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Best Tent Camping near Brent, AL

284 Reviews

Tent campsites near Brent, Alabama include several established options within a short drive. Weogufka State Forest offers primitive tent camping with both designated sites and a backpacking shelter along the Pinhoti Trail. Holt Lake in Cottondale provides tent-only sites with lake views, while Payne Lake Spillway in Moundville offers access for boat-in tent camping.

Most tent campgrounds in the area feature basic amenities with varying levels of development. Weogufka State Forest campsites include fire rings and some have picnic tables, though campers should verify water availability before arrival. Holt Lake's tent sites feature individual water pumps at each location and space for vehicle parking. Several locations permit pets, including Weogufka State Forest and Runaway Branch, though Payne Lake Spillway prohibits them. Toilet facilities range from vault toilets to daily-cleaned bathroom buildings at locations like Holt Lake, while more remote sites may lack facilities entirely.

The tent camping experience in this region offers a mix of forest and lakeside settings. Weogufka State Forest provides backcountry solitude with sites that accommodate small groups, particularly along hiking trails. The backpacking shelter in Weogufka sits alongside a creek for convenient water access and features a platform with space for approximately three people. Holt Lake's tent-only sites are described as "very large and private" with excellent views of the water. According to one visitor, "The tent sites are very nice and groomed and have a wonderful view of the lake. They have individual water pumps at each site and room for several cars to pull up and park." Most areas maintain a natural setting with minimal development, making them suitable for campers seeking a more authentic outdoor experience.

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Best Tent Sites Near Brent, Alabama (8)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Brent, AL

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Tent Camping Reviews near Brent, AL

284 Reviews of 8 Brent Campgrounds

  • Johnnie J.
    May. 30, 2019

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Beautiful Park - Plenty to do!

    *It's been a while since my last visit, but since I camp there every year, several times each summer, I figured I'd go ahead and do a quick review anyway.

    Every summer for the past few years I've traveled to Oak mountain, typically going several times each summer (July and August) to run the Southeastern trail series. Although there are numerous back country camp sites, I've always stayed at the campground due to its convenient location, and always stay at the same campsite (B6) each visit. The campground is divided into two sections (A & B) and each campsite has parking right at the site itself.

    Although the first few tent sites on the B-side are located right off the road, they're set back far enough that they feel pretty secluded with plenty of trees to give a slight sense of privacy. These first few sites have no electrical hookup or water, but are located a short walking distance from the front bathhouse (bathroom and shower). The bathhouse directly across from my site is rarely busy, and the single shower is clean with plenty of hot water.

    Each site has a cinderblock retaining wall, a picnic table, and a steel fire ring with a flip-top cooking grate. If you're tent camping, the pad is dirt with a layer of pea-gravel, so a sleeping pad is a must. Firewood is easy to find in the surrounding woods if there hasn't been a lot of people thru the area. Otherwise, wood is available at the store at the entrance to the campground. The campground is easily accessible from the parks back gate entrance, which is only a short driving distance to pretty much anything you could need (restaurants, gas, groceries, etc).  There's even a small beach area at the back of the campground exclusive to campground guests. The staff is always friendly and reserving a campsite online is easy.

    One of the great things about Oak Mountain State Park is that there's plenty to do aside from the camping; hiking, mountain biking, horse stables, a BMX track, an archery range, canoeing, paddle boats/ paddle boarding, several lakeside beaches with playgrounds, a wakeboarding course, a wildlife rehabilitation center, and a treetop nature boardwalk which features several enclosures where you can view birds of prey up close. Also, if you're into trail running or mountain biking, there are several race series held at the park each year.

    All in all, I love this park and already have my reservations made again for this summer!

  • Lori H.
    Aug. 12, 2019

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Huge park, lots to do!

    Oak Mountain State Park is Alabama’s largest state park. Located just outside of Birmingham, it’s easy to escape to nature without being too far off the beaten path. This park is HUGE! There’s so many things to do here, we plan to return when we have more time to explore!

    We saw several hiking trails, a horseback riding area, a golf course, a lake with a beach and swimming area, plus kayak and boats, we also saw some kind of skiing tow rope area! It was really cool, I’d never seen one of those! I read the park is known for mountain biking also, and I noticed a few road bikes in the bike lane driving in.

    We originally booked a tent site without electric, but it was blazing hot, so we decided to move to a site with electric so we could have fans in our rooftop tent and ended up in site A06. The site was shaded and there was no one in that area so we had great privacy. Our site backed up to the woods, so it was nice.

    The tent (no electric) sites are the best in my opinion. Most are back in the woods and shaded. I don’t believe you can reserve a specific tent site, as they assign you one when you arrive, but there were so many great tent sites, i don’t think it would be a problem unless it was a super busy weekend. Most of the tent sites are walk in also, so if you have a rooftop tent, or car camping, these won’t work.

    A loop seemed to have larger, wooded, sites with more privacy. B loop was wide open. The tent sites were great in both loops though.

    The restrooms were ancient. They could use some updates, but they were clean and functional, and there were multiple facilities throughout the campground.

    There’s a camp store at the check in area, they have the essentials, and they do have ice. The ladies working in there were really nice and helpful too.

    Oak Mountain is a great spot to camp, just go when there’s not a heat wave in Alabama, and you have time to explore the park!

  • L
    May. 18, 2023

    Deerlick Creek

    Great But Noisy Around Holidays

    I tent camped with two kiddos in spot #30 and we had a lovely view of the woods. Each spot has a gravel platform and some of my stakes wouldn’t grab but the tent held up. It was noisy at night with some folks partying but eventually it died down. Spots are a bit close (you can see the camper parked across the street from us) and you can easily hear comings and goings of other campers. It was May when we camped here and hot and very humid during the day. Cooler but still super humid at night. Each site has a nice fire ring, picnic table and a grill.

    The guy at the front gate was super nice and helpful.

    My kids enjoyed hiking and the bball court (where some other kids congregated). The nets were barely hanging on but still playable. The bathrooms were clean.

  • Liz W.
    Oct. 20, 2020

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Nice campground in a fantastic state park

    We spent the weekend in site A59 with two tents and three people. It is a nice, level site with plenty of room for everything we needed. Most tent sites in the campground have cinder block retaining walls build in that make the sites level and are very convenient for setting up your kitchen area.  The picnic table was old, but large and quite serviceable. There was a sturdy fire ring with grill at every site. NOTE: ALL tent sites in this campground are considered walk-in only, meaning that you can't drive right into the site with your car. Some are closer to the road than others, and it is hard to tell this from map. A59 was maybe 75 yards uphill from the parking spot on the road. Not a problem for us to carry our gear up, but it might be for some. We really liked this site because it backed up to the woods and was nice and shaded. Other tent sites were visible, but not close enough to feel crowded at all.

    Check in was easy. You do not have to pay the park entrance fee if you are camping over night. Maps are available at the store. Staff was very nice and friendly. Firewood is available for $8 a bundle, but it was green and would not burn. I will take the propane fire pit next time.

    The bath house was fine. Not luxurious, but not bad at all. As always, take your own toilet tissue - better safe than sorry. The bath house was warm and cozy, the toilets worked, and there was hot water (very hot) and soap. The hand dryer in the men's side was broken. As far as COVID precautions, there is a sign asking that only one person go in the bath house at a time, but that is not really practical, so a mask is a good idea.

    The activities in the park are fantastic. We hiked for 5 hours and never had to cover the same ground. Views are glorious. There are dozens of other things to do, also. The kayakers seemed to be having a great time, as did the mountain bikers. People are friendly here. Lots of dogs, all responsibly leashed.

  • Asher K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 6, 2016

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Packed Tight

    The campsites at Oak Mountain are fairly well travelled and can get pretty packed though they provide all the necessary amenities for camping. Most of the tent sites have a level gravel area with a picnic table and fire pit to set up your site. However, the water pumps are often a little bit of a walk and shared between several sites. They are also very strict about the number of cars and this can make it tricky with a larger group. Overall it is a ok campsite but in a great park with awesome hikes. I would still recommend a visit to anyone who is willing to deal with camping close to your neighbor.

  • Mary S.
    Nov. 5, 2018

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Close to Birmingham; close quarters

    This state campground in the Birmingham AL metro area is a quick getaway for city and suburban dwellers. We were looking for continued warm fall weather on a slow trip north; this met the warmth and fall criteria in late October. The proximity to the city made it a good choice for exploring Birmingham.

    Campground as Hotel

    We left in the morning and came back in the evening. Using the campground strictly for accommodations worked out well; it wasn't a place where we would have wanted to hang around the campground all day. The large RVs crammed on sites that weren't very large gave us a closed in feeling. We pulled down the shade in our teardrop to avoid the light pollution from the campers who leave ground lights and other decorative lights on all night. (Do they leave their outdoor holiday lights on all night at home?)

    Tent Only Sites

    • The tent only sites are the best feature of this park. You can pitch your tent among the trees away from the RVs packed together in the rest of the park. 

    • There's no power or water at these sites.  

    • These sites are listed as tent only, but the park office attendant told us there were a few where we could fit our vehicle and teardrop. We declined because we thought we'd be too close to the road although we later saw several that would have been fine

    • Site 42B is the BEST SITE IN THE PARK! You walk down to the site from the parking area, and then there's a great view of the water. I took a photo looking back at the site from the beach area.

    Other Sites

    • All sites not designated tent only have electricity and water. There are some sites with sewer hookup as well as 50 amp power. See site map photo.

    • Loop A's sites are more spread out than sites in Loop B.

    • Loop B: B33 was ok. I recommend sticking to the outside of this loop because there are two roads down the center where you'll have sites on both sides, across the road and behind you. Inside the loop seemed crowded because there were large RVs.

    Restrooms

    Several restrooms are spread throughout the park. They each have a couple toilets and a shower along with hot and cold water in the sinks. Restrooms are clean and a checklist indicates they're inspected 2 or 3 times per day. Everything works fine, but they could use an update inside. If the usage at the end of October is any indication of overall usage, this park is heavily used. It's close to Birmingham which has over a million people, one-fourth of Alabama's population. The state of Alabama should step up and do some renovation.

    Site Taxes are HIGH

    Be prepared for a significant jump to the cost when taxes are applied. Our campsite fee was a reasonable $22.65/night which included a 15% senior discount. Regular price is $26.65. Taxes and a $4.50 one-time fee were added for a grand total of $85.62 for 3 nights. If you're counting, that's 20+% in taxes.

    Things To Do In The Park: boating, fishing, swimming, hiking. You can purchase a detailed hiking map for $1. If you aren't from the area and want to take in some Birmingham history, there are options.

    • Red Mountain Park has hiking trails along with old iron ore mines. There's an adventure park with zip lining, climbing, etc.

    • The base of Vulcan, Alabama's entry in the 1904 World's Fair, is the best place to see Birmingham. The museum next to the statue was well done; it provides a history of this steel city.

    • The park across from the 16th Street Baptist Church (site of the bombing on 9/15/1963 that killed 4 young girls) is a window into the sad part of Birmingham's history. There's also a civil rights museum nearby.

    • The craft breweries (Good People and Avondale) were good. And great barbecue at Saw. Pizza was good at Post Office Pies but they need to put more basil on a pizza advertised as a white basil pizza, not 5 little scraps.

  • Napunani
    Jun. 22, 2022

    Oak Mountain State Park Campground

    Huge Park

    PROS 

    Senior discount 

    Reserved 363 days prior to arriving 

    Very friendly check in staff H

    Huge park…very nicely landscaped and neatly mowed 

    Quiet 

    Regularly saw ranger driving through campground 

    A30 level site and nearly full shade coverage 

    Moveable wooden and metal picnic table 

    Metal fire pit with cooking grate 

    Campfire wood for sale at park office 

    Don’t miss the TREE TOP NATURE TRAIL! 

    Good food at The Grille at Oak Mountain State Park inside the Pro Shop at The Oaks Golf Course 

    All major shopping and eateries just beyond the park boundaries in Pelham, Hoover and Birmingham 

    CONS

    $5 reservation fee for making my own on-line reservation 

    Street lights throughout campground 

    Toilet/shower facility heavily used which badly needs updating 

    Campground trash dumpsters are beyond the campground gate…not walkable 

    Poor signage upon entering Park. We stopped at the first building on the right, as it was marked RANGER OFFICE with a large, rig-friendly parking area, but it was not a check-in for campers. Then we went through another gate on the main roadway and it wasn’t the campground check-in either. Campground directional signs after we got through that gate. Glad we didn’t arrive in the dark! 

    Limited and very tight rig parking at campground gate check-in 

    No notice by park on the south entrance roadwork and roundabout construction...horribly tight to maneuver... recommend North entrance/exit until construction is completed…that’s how we departed. 

    Never saw a camp host 

    No WiFi 

    2 bars Verizon

  • Wolf P.
    Oct. 9, 2019

    Prairie Creek Campground

    Quiet, out of the way, and a charming place

    Wifi non-existent.

    sketchy phone service...we have verizon and had very limited coverage.

    great staff...very helpful.

    showers...pressure was great!  restrooms were old(er), but clean!

    Site was very level....ours had good shade...fair amount of space and many concrete pads (but not all).

    Some have raised issues about the ants...we did see ants, but ONLY on the tent walk in area...and there were places there that looked like the ants would have been a real issue.

  • Asher K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 1, 2017

    Holt Lake

    Recreation Area for Deerlick Creek

    Since this is the recreation area associated with the Deerlick creek campground I will include my review from the campground here along with photos of the area and things to do!

    The tent sites are very nice and groomed and have a wonderful view of the lake. They have individual water pumps at each site and room for several cars to pull up and park. They were also very friendly and easy going about moving sites and check in/out times. I would highly recommend this site for anyone in the Tuscaloosa area. Also easy access to the nearby lakes for boating and swimming.

    After having a great experience at this campground we decided to go back for a second visit with a larger group. This trip was even better than the first and we really love this campground. The people who work at the entrance are always super friendly and the tent only sites are all very large and private. We set up our site with 3 tents and brought 8 people along. We had no issues checking in and getting our site set up and we got some swimming in down at the beach area. The campground also has a great bathroom facility that they clean daily. If you are in the Birmingham or Tuscaloosa area I highly recommend checking out this campground.

Guide to Brent

Tent campsites near Brent, Alabama sit within the rolling foothills region where the Appalachian Mountains begin their southern descent. The area experiences mild winters with occasional frost and humid summers with temperatures regularly exceeding 90°F from June through August. Camping opportunities spread across several counties surrounding Brent, offering both developed sites and primitive options within 30-40 miles of town.

What to do

Hiking the Pinhoti Trail: Access the southern terminus of the Pinhoti Trail at Weogufka State Forest Flagg Mtn, where you can begin a section hike or simply explore the immediate surroundings. "Simple and enjoyable. Caretaker and author Sunny Eberhart (Nimblewill Nomad) is wonderful to talk to. Access to southern terminus of the Pinhoti Trail. CCC tower and cabins from 1930's," notes reviewer Ro J.

Water recreation: Enjoy swimming and boating at Jones Bluff on the Alabama River. "This is a large parcel of land owned and operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. Also known as Bob Woodruff Park, located right on the Alabama River, there's access to swimming, hiking, fishing and of course boating," explains Sarah C., who adds that "if the fish aren't biting, you're close enough to the city of Montgomery to explore the area."

Historical exploration: Visit the Civilian Conservation Corps structures at Weogufka State Forest Flagg Mtn, where camper Marty E. notes: "You might need four-wheel-drive to get up to the ruins, but maybe not. Mary the caretaker of the area could easily tell you and is a great communicator and very helpful."

What campers like

Lakefront views: The tent sites at Holt Lake in Cottondale provide direct lake access. According to Missy W., "The beach can be pretty crowded during the summer but it's a decent size and the bathrooms are nearby... Lots of people in boats and the lake is huge, great for towing, skiing and fishing and cruising."

Picnic facilities: Payne Lake Spillway offers well-equipped day-use areas with cooking facilities. Hannah C. reports, "The Payne Lake spillway is a nice place to have a picnic and view the lake. There is a pavilion with four picnic tables underneath it and then there are isolated picnic tables around the area. They have fire pits and grills nearby for cooking."

Solitude options: Several smaller backcountry sites provide opportunities for quiet camping. At Weogufka State Forest Campsite 2, reviewer Asher K. describes "a small area for backcountry camping in the Weogufka State Forest. You can park fairly close to the site and there is enough space for a couple of hammocks or a single tent... The hiking in the area is amazing."

What you should know

Site accessibility: Some camping areas require specific vehicles or hiking to reach. At Weogufka State Forest Flagg Mtn, Marty E. advises that "you might need four-wheel-drive to get up to the ruins" and recommends contacting the caretaker about current conditions.

Water safety considerations: Beaches at some locations require vigilance. Missy W. cautions about Holt Lake: "Last time I went I found a needle in the sand, so keep an eye out. I'm not sure how often the beach is cleaned."

Limited facilities: Many tent camping options near Brent feature minimal amenities. Weogufka State Forest Campsite 2 provides a backcountry experience with Asher K. noting, "You can park fairly close to the site and there is enough space for a couple of hammocks or a single tent. There are better sites in the area but this one is easy to access and is already established."

Check campground status: Several areas like Runaway Branch in Forkland provide tent camping options but receive limited review coverage, making it advisable to call ahead about current conditions and availability.

Tips for camping with families

Consider beach access: Holt Lake provides family-friendly swimming areas. Missy W. describes it as "a great day trip" where "we usually hang out at the small man made beach or hop in the boat or kayaks."

Seek campgrounds with reliable facilities: When camping with children, prioritize locations with maintained bathrooms. According to Asher K., Holt Lake "has a great bathroom facility that they clean daily."

Check for educational opportunities: Several camping areas like Jones Bluff offer proximity to historical sites. Sarah C. suggests that you can "head to Selma and learn about the Selma to Montgomery March" when staying in this region.

Tips from RVers

Limited hookup options: Most tent campsites near Brent, Alabama do not accommodate larger RVs or provide hookups. The majority of sites mentioned in reviews are designated for tent camping only, with minimal or no RV facilities.

Consider nearby developed campgrounds: For RVers seeking camping near Brent, Sarah C. recommends alternatives: "There isn't camping located in the immediate vicinity [of Jones Bluff], however you can camp just down the road at either the Prairie Creek Park Campgrounds or back toward Montgomery a bit at Gunter Hill Park (also run by the Army Corps of Engineers)."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Brent, AL?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Brent, AL is Payne Lake Spillway with a 5-star rating from 1 review.

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TheDyrt.com has all 8 tent camping locations near Brent, AL, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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