Are you planning a trip to Huntsville with your horse? We've got you covered. Whether you own a horse or are joining a tour group, equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. These scenic and easy-to-reach Huntsville campsites are perfect for equestrian campers.
Lake Guntersville State Park offers Town Creek Primitive Campground which provides primitive campsites (boondock camping allowed 7 night maximum) on the water, bathhouses, boat rentals, ethanol-free gas (accessible by water), and the Town Creek Fishing Center.
There are hiking trails and horse trails. Both lead into the gorge. A tent-only, primitive camping area is available at the bottom of the gorge not far from the Walls of Jericho natural amphitheater. The hike is about 3.5 miles in length, one way, and is downhill most of the route into the gorge. That, of course, means the walk back will be mostly uphill. It is a strenuous hike, so visitors should wear comfortable shoes and take plenty of water and snacks. The trail is well marked but often is muddy for days after a rain shower. Several streams have to be crossed, so plan on getting wet. Be advised that stream levels rise quickly during thunderstorms and crossing them can be hazardous in swift water. Plan on a minimum of six hours to make the round trip, which includes a two-hour stay in the gorge.
This convenient location provides business access to nearby cities and still affords you a quiet refuge from the rush of the city. Whether your work brings you to one of the great tech companies near the Redstone Arsenal, or to work in the music studios or many industries in Nashville, we have you covered with limited extended stay options. If you require accommodation for your horses while enjoying local horse events, we have you covered for overnight stays at the Red Coach Equestrian farm stables. If your final destination is the pristine white panhandle beaches or the many attractions in south Alabama or north Florida, we offer overnight stays as well.
$17 - $50 / night
Owl Creek Horse Camp and Trail System offer nearly 25 miles of trails designed for horseback-riding. The trail system starts on Forest Service Road 262 about 7 miles east of Highway 33. Trail riders may choose from loops of varying lengths. The camp provides primitive overnight campsites for trail riders.
Traveler
This place was still being built and was already amazing. There are large spaces in the woods only minutes from Huntsville. A quiet piece of heaven. A beautiful large creek runs through it, with miles of walking paths, a horse barn, and spaces to play and relax. LOTS OF SPACE Lee and Joy are fantastic hosts and will do almost anything to make the stay comfortable. We got a sneak preview while they were just getting open and I cannot impress on you how much this Park has to offer. Did I mention fossils? All over the place some of the oldest creatures to crawl the earth are there for you to find! I'm not kidding we saw trilobites everywhere along the creek. I cannot judge access really as they were still working on the roads and with the plans they have, it will be very easy to get aro[und. We have a 44 ft DRV and with a little care were easily able to get around. we had a boondocking site and had to go fill and empty tanks and could do so easily. Did we mention how much space there is? We did have poor coverage for our mobile data but the phones and texting always worked.
Legend
The walls of Jericho are an incredible site to see if you are willing to make the backpacking adventure to them. The hike in takes only about an hour and is all downhill. Park at either the Alabama or the Tennessee trailhead (make sure not to park at the horse trailhead earlier on the road) and descend down into the canyon. When you reach the bottom of the trail and cross a river there are several campgrounds that you can set up at. After getting settled keep following the trail back into the canyon and you will get to the first waterfall/pool. Don't stop there though cause the real view is the waterfall at the back of the canyon that takes a little scrambling to get to. While there recently with my wife we spent 2 nights camping at the horse campground and spent our full day doing a loop hike into Tennessee. The only thing you have to be cautious of is it can get pretty muddy if it has rained heavy recently. I would suggest going in spring cause that is when everything is blooming and so beautiful.
Ranger
This is off the beaten path a bit, but it has its perks. Here you can find potable water from the spickets all year long. It is essentially a large field with some very large loblolly pines. The nights sky is wonderful. Also, from here you can link together 22 miles worth of trail. We rode our bikes, the trails are more geared for the equestrian rider, but was friendly enough for bikes. We enjoyed staying here after being out of cell service for a few days at brushy lake, so we were able to catch up and coordinate our next destination. As far as campground amenties outside of whats already been covered there are a had full of picnic tables and a pit toilet.
Cost is $5 a night or $3 for day use. 2 bars of Verizon 4G LTE.
Traveler
The campground is right on the banks of Lake Guntersville and it has a beach area so it's great if you want to play in the water. It doesn't have as much shade as it used to due to tornados but it is still a really great campground. There are a lot of great hiking, biking, and horse-riding trails. On anygiven day you can drive through the park and see an abundance of deer. The state park is also home to a zip line and an excellent golf course and the lodge has a pool and a really great restaurant.
LegendWhile staying in the area we stopped by and checked out this campground and associated trails. It is in a wonderful part of Bankhead and close to so many trail access points. Additionally the campground is located directly on the horse trail so you can stay here with your animals and get up and go trekking the next day. For people like me who are more hikers than riders you just drive 15 min down the road and you are right in the heart of Sipsey wilderness. The campground doesn't have much in terms of amenities but if you prefer a little more you can stay at Brushy lake nearby. The major advantage to this site is its access to the horseback riding trails.
LegendThis is one of the larger campsites available at Walls of Jericho and definitely the easiest to find. I have stayed here a couple of times and always enjoyed it. The one downside to this site is that it can get somewhat flooded after heavy rains. It can also get fairly crowded since there are multiple firepits and tent clearings not far apart from each other. This is definitely the best site if you have a large group or want to be able to set up multiple tents. It is also at an easy access point to the falls as well as the other trails in the area. The site has easy access to water most of the year and can provide space for over 10 tents. If it seems crowded and you want more privacy though you can turn left off the trail and walk a short ways to the horse camp which is more secluded and removed from the trail. My last suggestion is that if you are here on a clear night head out to the field abutting the site and enjoy some stargazing!
LegendThis is a nice state park in a small town in north Alabama. The lake is really pretty and the campground has a nice view of it. The facilities were really nice and there is a store and restaurant all within the park. It’s a bit of a drive to get to town so try to get the essentials before setting up camp. The campground is nice– a definite recommend!
ScoutThey have great facilities (super clean and conveniently placed). The locals are very helpful and welcoming. They were hit by a tornado a few years back and it took out a lot of trees and cleared a lot of beautiful landscape but since then they have worked hard to bring the beauty back and it's working on a huge scale! It's a wonderful place to hike the mountains and fish, bring the camper and relax, or just pack a tent and a cooler to enjoy the veiw. The lake is gorgeous and big! The best fishing I've had in Alabama is at Guntersville St. Park!
LegendThe Clark Cemetery campsite is a moderate sized campsite along the Walls of Jericho trail and is located just yards from the Clark Cemetery and the Turkey Creek Bridge. The site is approximately 3.1 miles from the Alabama hikers trailhead parking lot. The campsite is level and large enough to accommodate many tents. There are also many trees that would be suitable for hammock camping. You can choose from a shaded space to a sunny space depending on which side of the site you set up on. I counted at least six fire rings at this site, so multiple groups could be accommodated. With the very close proximity to the Clark Cemetery (a 1800’s family cemetery) I imagine the campfire stories could be very entertaining.
This is backcountry camping so plan appropriately (no bathroom, pack it in- pack is out). We found no cell phone service with Verizon at this site. Water can be sourced from Turkey Creek if it is flowing, but should be treated/filtered (on this visit Turkey Creek was pretty dry after a very dry summer, but Hurricane Creek is just a short walk away).
Legend
Small but secluded backcountry site with easy access to the river for pumping water. This site is nice because it is level and removed from the water enough that there is no concern of flooding. This site does have less privacy though so take that into account.
Sipsey Wilderness is a protected but unmaintained area in Northwest Alabama that is well known for its intersecting creeks, streams, and rivers that play together with the many waterfalls and magical rock faces. The wilderness area is contained within the larger Bankhead National Forest and is accessible from a variety of different trailheads many of which are only reachable on dirt roads. Hiking here you definitely get the feeling that you have left the rest of the world behind and are in complete wilderness. Different times of year provide completely different experiences whether its the exciting and boundless blooms of spring, the overgrown wild of summer, the bold and expansive colors of fall, or the high river levels and easy boating access of winter. Just make sure to always do your research and plan ahead since it can change so drastically depending on when you go. My favorite is either fall or spring since the summer can be particularly hot and buggy. This trip we had planned to kayak down the river from the Sipsey River Trailhead to the Highway 33 Bridge take out but were thwarted by a recent lack of heavy rain and unusually low river levels for the season. Several sites online suggested over 4 feet gauge height would be fine but after talking to the Rangers we were told the only time that it was really navigable was in the winter or fall for a couple of days after a major rainfall. With that plan out the window, we decided instead to throw some packs in the car and move our gear around to make it a semi backpacking/hiking trip.
Traveler
Staff was friendly and the campgrounds were nice and clean. The camp lots were too close for my liking. Too much noise and I couldn’t find firewood anywhere. More of a family, social type park.
GuideThis park is a bit out of the way but a local favorite. We've enjoyed many picnics and birthday parties in the group pavilions, as well as enjoyed the campgrounds. The park is about 200 acres and the RV sites are located through gate one. There are three rows of sites and the best ones in my opinion are the ones located against the treeline/creek. There are pull-through sites, but they were closer together and out in the open.
It's a great site to bring the kids. In the summer the pool is open which is great for the hot days. There's also a track, a baseball field, and soccer fields so I've seen many athletic events held there. When we go, our kids run free -- there are 200 acres of open space and a lake so they have a great time -- and there is a Pioneer Village they can explore and an open wedding pavilion for hours of pretending they are at a wedding. There's also a playground with different equipment for all ages. Just a note, there is a gun range across the street and down the road. You can hear people practicing when it's open but it's in the distance.
I've taken a few pictures and videos so you can get a feel for the lay of the land. It really is wide open spaces.
TravelerWe loved Sharon Johnson. Really good camp for littles and good spot for first time campers. Camp host was awesome. We will go back.
GuideLake Guntersville State Park campground is just about as idyllic as it gets. It definitely has that “summer camp” kind of feel to it as opposed to the typical “we have some land you can camp on” vibe most places have. The camp store was very well stocked, and at the time we camped there wasn’t a limit on firewood so we were able to keep our fire going despite it being damp wood. The restroom facilities were immaculate (with A/C!) and clearly cleaned multiple times a day. The primitive campgrounds themselves were first come first serve and not assigned, but we lucked out with one of the best sites available, even on a Saturday arrival. Our closest neighbor was at least 100 feet away. The only logistical downside to the primitive sites is that they don’t have picnic tables, so be sure to bring your own if you do any sort of cooktop cooking. Outside of what the campgrounds lacks, our biggest problem ended up being ANTS. Once they discovered the scent of my cooktop, there was no getting rid of them, and there were a LOT. It even made sitting around the campfire a constant game of picking them off your legs. I’m not sure if there’s much the campgrounds can do about it, though. But the ants pretty much stayed to the cooktop and never got into our tent or anything. The view we had was absolutely second to none, though, and absolutely made the ants a very minimal gripe in the end. I would absolutely visit again!
GuideWe chose a primitive site for a quieter camping night. Although the furthest away from a bathhouse, we truly enjoyed this site. It’s “pick your own” and we picked the site next to Seals hiking trail along the water. Each site has a fire pit and is mostly level. No table, so bring your own. No water spigot so make sure you have your own. Beautiful location with amazing sunsets.
ScoutAmazing place to stay. Good park with plenty for the kids.
TravelerThis was the first place we stayed in our RV. Amazing ! Is a understatement. We stayed walking distance to the water and 3 of our 4 kids fished for 3 days. They loved every minute of staying here. We will be back !!! Plenty of wild life and fishing.
GuideWe went to the state park for the weekend. Stayed in the A area which we were told had sewer (it does not but it’s very close to the dump station). Spots were average for a state park. The store at the front has a good variety of anything you might want/need. But, the views, the facilities, and the trails were awesome. Can’t beat lake Guntersville for beauty and nature.
ScoutThere isn’t anywhere that doesn’t have a view connected to a great golf course and fishing that can’t be beat. Can get crowded but has places to get away on trails and the water
ScoutWe stayed three nights in primitive camping and it was fantastic. Our site was right on the water and far away from any other campers. The RV camping is not as secluded. Bath houses were very clean and tons of fun things for kids to do around the park.
GuideWe stayed here in May 2019. It was very enjoyable. Full hook-ups. Bath house clean and functioned normal. Sites really don't have water views on even on the water that we saw. They have boat ramps and docks/slips. Tons of deer in the park. Drive slow dusk to dawn. We ate at the lodge and it was just average. Lake is beautiful and fishing is great. Nice cleaning station also. We will go back in the future. Also has golf course but I did not play. Sites are level and easy to back into.
TravelerWe arrived one day early which was semi planned, but we were not in the spot we were staying for 11 days. Thank goodness because the pic on the site Vs reality was a pretty big difference. We have a big rig and no way we would fit. I figured I would have to finagle something in my own to get us a different site. NOPE! They guy at the gate helped us out and 5 min later we had a site! Store has a few things in it, including some Lake stickers/shirts/etc with Lake Guntersville on them. There is a little library box by the store with books people have put in after reading. There are sites for full hookup, water/electric, or primitive. There are long term sites as well. There is plenty to do! Beach, boat, water pad, basketball and tennis courts. Laundry available. Nice bathrooms and bathhouse. Dog park for bigs and Littles! The power went out once for a couple minutes and then again due to an accident on the mountain. There are neat things within the park to see and do. Hike/trails, golf, fish, zip line, horseback riding. A must stop is to see the donkeys, goats and emus. Towing to get here is interesting, but doable! We have a 42 ft RV with a 16 ft boat behind and we made it. Close enough to town but you have to go over the mountain. There are some neat stores down town and a farmers market.
TravelerFull hookup sites. Great views. Due to tornados in recent years, there are not many trees.
ScoutIt was a beautiful campground. The site we were on was not ideal. As soon as we stepped out the door we had to go up an incline to get to our picnic table. Our camper was pretty level and most of the other sites looked much better than ours, but that is what we get for booking late. The sites were packed in together, but everyone one was really nice. They had a clean bathhouse with laundry. There was a playground, small splash pad, and the beach area for swimming in the lake. My kids had a great time with all there was to do. The paths around the campground were paved, so they enjoyed riding their scooters around.
TravelerWe like to come here for lake time. Easy to bring and access your boat from launch and paid boat slip. Campground store is nice. Some sites are nicer than others.
TravelerSuch a beautiful spot! We like a bit more trees, which they had until a tornado came through in 2011 or 12. There is mot a lot of privacy; but we love to SUP, which was great there. The camp hosts and staff were very nice!
GuideWell maintained, friendly staff, few trees due to the 2012 tornado that came through the area, golf course and lodge available.
Horse camping in Alabama offers a unique blend of scenic trails and equestrian-friendly facilities, making it an ideal destination for riders and their horses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Huntsville, AL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Huntsville, AL is Lake Guntersville State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 42 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Huntsville, AL?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 equestrian camping locations near Huntsville, AL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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