Looking for a rustic and comfortable horse camping experience near Madison? Finding a place to camp in Alabama with your horse is easier than ever. These scenic and easy-to-reach Madison 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.
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
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.
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
Somewhat crowded, but it was a holiday weekend. Very clean bathrooms and campground. Employees were extremely friendly, inviting, and knowledgeable!
LegendVisited 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.
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.
TravelerGreat place for the kids our neck of the woods was very quite and right next to where the deer like to graze, nothing like seeing Bambi and friends in the mornings and nights. Come prepared very few items at the camp store
GuideA great beautiful lake. Lots of deer. Also numerous thunderstorms, unfortunately. Avoid area B where we stayed. Had no choice since we were there for our first Oliver Owners Rally and didn’t book soon enough. Those along Lake are best then F. Town of Guntersville has what you need, restaurants, etc.
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.
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.
TravelerOverall good campground with very good bathrooms and showers. Camping sites are tight together and somewhat odd shaped. Camp store is convenient and all staff are friendly.
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.
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!
Legend
This 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!
LegendCool place to stay and visit. Was there during the 1st part of the COVID happenings! The staff was nice and friendly and started following the state guidelines... Was nice to see. Thanks! Spaces were a bit close but lots of shade in the upper parts of the CG. Lower section is more open due to a tornado several years back. Coming back nicely though. Lots of hiking in the area. There's a golf course. A Zip line and lot's of fishing and boating on the lake.
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.
GuideThis campground looks so different since the tornadoes a few years ago took out a lot of the trees. It is still a great campground, and they have planted lots of trees and really fixed it up. We ended up in a tiny last minute site I think in B section which I would not recommend. We have reservations this fall in F5 which looks so much nicer. (Anywhere in F would be pretty nice) The primitive section is quite nice looking and right on the waterfront. The staff said sometimes they allow small RVs like ours to boondock there (no generators) so we may try that next time we are in a pinch and need a last minute reservation.
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 loved Sharon Johnson. Really good camp for littles and good spot for first time campers. Camp host was awesome. We will go back.
ScoutAmazing place to stay. Good park with plenty for the kids.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
GuideWonderful place to camp!!! Most sites include view of lake Guntersville. Several things to do here... Mountain bike, hike, fish, beach with volleyball, golf. Deer usually visit the campground several times a day. Take time to drive up the mountain to the Lodge and take in the great views. Friendly staff, clean bathrooms and showers.
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 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.
TravelerTent camped here on the water, absolutely no shade since the tornadoes brought all the trees down, even with the water nearby, temps hardly ever went below 85 at night. Poor planning on our part, not their fault. Much better for RVing.
ScoutMost spots are very close together so you don’t eat much privacy. Super crowded on the weekends. Great place if you like to fish.
Horse camping in Alabama offers a unique blend of scenic trails and equestrian-friendly amenities, perfect for riders looking to explore the great outdoors with their horses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Madison, AL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Madison, 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 Madison, AL?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 equestrian camping locations near Madison, AL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
