some cell service works out there, some not so much.

Smaller campground especially for a KOA, friendly staff, good fishing and beautiful view from our cabin, which was awesome. Was a little disappointed with thier services though….. paid $10/hr extra for early arrival but when we got to the cabin the cleaning people were still there then they almost backed into our car after we waited 5/10mins for them to get done, the water was not turned on, so we had to contact the front desk and they had to send someone out to do so, then when they turned it on the the outside connection was shooting water out even though it worked inside, about an hour later someone came to fix it but needed to turn the water off while it was being fixed. I feel like all of this should have been done prior to our arrival! There was hair in the shower, so obviously it was not cleaned or they would have known about the water problem as well. Not too much to do for kids, but good place for an adult getaway.

Stayed overnight in July and there was just 1 toilet working! When it rains just a bit, the campground is a mess. I expect mud but this was awful. Way too much water lying around to be able to setup a tent. Fortunately, they had a couple spots that were a bit higher up so not as wet and muddy. Too expensive for what you get. Staff was ok, not overly friendly or helpful but certainly not rude.

Great if you want to canoe or paddle board while camping. Has a little island not far by canoe. You can’t drive to the tent spots, but there is a parking lot close by. The tent camping is almost never crowded.

We enjoyed the lake and the people. The facilities needed some attention but other than that everything was good!

This was a pretty campground. Very clean...didn’t go to bathhouse but did see laundry area and bathroom area and it was very clean. Our only complaint was our pull through site. Our slide is on the left side and if opened would have been almost in the road. It was however overlooking the lake.

These sites are electric and water hookups with a beautiful lake and mature trees. The beach could use a raking or two and the showers by the lake didn't work. The staff was friendly and there was boat ramp access to the lake. I would stay here again if traveling through.

Love love this campground!! We stayed right on the water, the spots are big and spacious. Fire pits provided, very clean with great walking trails, dog friendly. Easy access!!

PROS 

We were able to reserve 368 days prior to arrival 

Very friendly and helpful check-in clerk 

Fantastic view of the lake from site 45 

Mostly quiet except for campground party animals until 3am! 

Concrete parking pad 

BBQ grill 

Fire ring constructed of concrete pavers 

Coin-operated washers/dryers in shower/toilet facility 

Small playground, pool and mini-golf course 

Good jumping off point for Shiloh Battlefield 

CONS 

Campsite 45 was full of litter…cigarettes butts, bones, bottle caps, pieces of chalk, straws, melted soda bottles…just nasty 

Fire ring made of concrete pavers full of ash and trash upon arrival…again nasty Pedestal BBQ grill full of trash and ash upon arrival…more nastiness 

Campers ignored basic rules/courtesy/respect such as keeping dogs on leash and walking through occupied campsites at anytime. One camper walking through our site complained to us our chairs on our site were in THEIR way. 

No senior discount 

Narrow site 

Site 45 not level 

Site 45 mostly fun sun 

Basically we didn't experience any of the campground rules being enforced so obviously there is no management oversight at this State Park 

Never saw a park ranger drive through the campground (Saturday-Monday) 

Never saw a camp host or a campsite for a camp host

Campground quiet hours not enforced 

Posted "No Swimming” from campsites along lake, but that didn’t stop a sole and no one enforced it 

Concrete picnic table at end of parking pad, so at the bumper of the camper 

Sites very close to each other with no vegetation between sites, so no privacy what so ever 

Street lights throughout campground, so not dark sky friendly 

Small playground, pool and mini-golf course not walkable from campground 

Trash dumpsters outside of campground…not walkable 

Twisty, steep and narrow roadway into campsite...not for novice rig drivers

Due to short campsites, tow vehicles had to be creative with parking, sometimes blocking most of the campground road, again no enforcement efforts

No WiFi 

1 bar Verizon

Clean campground, bathrooms were clean with plenty of warm water. They have vending machine, washer/dryer on site. They also have small playground at entrance and small area of mini golf.

The sites are rather narrow with varying sizes and locations for outdoor living space. Pay close attention to the states website regarding vehicle size maximums. As I walk through the park, it appears that all spots are full hookup and paved. We are on site 43 and anything longer than 30 ft will be pushing it. As it is, our 25ft trailer fits nicely, but the truck is parallel parked across the end of my site in order to be off the road. The picnic table is behind the camper instead of on camp side, which isn’t my favorite setup but we are making due. Some sites have metal fire rings, while others (like ours) have rock circle pits. Some campsites on the hill side have no picnic table OR fire pits. They also have almost no room to walk around the RV without tumbling down the hill. Sites 62 and 64 aren’t terrible, but everything else from 59 and up is pretty bad. 25-34 and 51-54 are short and back up to a a hill. Would be great for Class B or smaller travel trailers. Sites 10-24 are in a separate area from the rest. 35-50 are down on a low flat area near the water and are the best if you like a view of the lake.

Bath house in our loop is clean, not completely out of date, and heated for cold weather camping. There is a small area with 2 set of pay washers/dryers and a few vending machines.

All in all, well worth the State’s $32/night charge.

We will be back in the fall for an extended weekend trip. Staff was super friendly and helpful helping us find ice cream during a storm rolling thru. The site we had was up hill facing the lake which worked out with a small trailer.

Very beautiful recreation area. Would be better if the had hiking trails. Primitive camping area is developed.