Best Equestrian Camping near Oxford, AL

Cherokee Rock Village is the closest campground to Sand Rock, Alabama. In fact, all of the campsites sit atop the crag. Sand Rock great outdoor climbing area for beginners to novices, with ratings from 5.7 to 13+. The facilities at the campsite have been recently updated and include a bathhouse with showers and toilets, a large communal pavilion, a playground, large dumpsters, and multiple water spigots. All sites are first come, first serve, and a few of them even overlook the valley! I've never had an issue with other climbers/campers being too loud, and it seems like the park enforces their policies quite well. It's a great basecamp for a weekend climbing trip.

I’ve camped at Cherokee Rock Village (affectionately known as Sandrock to the locals) since 2011, starting back when it was still largely undeveloped and free…totally worth paying for these days - they’ve made it such a great place: showers, bathrooms, dumpsters, plenty of walk-in and car camping sites. Best climbing in the southeast, bouldering and sport, and a lot of RC car rock crawling, etc. Sandrock is a must go-to spot in Alabama. The views are awesome, climbing is awesome & camping is awesome. Charcoal grills at most sites, fire rings, firewood available at the front gate/office, etc. Good Verizon coverage, too. Plenty of gas stations and grocery stores within 20min, too.

A long-time Alabama climbing institution, Sand Rock has had a colorful and sometimes dubious history. For many years, it seemed that lowlifes were in direct competition with climbers. Sand Rock was a destination for ATV riders, drunken late-night partiers and other examples of southern stereotypes. Broken beer bottles and overturned portapotties were common sights, and the cliffs were despoiled with spray-painted graffiti. 

In recent years, the aesthetics of Sand Rock have vastly improved. Ownership of the site was taken over by Cherokee County which turned it into a county park. Sand Rock now has on-site managers, improved parking, picnic areas, a playground for kids and a nice bathhouse. Much of the litter and graffiti has been cleaned up. 

Admission to Sand Rock is currently $5 per car. Camping is abundant near the parking lot and along the entrance road; be sure to register at the park office if you plan to camp.

Campground Review: Since this is one of my favorite campgrounds I would suggest checking out one of my older reviews for an overview of the whole site. On this trip, we stayed at one of the sites in the central free for all wooded areas. This section of the campground has many spaces and fire pits where you can set up camp any free/flat ground you can find. Normally this would not be my first pick but we got there late on a Friday and most other spots were taken. Overall these sites are still nice but if you can find a space closer to the rocks or the ledge I would highly suggest doing that. We were able to purchase some firewood from the front office and had a very nice night relaxing in our private area. The next day we planned for a full day of climbing and the rocks did not disappoint. Even though there were a ton of people at the crag that weekend we could easily find spots to set up our top ropes and everyone was so friendly. It was such an amazing experience climbing here and by far my favorite in Alabama. There is every type of climbing available from bouldering to top rope to sport. Overall, the earlier you can arrive and claim a spot the better but definitely make a visit to this amazing campground. 

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****Product Review:** **

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products while out adventuring. At this campground, I relaxed in the GCI Pod Rocker with sunshade. After using this amazing chair at placed ranging from the beach to the woods some of my favorite features are: 

1. Rocking: I know it seems obvious to say but it is still an incredible design of this chair. It has built-in shock type devices that allow you to feel like you are in a rocking chair on almost any surface. It works on the beach or on rocky terrain in the woods. I use it on my deck in the summer or on the sidelines of a sports game. It really adds a whole level of relaxation and takes the packable chair to another level. 
2. Sunshade: This has been one of the features that I thought would be a silly extra but has ended up being one of the most useful parts of the chair. It is designed so that it folds up compactly behind the chair when packed up then locks open and can be adjusted when the chair is set up. The design also allows it to be closed up and moved out of the way when you don't need it. It is just the right size to provide shade for reading a book or taking a nap and the adjustability allows you to move it to wherever the sun is most direct. 
3. Durability: Although the chair is on the heavier side it is worth it for the durability it provides. The chair is incredibly well built and will stand up to years of use on all kinds of terrain. The folding mechanism is reinforced in several places and all the components and materials are of high quality. This is not a chair you want to take backpacking but any time you only have a short walk it is the best option on the market. 

Overall, this chair is incredibly comfortable and so well designed. The rocking feature works perfectly and takes the camping chair to a whole new level.