Best Campgrounds near Moundville, AL

The Moundville, Alabama area features established campgrounds clustered around key natural features, with several sites managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Payne Lake offers both East Side and West Side campgrounds where visitors can enjoy tent and RV camping with basic amenities. Moundville Archaeological Park, managed by the University of Alabama, provides camping opportunities alongside significant historical sites from the Mississippian period. Lake Lurleen State Park Campground and Deerlick Creek, located within 20 miles of Moundville, round out the developed camping options with more extensive facilities including electric hookups, water access, and sanitary dump stations.

Most campgrounds in the region maintain year-round accessibility, though some amenities may be seasonally limited. "Bath houses stayed clean. Nice 1/2 mile asphalt bike/walking trail. Hiking trail with hills and valleys skirting the lake," noted one visitor about Deerlick Creek. Several campgrounds feature lakefront access with boat ramps, swimming areas, and fishing opportunities. Summer heat and humidity can be intense, making spring and fall the most comfortable camping seasons. Reservation requirements vary by location, with Corps of Engineers sites typically offering both advance booking and first-come options. Cell service may be limited at more remote locations, particularly at Payne Lake which sits within a more secluded natural setting.

Campgrounds near water bodies receive consistently positive reviews, with Deerlick Creek and Lake Lurleen particularly praised for their well-maintained facilities. One camper mentioned that "Payne Lake is a pretty popular destination for locals, but it wasn't packed. The lake has a sandy beach and a roped-off swimming area." Historical attractions add value to camping experiences, with Moundville Archaeological Park allowing campers to explore Native American cultural sites. Most developed campgrounds provide shade from Alabama's summer heat, though sites vary in privacy levels. Wildlife viewing opportunities are abundant, particularly bird watching at Payne Lake. RV campers will find several parks with full hookups, while tent campers have access to more rustic options throughout the region.

Best Camping Sites Near Moundville, Alabama (48)

    1. Deerlick Creek

    26 Reviews
    Peterson, AL
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (205) 759-1591

    $20 - $30 / night

    "My campsite was near the bathroom/shower which was convenient.  Enjoyed the hillside view I had and the walks in the woods surrounding the campground."

    "Greta place to camp in the fall for Alabama football games, only about 15-16 miles from campus, yet very secluded. Really a great place to camp, whether with RV or tent camping!"

    2. Moundville Archaeological Park

    4 Reviews
    Moundville, AL
    1 mile
    Website
    +1 (205) 371-2234

    $15 - $25 / night

    "This is a great campground managed by the University of Alabama. It is on the site of the Moundville Indian mound complex, from the Mississippian period."

    "This ground is connected to ancient historical native american land. it’s amazing you get to walk around on two of the mounds and stay so close. there’s activities for summer saturdays i’ll be staying"

    3. Payne Lake West Side

    7 Reviews
    Moundville, AL
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (205) 926-9765

    "The lake was full of lily pads in bloom when we arrived mid-morning."

    "Watching the sun come up on this lake was so calming. We camped in site 16 and had a good view and a little walk way to the water."

    4. Coaches Corner RV Park

    3 Reviews
    Moundville, AL
    9 miles
    Website
    +1 (334) 425-1846

    $45 - $675 / night

    5. Payne Lake East Side

    5 Reviews
    Moundville, AL
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (205) 926-9765

    $6 - $18 / night

    "We had a great time visiting Payne Lake this weekend! We stayed at a primitive campsite with a beautiful view of the lake

    My biggest advice is to bring. your. own. firewood."

    "It was beautiful, quiet, and the lake was perfect. Would definitely go back!"

    7. Sunset RV

    6 Reviews
    Peterson, AL
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (205) 553-9233

    $29 - $32 / night

    "Because it's across the highway. Close to everything in Tuscaloosa. No 5 stars because it sufficient for camping, not much more! Which is what we do!"

    8. Lake Lurleen State Park Campground

    10 Reviews
    Coker, AL
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (205) 339-1558

    "My only complaint about lake lurleen is the lack of cell service- but do you need that when camping!? Bathrooms are older, best well kept for public bathrooms."

    "We really enjoyed the beach area and the trails. Lots of mountain bikers throughout the weekend."

    9. Jennings Ferry

    4 Reviews
    Moundville, AL
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (205) 372-1217

    $28 / night

    "Directly behind us is the playground which is a total win if camping with kiddos. Will return."

    "Close to my home base. Nice level site. Clean. Friendly hosts. One mile from small store with essentials. 7 miles from supermarket. No bad sites here. #22 gets satellite year round."

    10. Payne Lake Spillway

    1 Review
    Moundville, AL
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (205) 926-9765

    "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."

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Recent Reviews near Moundville, AL

200 Reviews of 48 Moundville Campgrounds


  • Randi P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 20, 2025

    Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park Campground

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 — Great mix of nature, history, and family fun

    We stayed at Tannehill Ironworks Campground for a long weekend and had a great experience. We arrived late on a Thursday night and appreciated that the ranger is on-site 24/7, since the campground doesn’t take reservations. The process is easy—you just pull in, find a site, and register/pay the next morning. It was a little hard to find a spot in the dark, but that was on us.

    There are three main campground areas. • Campgrounds 1 and 2 offer full hook-ups, with many outer sites backing up to a scenic creek. • Campground 3 has water and electric only.

    We stayed in site 122 in Campground 1, right on the creek. The sites are all gravel with picnic tables (a little worn—we brought our own table setup). Ours was pretty spacious, and since it wasn’t full, we had empty sites in front of and behind us, which made it feel even more open.

    The creek is peaceful and adds great ambiance, but there’s no designated access area for wading or swimming. That said, lots of kids were playing in the water right near their sites.

    T-Mobile service was decent—we were able to use our hotspot to stream TV at night. There’s no public Wi-Fi, but we didn’t miss it. We didn’t use the dump stations, but they looked clean and easy to access.

    Check-out time is 1:00 PM, and we didn’t see an official check-in time or posted quiet hours. The campground was fairly calm and relaxed, especially at night.

    The best part of Tannehill is everything there is to do. We brought bikes and explored miles of trails, all clearly marked by difficulty level. The park is also full of historical buildings like an old mill, furnace, blacksmith shop, and restored cabins (some are available to rent). There’s a Sunday church service at 9AM, playgrounds, picnic pavilions, a general store, a miniature train ride, and even an ice cream shop.

    If you visit during one of their Trade Days weekends, you’re in for a treat—it’s like a huge flea market with over 400 vendors, food stands, and all kinds of local treasures.

    Tannehill is a unique blend of history, nature, and activities for all ages. We’ll definitely be back and would recommend it to anyone looking for a laid-back getaway with lots to explore!

  • Hannah C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 28, 2025

    Payne Lake Spillway

    Spillway recreation area

    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. There are also bathrooms across from the pavilion. The boat ramp for the lake is right down the road from the spillway parking area. No camping is allowed in this area of the campground.

  • NThe Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 23, 2025

    Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park Campground

    Great price for what you get

    Didn’t get to explore much as we stayed 1 night passing through. First come first serve reservations. There were many open spots when we arrived. We paid $25 that included electric hookup, bath house with showers, water on site, and a dump station. I believe you can pay another $5 for sewage on site. There were still several other RVs and trailers here, everyone being very friendly and keeping to themselves. Very quiet sleep and bathrooms were clean. Would definitely recommend.

  • Jules S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 20, 2025

    Deerlick Creek

    March 2025

    Stayed here for a few days in March 2025. Beautiful campground. My only complaint is the staff are hard to find. Upon checking in there was no one at the office and after 2 days there I had to hunt someone down for my tag and questions regarding the gate closing at night. Clean bath houses & campground. Good place for my dogs to swim as well. Also only small complaint is most of the decks at the campsites are rotting.

  • Michael U.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 13, 2025

    Moundville Archaeological Park

    Tent camping not recommended

    The rv sites look maintained. Tent camping is not. Ground is unkept so be careful of sticks poking holes in the floor. If you have a truck-mounted tent, you will have to get an RV site as you have to carry your tent a short ways. The rest of the park is great.

  • MThe Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 7, 2025

    Forkland Campground

    Right on the water

    Had a nice spot right on the water. Lots of fisherman here and each site has a fish cleaning station. Place to put your boat in right when you enter the campground. Lots of mosquitos when the sun goes down so bring your spray.

  • Michael P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 6, 2025

    Blue Creek Public Use Area

    Totally Relaxing

    I have camped here several times, alway relaxing and restful. Has a latrine, no water or electric. Has boat ramp and camping areas are near pacer park roads. Local traffic is mostly folks going to boat ramp. Camping area is along bluff over looking the River. Second area is in a grove at the end of the paved road and turn around. Ample space, some folks also pull RV down to an area near the boat ramp. Other that the latrine self-contained rustic camping.

  • Laura M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 5, 2025

    Wind Creek Atmore Casino RV Park

    Free Overnight also available in the parking lot

    This is a great spot to stay the night. The casino has an actual full RV park here as well, but they also allow overnight parking in the RV day parking area, or even in the regular car parking lot if you prefer. The RV parking area is there for patrons to use while they’re inside gambling or eating at the restaurant, so they expect that people will want to park there for the night on occasion, since the casino is open 24hrs. We stayed for free in the RV parking area for the night with no issues. We went in to the RV park office to ask permission and the manager was very nice and welcoming. 

    Huge grassy area for the dogs. Great night, very quiet. There are 3 actual RV “spots” and then about 5 more level concrete pads, if the spots are taken. Nobody else stayed the night when we stayed there. This spot seems to be where the sheriffs like to come and chill.

  • M
    Mar. 15, 2025

    Deerlick Creek

    Overnight trip with the kids

    On a whim we booked a site and stayed overnight! We had a blast. The beach was closed when we went but we still enjoyed all the trails and basketball goal! We stayed right on the river in the perfect spot


Guide to Moundville

Camping sites near Moundville, Alabama offer a blend of water recreation and historical attractions within the Black Warrior River watershed. Overnight options range from primitive tent sites to developed RV campgrounds, with most clustered along waterways or near cultural landmarks. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 90°F with high humidity, making spring and fall the preferred camping seasons for many visitors.

What to do

Primitive hiking experiences: Payne Lake East Side offers access to trails with varying conditions depending on maintenance status. "The blue hiking trail on the East side required quite a bit of bushwhacking and didn't seem to have much upkeep at all. On our hike, we ended up walking the roads of the campsite and seeing the whole grounds," notes one visitor to Payne Lake East Side.

Archaeological exploration: Learn about Native American history at the University of Alabama's archaeological park. "This is a great campground managed by the University of Alabama. It is on the site of the Moundville Indian mound complex, from the Mississippian period," explains a reviewer at Moundville Archaeological Park. The museum and cultural events offer educational opportunities throughout the year.

Mountain biking trails: Lake Lurleen State Park provides dedicated trails for cyclists. "We really enjoyed the beach area and the trails. Lots of mountain bikers throughout the weekend," shares one camper who visited the park. Riders of various skill levels can find suitable routes within the trail system.

What campers like

Waterfront camping views: Many campgrounds feature sites overlooking lakes or rivers. At Jennings Ferry, campers appreciate the premium waterfront locations: "We stayed at site #36 which had a large deck overlooking the water." These sites often book quickly during peak seasons.

Wildlife viewing opportunities: Primitive camping areas offer chances to observe native species. "We watched deer almost tamely walking around the campground," reports a visitor to Deerlick Creek. Bird watching is particularly rewarding at lakeside locations where various species can be spotted.

Beach and swimming access: Several campgrounds maintain designated swimming areas. "The lake has a sandy beach and a roped-off swimming area," mentions a Lake Lurleen camper. These beaches provide relief from Alabama's heat without requiring travel beyond the campground boundaries.

What you should know

Cell service limitations: Connectivity varies significantly between campgrounds. "No AT&T service," reports a Lake Lurleen camper, while Payne Lake offers better coverage: "Two to Three bars of Verizon 4G LTE." Visitors should prepare for potential communication limitations.

Bathroom facility variations: Amenities differ widely between locations. "There is a central bath house, which is closed in winter. However the campground is open all year," notes a visitor to Moundville Archaeological Park. Some campgrounds maintain year-round bathroom access while others reduce services seasonally.

Firewood considerations: Some campgrounds restrict outside firewood or have limited availability. A camper at Payne Lake Westside Campground shares, "Plenty of firewood to use around the property," while others recommend bringing your own: "My biggest advice is to bring. your. own. firewood. As far as we could tell, there was nowhere at the campground to purchase bundles."

Tips for camping with families

Playground access: Select sites near play areas for convenience with children. At Jennings Ferry, one camper recommends: "We are staying in site 25 and it's absolutely amazing. Directly behind us is the playground which is a total win if camping with kiddos."

Water safety awareness: Lakes in the region may have wildlife concerns. One visitor to Lake Lurleen warns: "The only downside was the snakes... when we looked for one, we saw one. Literally. They were everywhere." Parents should maintain close supervision of children near water.

Multiple recreational options: Campgrounds with diverse activities keep children engaged. "Paddle boarding and walking around to different playgrounds!" reports a family at Lake Lurleen State Park Campground, highlighting the importance of selecting locations with varied amenities.

Tips from RVers

Campsite size considerations: Many campgrounds have limited space for larger vehicles. "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," notes a Deerlick Creek visitor, emphasizing the importance of researching site dimensions.

Hookup availability: Services vary widely between campgrounds. At Sunset RV, a visitor reports: "We had site 57, which was a level blacktop site that had sewer, water, cable and electricity." RVers requiring full hookups should confirm availability when making reservations.

Site levelness: Terrain can present challenges at some locations. A Lake Lurleen camper notes: "I will say most of the sites are not level, I have some broken concrete and need some TLC." Bringing leveling blocks is advisable for most RV camping locations near Moundville.

Frequently Asked Questions

What camping is available near Moundville, AL?

According to TheDyrt.com, Moundville, AL offers a wide range of camping options, with 48 campgrounds and RV parks near Moundville, AL and 1 free dispersed camping spot.

Which is the most popular campground near Moundville, AL?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Moundville, AL is Deerlick Creek with a 4.6-star rating from 26 reviews.

Where can I find free dispersed camping near Moundville, AL?

According to TheDyrt.com, there is 1 free dispersed camping spot near Moundville, AL.

What parks are near Moundville, AL?

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 12 parks near Moundville, AL that allow camping, notably Black Warrior and Tombigbee Lakes and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.