Best RV Parks & Resorts near National Forests in Alabama

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

This RV park is right on a lake, but a bit away from anything else. If you have any sort of boat, kayak, paddle board, bring it! There is hiking about an hour away at the Bankhead National Forest.

You can pick your spot when you arrive. I like that.

A and B sections are the original sections. C section is brand new with 50 amps hookup. All the big rigs there.

I was on C74 with a great backyard overlooking the hills.

Bathhouse is brand new and squeaky clean. You can see that almost no-one uses the campground shower because one of them doesn’t have a curtain to separate your dry clothes from the water. And neither of them have a caddy or any spot where you can put your soap.

Pool was not open when I was here in April which was a shame. It was hot enough. I would have enjoyed a swim, especially so we there is not much else to do. I don’t have a boat yet. 🙁

A decent Thousand Trails campground.

I had no reception with Verizon but my AT&T hotspot had good reception.

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.

We received an email with arrival information, which stated to pick up our site and park information at the shower and laundry facility as you entered the RV Park portion of the golf resort. The information provided a campground(CG) map and our site number. We proceeded to pull through site 25 with FHUs. The site was plenty long enough to situate and disconnect for our two-night stay. Some pull-through reviews stated spacious, and I guess if you rate pad length, that could be accurate, but the sites are close together. The water pressure was excellent, and we really liked the new cedar picnic table. We noticed WiFi transponders throughout the CG. This CG has the most WiFi transponders we’ve ever seen, counting five per row of 20 campsites. The CG WiFi was pretty good, but we put up our Starlink with no problem getting a northern shot. There would not have been a problem with a southern sky shot as well. Soon after we set up, the very nice CG host/manager came by to ensure we didn’t have any issues or questions, which we did not. We got 3 bars on Verizon. The CG is fairly large, with full-time or seasonal leases. They do not have a dog park, but there are plenty of areas to walk your dog. They have dedicated spots for short-term campers. The motel and golf course facilities are adjacent and are located further back on the property. It was nice that there was a separate road to the resort area as the locals drive rapidly to and from the golf course. We played a round of golf and were surprised that the course is not very well maintained, but it does get a lot of play. The CG and the golf course are actually separate entities even though they are co-located. Drove the 15 minutes into Hartselle and were pleasantly surprised by amenities such as the Walmart and especially a very nice, well-stocked Krogers. We enjoyed our stay at this very nice CG.

Tip: Go left at the stop sign on Mt. Zion Rd from Nat Key Rd when departing the CG! When we departed, heading back towards the interstate, you come to a stop sign. Our RV GPS and Waze wanted us to turn right on Mt. Zion Rd instead of going left as we did when we arrived. We took the right turn, and about the time the trailer swung, we saw the drop-off into the ditch, and the driver’s side wheels went into it, knocking off a snap pad. We stopped at the old country store parking lot at the next turn and checked for damage. Thank goodness we only lost a snap pad.

Excellent campground. Staff was very friendly. This is a spacious campground and easy to navigate even with a big rig. Loop C is newer than A & B loops. Plenty of amenities, pool, basketball court, disc golf, nice clubhouse with pool tables and other games/lounging, Lewis Smith Lake, nice playground, horseshoes, a lake overlook with gazebo and mini golf though it was missing the artificial grass, not sure if it closed permanently or down for repairs. Cullman has the Ave Maria Grotto, a definite must see IMO, Huntsville has the US Space and rocket museum and Redstone Arsenal Army Base. I didn’t get to it but Birmingham has the Civil Rights Institute and the 16th Street Baptist Church and Tupelo is Elvis’s birthplace.

Facilities in my loop are very nice and clean. There is a boat launch and nice dock and a small waterfall behind it as well. Jasper and Cullman are the closest cities, about a 20-30 minute drive. There is a nearby gas station and Dollar General.

Verizon signal is very sketchy, and non existent depending on where you are in the campground. I was able to make calls but that was it. They do have wifi, free at the clubhouse and a couple other spots. The have campground wide wifi that you can pay for, I stayed for a week and it was $14.95. They have other lengths of time to choose from. It was pretty good for me, Internet usage was good, FaceTime calls were ok ish, cut in and out but phone calls were fine.

Sites are gravel, full hook up, and there are 5 tent camping sites. Minor leveling needed for my spot. There are quite a few permanent campers in the good spots with views of the lake, that was kind of a bummer but not detrimental. Site was very large, enough for another camper to fit. It had a nice fire pit ring that doubled as a grill you could flip over and use and had a picnic table. Some birds and squirrels, nothing exciting. Overall, very nice, clean and quiet campground, would recommend visit again.