Best Equestrian Camping near Marion Junction, AL

Gunter Hill Park is a Corp of Engineers campground just outside of Montgomery, Alabama. Although we have not camped at many COE parks, I can't imagine any of them topping this one! Of the 142 sites, 1-75 are renovated with concrete pads and full hook-ups. We were there in February and the weather was a little wet & cold. Since it wasn't very crowded, only 1 area of campsites was open. Be aware if you're there during a string of heavy rain days as some low lying sites may become flooded. Our site backed up to a point where we could sit and watch the water. However, if we had stayed another day we would have been told to move as more rain was expected and the water levels were rising.

The bathrooms were very clean and well maintained. There were also a few hiking trails and nice paved roads for bikes. I did smell a paper factory in the air while we were there. I've also read that you can hear the race cars from the Montgomery Speedway during racing season from your campsite.

There was a lot to explore around the area as well. We went into Montgomery several times. I recommend checking out the AL Dept of History & Archives free museum. Its very well done and I learned a lot about Alabama. We also visited the Memorial for Peace & Justice along with the Legacy Museum. Both very well done and thought provoking.

For a different setting for a meal, check out the nearby Stockyard Grill. You can go in for a burger and leave with the whole cow!

Gunter Hill was a nice COE campground. We had site 32 in the Catoma Loop (only loop open - we stayed at the end of January for one night). The sites are level and had full hookups. Our site had a good view of the lake, but I’m not sure you’d have that view once trees and underbrush have full leaves. Only disappointments were we had a strong sewage smell around our site when we first got there - the smell went away so maybe it was just the direction of the wind (the bath house is across the road). And when we walked through our woods behind our site to look at the lake, we were saddened to see tons of trash in the woods - made the pretty view of the lake a lot less appealing. We would stay here again for a one night, but probably not for a long stay.

Wow, this is such a pretty campground! Our site is absolutely huge! I absolutely love all of the trees!! Unfortunately, it’s still 97° out. 🤣 We are in the shade for most of the day. With a fan, it wasn’t too bad sitting outside in the shade. I am so excited to see the lightning bugs. We don’t have them in my part of FL.

We have one bathhouse near our site (across from site 34), which appears to be older. I do love that the water is regulated and will only be on for a short amount of time. The lights have a motion sensor, which is a great idea. Unfortunately as I was getting dressed, the light turned off and wouldn’t turn back on. I had to open the door and flail around to get it to turn back on. Sorry for anyone who may have witnessed that. lol I was covered up, I promise. The water did not drain where the changing area is. The water just puddled there. We ran across the bathhouse by site 71 and that one is way better. It has AC too, which was nice in this heat. Yes, we use the showers at campgrounds. This also has washers and dryers, but both washers are broken. 😞 Our RV shower is really small and I like to actually move my arms around while showering. Please don’t criticize us for our decision.

Our unfortunate event: while sitting outside, something smell really rancid. Unfortunately, people before us lost their dog. We walked down to look at the water and that’s when we discovered the body. 🥺 I called the front office and they were able to confirm that it was the lost dog. We were unable to sit outside most of the time because of the decay smell drifting up to our site. We hoped the ranger would have come here to pick up the body for the people, but they never showed up. Not the camp hosts responsibility at all and I’m not blaming them. I hope the owners were able to get some closure, but I can’t imagine how they feel.