Best Tent Camping near Haleyville, AL

Tent camping near Haleyville, Alabama centers around the Sipsey Wilderness area within Bankhead National Forest, offering numerous backcountry tent sites along interconnected trails. Thompson Creek Trail Campsites provides highly-rated primitive tent camping with established sites scattered approximately every quarter mile along the creek. The Sipsey Wilderness backcountry sites, particularly those along Trails 200, 203, and 207, offer tent-only camping in a protected wilderness setting with natural features like waterfalls, rock formations, and clear streams.

Most tent campsites in the area are primitive with no facilities. No drinking water, toilets, or trash service is available at Thompson Creek or most Sipsey Wilderness sites, requiring campers to pack in all supplies and pack out all waste. Established fire rings exist at most sites, and fires are permitted when conditions allow. The terrain varies from sandy riverbanks to forest clearings, with many sites positioned on higher ground to avoid potential flooding during heavy rains. Weather in the region can change rapidly, with summer bringing heat and humidity while spring and fall offer more moderate temperatures for tent camping.

The backcountry tent camping experience near Haleyville provides exceptional solitude and natural immersion. According to reviews, "Sipsey is one of the real jewels of Alabama for backpacking and you really feel like you are in another world while wandering through these woods." Sites vary in size from small clearings suitable for a single tent to larger group areas that can accommodate 2-3 tents with established fire pits. Trail 200 Site G is noted as particularly good for groups with "several firepits spread out over a large area" while still providing privacy. Many walk-in tent sites require stream crossings to access, and campers should be prepared to filter water from streams. The best times for primitive tent camping in the area are spring and fall when temperatures are moderate and seasonal waterfalls are flowing.

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Best Tent Sites Near Haleyville, Alabama (23)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Haleyville, AL

336 Reviews of 23 Haleyville Campgrounds


  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 7, 2020

    Rickwood Caverns State Park Campground

    The cave is the star attraction

    This is a very small campground- 13 improved sites (nine of these have 50 amp electric and can accommodate all sizes of rigs; four are designed for smaller units and have 30 amp electric) plus five primitive sites, which have communal water only (no electric). There is zero privacy/separation between the improved sites, which would make the unimproved sites possibly more appealing (but further from the restroom and it was pouring when we were there). Improved sites are gravel and include a BBQ, fire ring, and a very large picnic table. Rates are $16 for a primitive site/$29 for an improved site plus a $4.75 processing fee for the first night of your stay. Senior discounts are given. 

    The restrooms are functional and clean but basic. There was a leak in the roof from the pouring rain that could pose a slipping hazard. 

    There are a large picnic pavilion and two short hiking trails of about a mile each. We hiked the Fossil Mountain trail, which is very rocky. The main draw to this park is the cave. Tours are offered four times daily, January through November. If you camp, you receive a discount on the tour. The tour is worth doing.

  • Daniel K.
    Oct. 29, 2021

    Tishomingo State Park Campground

    Quaint and quiet

    This is our first visit here. First impressions are that it is a small, quiet park. It turned out to be less than we expected but not total a let down. The drive in and area in and around the park are beautiful scenic areas. We have encountered several trails, a lake, basketball area, pool, and other typical campground facilities. The sites themselves are mostly spacious with rather small camper pads. The green areas around the pads are spacious but mostly in even. We had a hard time finding an area flat enough to put up out tent on level ground. There is a grill, fire ring, and picnic table on each site.

  • Morgan Z.
    Sep. 7, 2016

    Houston Recreation Area

    Sipsey Wilderness

    During my time in Alabama, I kept hearing wonderful things about Sipsey Wilderness, and its many waterfalls, rocky landscapes, and great hikes. Since it's "wilderness," there are no established campsites, and there is a strict "leave no trace" policy. That being said, the opportunity to pick your own home away from home on your backpacking trip leaves you with a plethora of gorgeous options! Be sure to check the water levels before your trip, because while Sipsey is always beautiful, it isn't abnormal for many of the waterfalls to be dried up after a hot summer. Also, if you park at the Sipsey River Picnic Area Trailhead, be sure to pay the $3/day parking fee. They will give you a steep ticket otherwise! I had read about the fee, but upon arriving didn't see where to pay and figured it must have been an outdated post. Turns out, there was just a car blocking the pay station, which is near the chemical toilet when you turn into the parking lot. It's a dated deposit system, where you put your payment in an envelope, drop it in a dropbox, and put the perforated proof of payment tag on your dashboard. So be sure to bring exact change!! I was expecting something a little more modern, so even if I had seen the deposit box, I wouldn't have had exact change on me.

    The trails can get a little complicated, as there aren't really any trail markers, so be sure to buy a map of the area and bring it along with your compass. I found a map at mountain high outfitters at the Summit in Birmingham, AL, and it served us well. The 209 trail follows the river and is known as one of the more scenic routes. Nearby sites within the Sipsey Wilderness include Big Tree (the biggest tree in AL), Eye of the Needle, Ship Rock, numerous waterfalls, and several scattered cemeteries. All of these will be marked on a good map.

    The area is very buggy, and the trails can get cramped/overgrown in parts, so I'd recommend wearing long pants and lots of bug spray!

  • Mo F.
    Sep. 26, 2017

    McFarland Park Campground

    Camping in the City Limits

    We pulled in with no plans and drove through the whole campground. There are 60 RV spots, pull thru and not, some parking lot style and some a along a creek. There are no trees or bushes between spots, but the whole campground is situated with forest and creek on one side and the Tuscumbia River on the other. We weren't positive what the deal was so we checked in with the host and paid $14 for one night.

    Primitive tent spots are right on the river. There are fire pits, trees, and picnic tables sporadically placed. We pitched our tent facing the bluffs along the river and our hammock between two trees. It wasn't crowded and it was pretty quiet (no generators, no music, very family friendly and chill). The grass was cut, and though there were small ant piles everywhere, they really weren't in the way or aggressive. The bath-house is...not awesome. It's exactly what you'd expect for an older, gov-run park, with some spiders and leaky toilets, but toilets and showers are there.

    It is a three minute drive into downtown Florence. Most of that is through the park, which is home to a good-sized marina, disc golf course, and (defunct?) driving range. It's super convenient, cheap, and kept up well enough. The view of the water and bluffs is A++, and it's fun to watch the speed boats and river cruises.

  • L
    May. 6, 2023

    Rickwood Caverns State Park Campground

    Great for Beginner Campers

    Rickwood Caverns was the first car camping experience I ever had. My husband and I went sans kids to see if we liked tent camping and test out our gear. We are total beginners. 

    We got there at 5:15 and the shop/office closes at 5pm. There was a sign with a phone number for assistance in late check in. No one answered and our VM was never returned. No big deal. We didn’t have a pass in our car and no one cared or checked.

    The campground is small. Each of the primitive campsites has a fire pit and picnic table. Our table had seen better days and was missing one bench. Somewhere in the vicinity, there was a faucet for washing dishes, etc., but it was surrounded by a giant mud puddle. There’s another faucet area in the parking lot near the bathroom/shower building. 

    We reserved site #17 and there were two other tents pitched nearby. I reserved the site on Alaparks’ website and I think I paid $14/night. The park is gated and locked each evening. It is an old state park and a bit run down. The bathroom/shower building is very old, but it was tidy and I did see someone clean it on Saturday morning.

    We toured the caverns on Saturday at 10am with a small group and enjoyed the tour. Tours are discounted for campers. The tour didn’t include so much geological information as it was about rocks shaped as animals, etc. It would have been cool to learn more about the history and sciency stuff. Something really interesting about the history to me was that the caverns were basically blasted out and excavated by Boy Scouts in the 50s. Seriously. With dynamite. 

    The caverns have steep stairs that can be muddy and wet. Lots and lots of steps, so definitely not an activity for folks with mobility issues. Children might struggle too. 

    The park is kind of near a highway and I could hear cars in the evening and at night. 

    Cell phone reception was fine. 

    Temps were low 50s in overnight and bugs were only an issue around dusk. (This was in late April).

    Because the campground is so small, primitive camping area is close to camper parking lot, so there was a little camper community close by but that didn’t bother us. 

    Rickwood Caverns is a low frills place for tent camping for beginner campers. The caverns might be fun to tour again in December when they have their Christmas lights up.

  • MickandKarla W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 13, 2024

    Whitten Park Campground

    One of Our Favs

    Our RV GPS and Waze brought us south from Tishomingo via MS-25 to MS-4 to John Rankin Hwy. It’s a more scenic and narrower road than just taking MS-25 south, but there were no issues. We had made online reservations earlier that day for this Army Corps of Engineers Campground (CG) where we get a 50% discount per night using the National Parks Access Pass. We arrived earlier than 2:00 PM when the check-in gate opens, but there was a sign to go ahead and set up and come back at 2:00 to check-in. As we had our site number, we headed directly to pull through site 9 with water and electric(50/30/20 AMP). This was our third time camping at Whitten and we were delighted to find that they had combined site 8 and 9 into one long site. This site still had the old site amenities, which meant that we had double electric pedestals, water spigots, patio areas with picnic table, standup bbq, and fire pit. We were able to adjust our 5th wheel to avoid the several unlevel areas in this very long pull through. As with most COEs, water pressure was good and the electric worked fine. Whitten CG has a lot of mature trees, so satellite is iffy. We had no north shot for our Starlink. However, we got 2 to 3 bars on Verizon and the Mifi worked well for our needs to include streaming. There’s no WiFi in the CG. Site 9 has water view and does not bump up to other sites, which we found highly desireable. During our first stay in 2019, each loop had a shower house with a washer and dryer that we had used. Our last stay was an overnighter and we didn’t need to do laundry, so we hadn't checked those facilities out. This time we were here for three nights and had planned on doing laundry only to find the doors locked. We asked the camp host about the washers and dryers. He stated that the washers and dryers had been closed during COVID and now they were no long functional and weren't going to be replaced. We again enjoyed the trail system through out the CG and recreation area to walk our dogs. The James L. Whitten Historical Center is interesting to go through. There are several fishing piers as well. We came on a Wednesday and were pretty much by ourselves. Both Thursday and Friday campers started coming in around 11:30 AM filling up the CG. The camp hosts didn’t seem to mind the early arrivals and even opened up the office around noon for a few minutes to accommodate check-ins.

  • Asher K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 30, 2019

    Sipsey Wilderness Backcountry Site (Trail 203 Site A)

    Closest to the Car

    This campground is the first you pass after coming down the road from the parking area. It is located right at the 203 trail junction near the bridge and along the water. On this trip, it was occupied by a family that had walked down the hill at the same time as us and carried in all their gear in their arms with no packs. This is an ideal site if you need an easy to find a campground that is as close as you can get to the parking area. It is on the smaller size but has a nice firepit and plenty of area to put up at least two tents. It is also high enough off the bank for you to stay dry in case of flooding. One small downside is that to access water you will need to climb down a steep slope or walk around to the bridge slightly down the trail. Another downside is that the trail passes right through the campsite so if you are a late sleeper you may get disturbed in the morning by other hikers passing through. If you are able I would suggest going a little further down the trail and checking out the 2 other nearby sites. Read some of my other reviews from this area for more info about backpacking in Sipsey Wilderness.

  • Thomas H.
    Jan. 10, 2021

    Corinth Recreation Area

    Perfectly Designed for RV Newbies!

    Loved this park! It was our first trip in our new Travel Trailer and it couldn't have gone better. We stayed at Yellow Hammer site #9 easy pull through with plenty of room. Not only did all the sites have amazing scenery but the roads were well maintained. Full hookups and AT & T cellphone coverage good enough for working from Trailer. Verizon cellphone coverage didn't work here. Each site fully equipped with fire ring, picnic table, and lantern poles. Wood available for purchase from host. 

    Beach & Bath houses were closed due to COVID-19

    We spent a lot of time walking with our kids on the trails and riding scooters around the campsite roads. Nature trails were extremely well kept with great views on the water

    Best site is Yellow Hammer #17

  • Anna M.
    Apr. 20, 2025

    Corinth Recreation Area

    It's commercial camping with tons of kids.

    Very expensive, crowded and noisy but what do you expect. The hot water was out in the bath house so no showers. $10/day to enter if you have more than 2 vehicles. Everyone wants to be outside and camping most in large RV's with all the amenities and a dozen loud kids per. This is typical if you are looking for something else you will have to keep looking. Night time quiet hours are not enforced. Spaces are a little closer and tighter than other campgrounds.


Guide to Haleyville

The Bankhead National Forest in northwest Alabama houses the majority of tent camping opportunities near Haleyville, situated approximately 15 miles east of the forest boundary. Camping areas lie at elevations between 500-800 feet, creating varied terrain with distinct microclimates. River levels fluctuate dramatically between seasons, with water crossings that may range from ankle-deep to waist-high depending on recent rainfall.

What to do

Waterfall exploring: Thompson Creek Trail features numerous cascade options within short hiking distances. "The entire Sipsey Wilderness is gorgeous, but if you want a trail with lots of great spots to camp, this trail is fantastic... Most of the time, except during dry spells, there are LOTS of waterfalls. Also lots of shallow places for the kids to play in the water," notes a camper at Thompson Creek Trail Campsites.

Photography opportunities: Rock formations and clear turquoise waters provide unique subjects. "The water is a beautiful turquoise. Most of the campsites have giant moss covered boulders all around, and cliffs in the background opposite the river," describes one visitor at Thompson Creek.

Night sky observation: Minimal light pollution creates exceptional stargazing conditions. At Sipsey Wilderness Backcountry Site (Trail 207 Site B), campers can "get an idea of the site. This particular campsite is located at the intersect of several streams... Because it is actually slightly removed from the trail that most people take it has an incredible amount of privacy while not being cramped or crowded."

What campers like

Sandy tent spots: Many sites feature natural sand beds rather than packed dirt or rocky ground. One reviewer at Sipsey Wilderness Backcountry Site (Trail 203 Site C) notes the site is "fairly large but buried in the trees so you are both protected in case of storms and won't boil from the sun in the morning."

Creek access: Most sites sit within 50-200 feet of water sources for filtering and cooling off. "I really liked how close we were to the river and could easily pump water and rinse off our feet and bodies after a sweaty day of hiking," explains a camper at Sipsey Wilderness Backcountry Site.

Variable site sizes: Options range from single-tent clearings to group sites accommodating 3+ tents. At Sipsey Wilderness Backcountry Site (Trail 200 Site I), a camper describes "another great group site for 2-3 tents at one of the bends in the river. It is situated nice and high up on the bank so you should be well protected from flooding."

What you should know

Site conditions: Expect primitive camping with no facilities. "Most of the campsites have fire pits, and a few have some hand-made benches, usually from woven branches," reports a camper at Thompson Creek Trail.

Fees and regulations: The best tent camping near Haleyville, Alabama in Sipsey Wilderness is free, while private facilities charge varying rates. At Dismals Canyon Cabins and Primitive Campsites, a reviewer warns about costs: "Sites are anywhere from $27/night to $48/night. But then they also charge you a $5 cleaning fee... and a 'one time admission fee' of $30 (good for up to 4 people, additional people = additional money)."

Potential flooding: Select sites on higher ground during rainy periods. A camper at Dismals Canyon notes, "We stayed in the Sleeping Waters campground... The waterfall at the campsite is not large, but it still makes noise."

Water crossings: Many routes require fording streams that can vary from ankle to knee-deep. "The hike in is not difficult. You do have to cross a stream, which was not as difficult for my 6'2 husband as it was for me at 5'2. The water was clear," explains a visitor at Thompson Creek Trail.

Tips for camping with families

Best sites for children: Look for locations with gentle water access and natural play features. "We camped about 1 mile in at an existing fire ring. Beautiful water color!! Cool trees and rock formations," describes a visitor at Thompson Creek Trail.

Timing considerations: Spring (March-May) offers moderate temperatures and flowing waterfalls. A camper at Dismals Canyon shares that "We also had a creek flowing with crawdads, minnows, and bull frogs. Plenty of wildlife!!"

Educational opportunities: The area hosts unique bioluminescent creatures. At Dismals Canyon, "The gate leading to the campsites was not marked. At night, it was challenging to determine where to park," but "After we got everything set up and got all the lights out, we noticed the glowing dismalites along the Canyon wall behind our tent!!"

Tips from RVers

Site accessibility: Vehicle access to tent camping areas is limited with some requiring additional walking. At Sipsey Wilderness Backcountry Site (Trail 200 Site G), a reviewer notes this "is by far the best site if you have a group of 3 or more tents. It has several firepits and is spread out over a large area. Each individual site has enough privacy while still providing group areas to congregate."

Road conditions: Forest service roads may deteriorate after rain. "The roads aren't the best but my van made it despite the muddy potholes," shares a Thompson Creek Trail visitor.

Limited RV facilities: Most camping near Haleyville is primitive tent camping with few RV-friendly options. Dismals Canyon provides some amenities but is challenging for larger vehicles: "Cabins feature a generously sized kitchen, a warm and inviting living room complete with a fireplace, and two comfortable bedrooms."

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Haleyville, AL is Thompson Creek Trail Campsites with a 4.9-star rating from 10 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Haleyville, AL?

TheDyrt.com has all 23 tent camping locations near Haleyville, AL, with real photos and reviews from campers.