Best Tent Camping near Selma, AL

The Selma, Alabama region provides limited tent camping options within a 30-mile radius. Jones Bluff, also known as Bob Woodruff Park, offers access to the Alabama River with opportunities for swimming, hiking, and fishing, though dedicated tent camping is not available at this specific location. Nearby Prairie Creek Park Campgrounds and Gunter Hill Park, both managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, provide established tent camping alternatives for visitors to the area.

Tent campsites in the broader region typically offer basic amenities with varying levels of development. Runaway Branch in Forkland features picnic tables, toilets, and drinking water with permission for campfires, making it suitable for primitive tent setups. Payne Lake Spillway near Moundville includes toilets, drinking water, and sanitary dump facilities, though actual tent camping appears to be limited in this recreation area. Most backcountry tent camping locations maintain seasonal operations, with Murchison Farm in Pine Apple specifically noting a March-October season.

Sites farther from Selma offer more diverse tent camping experiences. Murchison Farm provides both drive-in and walk-in tent camping options with amenities including drinking water, showers, toilets, and trash service. The property allows pets and alcohol, with firewood available on-site. A review of the Payne Lake area noted, "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." While dedicated tent camping may not be permitted in all recreation areas, the region offers several locations where primitive tent setups can serve as a base for exploring historical sites including the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.

Map showing campgrounds near Selma, Alabama

Explore the Map

Best Tent Sites Near Selma, Alabama (5)

1. Jones Bluff
1 Review
Selma, AL
14 miles
Website
"Also known as Bob Woodruff Park, located right on the Alabama River, there's access to swimming, hiking, fishing and of course boating."
2. Payne Lake Spillway
1 Review
Moundville, AL
40 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."

3. Murchison Farm
Be the first to review!
Camden, AL
40 miles
+1 (251) 746-2881
$37 / night
4. Lock 5
Be the first to review!
Gallion, AL
43 miles
Website
+1 (334) 289-3540

5. Runaway Branch
1 Review
Demopolis, AL
48 miles
Website
+1 (334) 289-3540

Showing results 1-5 of 5 campgrounds

2025 Detourist Giveaway

Presented by

Review Campgrounds. Win Prizes.

Enter to Win

Enter to Win

Tent Camping Reviews near Selma, AL

175 Reviews of 5 Selma Campgrounds

Sarah C.
Legend
May. 27, 2018
Gunter Hill
Quiet in the Shoulder Season
In New England it's challenging to find a campground that is open in late November/early December but that's certainly not the case in the south! Sometimes I experience the opposite problem, tons of people everywhere thanks to the warmer weather. However, when we pulled into Gunter Hill this time of year we were surprised to see how empty the place was. There were a few large RVs in the area but only one other tent camper like ourselves.

The sites are nicely spaced out so even if there had been a lot of people there, it wouldn't have felt too crowded. Large old trees with beautiful Spanish moss provide plenty of shade in the sites. The river also runs pretty close to some of the sites as well. Our site had a nice paved pull in as well as a gravel area with a large picnic table and fire ring. In addition there was a stand up grill available as well. On the other side of the concrete pull in was a nice flat spot for us to pitch our tent. Plenty of room for everything here. Water and electric hookups were easily accessible right in our site. The ground below the water spigot drains well and doesn't create a large mud puddle when you use it, a piece of campground engineering I have come to greatly appreciate. The site has a nice lantern/trash pole that includes a small shelf, great for all sorts of things!

The bathrooms are nice and were all maintained. We didn't use the showers but the toilets and sinks were more than adequate for morning and evening necessities.

The location is great, right outside of the city and perfectly placed for us to stop on our road trip from the national park sites in Tuskegee and heading to them in Selma.

Despite being two females and the campground being relatively empty, we felt incredibly safe. I mention this because this is not always the case when we camp in southern states.
Wolf P.
Traveler
Oct. 9, 2019
Prairie Creek Campground
Quiet, out of the way, and a charming place
Wifi non-existent.

sketchy phone service...we have verizon and had very limited coverage.

great staff...very helpful.

showers...pressure was great! restrooms were old(er), but clean!

Site was very level....ours had good shade...fair amount of space and many concrete pads (but not all).

Some have raised issues about the ants...we did see ants, but ONLY on the tent walk in area...and there were places there that looked like the ants would have been a real issue.
Napunani
Legend
Jun. 26, 2023
COE Demopolis Lake Foscue Creek Campground
What a Steal!
PROS

Immaculate grounds throughout the campground. Always saw someone working at it.

Site 49 level concrete pad surrounded by pea gravel, with moveable aluminum table, pedestal BBQ grill, metal fire ring and wooden fish cleaning table.

Bathhouse very clean and in good working condition with soap and TP

Quiet except for occasional train whistle

Sue at gate check in very nice and helpful and then Bill escorted us to our site. What great customer service!

Security gates closed at 10p; open at 6a. No overnight entry.

America the Beautiful Pass discounted the site to$15/night...WHAT A STEAL!

No reservation transaction fee incurred

T-MOBILE 2 bars

CONS

Site numbers painted on asphalt and on electrical box

Roads are narrow in some areas

No park WIFI

Don’t Miss

Barges on the waterway

Smokin’ Jack BBQ in Demopolis

Lower Pool park with the damn and the last lock heading south
Ali Z.
Scout
Jan. 14, 2024
Payne Lake East Side
Hidden Gem Close to Campus
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. As far as we could tell, there was nowhere at the campground to purchase bundles of firewood, and even the local grocery stores/gas stations weren't stocked with any either. We spent quite a bit of time using a hatchet to cut up down trees to fuel our firepit.

The campground is organized well and we were able to have our pick of campsites (mainly due to the fact that it was 30 degrees the whole weekend). The primitive campsites all had picnic tables and fire pits. Our group also uses hammocks and there were plenty of trees near enough together for hammock hanging.

When we got to the campground, the check in area is quite simple. There is a box with envelopes/forms to fill out that ask for your payment (in cash!), car information, and site number. Once you fill out your information, you simply drive and park at your campsite. As far as we could tell, each site had ample room for parking 2 cars within 15 feet or so. We paid $6 a night for the site, as well as an extra $3 fee/day because of a third car.

The area is quiet and peaceful, and the lake is a beautiful spot to catch the sunrise. On the East Side of the lake, we got a large amount of late afternoon sun, but minimal sunshine until later in the morning. The West Side saw a lot of sun early in the morning.

We got the chance to meet the Camp Host, who was very gracious and also introduced us to his dog, Reecie. He even offered to take our trash out for us!

We took a walk around the entire campground, and it is clear that the West Side of the lake sees more visitors and is generally kept up with more. 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.
R
Randal B.
Traveler
Sep. 9, 2025
Chilton County Minooka Park
Fine for big RV’s
It’s more of an RV park than campground. There are spaces for tents, but they don’t have picnic tables. The trees are actually behind the sites. So, don’t think about a hammock. The bathrooms are clean, but there are no showers.
B M.
Legend
Jun. 2, 2020
Kountry Air RV Park
Clean quiet campground
We have stayed here many times when were on the road heading out for the summer. We had full hook up, a picnic table & there is a small clean restroom near the pool if needed along with a laundry room & place to sit inside if it's hot out. They have DVD's and some books we trade them where were there. We only stay a night & stay hooked up to the truck. The owners Gigi & her husband work hard to keep the gardens beautiful, the campground maintained & the pool is so clean & refreshing. You can get propane here.

We've stayed 3 different time & had a nice site towards the back with a garden on the side.

It's off the beaten path a little but well worth it.

Full Service Hookups 30/50 AMP Electrical Service Pull Through Sites Large Sites– plenty of room for slide outs City Water Propane Fill and Exchange Center– 7 days a week Trailer Rentals– Fully Equipped Ice Escort to Site, 24-Hour Laundry Room Clean Showers Free WIFI Hotspot Park-Like Setting– lots of shade trees Walking Trails Swimming Pool~ Seasonal, Picnic Areas Group Fire Ring Gazebo Group Picnic Area.
Isabella H.
Ranger
Sep. 1, 2018
Bells Landing
Great area!
My family and I visited Alabama a few years ago while on a family reunion. We decided to do some camping the last 2 nights we were visiting. We stayed here, and really enjoyed our stay. We stayed in the tent area, and just set up 2 tents (there was 4 of us). The campsite fit both tents, had a table and fire ring. We spent the evening around the campsite roasting marshmallows. The place we stopped at ran out of chocolate and crackers, so we only had mallows. It was still super yummy. Bring your own so this doesn’t happen to you :). The campground was clean, although there was only 1 bathroom. It didn’t smell very good, so we were pleased that we weren’t close to the bathroom for that reason! Kinda felt bad for the people who had campsites near the bathrooms. Also, we really appreciated that there was a dumpster onsite as well. I think this helps with keeping the place clean. We found a hike to do in the morning and it was great. For my first visit to Alabama, I definitely enjoyed it and hopefully it won’t be my last!
Asher K.
Legend
Jul. 1, 2017
Sherling Lake City Park
Perfect for RV Camping
This was a beautiful campground and very well taken care of. However, it was mostly set up for RVs and not for tent camping. Each site has plenty of space and a hookup. There are also central bathrooms and covered picnic benches that work well for groups. If you want to get out and do some hiking there are also trails around the park. Just remember it can get hot here in the summer so be prepared.
Steve D.
Guide
Jul. 23, 2021
Kountry Air RV Park
Quiet and friendly!
This little gem of a campground is kind of off the beaten path between Montgomery and Selma. The owners are very friendly and helpful and gave us a GREAT restaurant recommendation (Kimberleas - in old town Prattville) where we had OUTSTANDING meals! The campground is immaculate and very well maintained with each site carefully leveled with gravel to make set up easy! The sites are well placed and spread out so you don’t feel like you’re right on top of the campers next to you. Just a beautiful and bucolic setting and again, very very nice and helpful hosts! Highly recommended!