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.

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Best Tent Sites Near Selma, Alabama (5)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Selma, AL

175 Reviews of 5 Selma Campgrounds


  • Sarah C.The Dyrt PRO User
    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.
    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
    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.
    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.

  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    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.The Dyrt PRO User
    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.
    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.The Dyrt PRO User
    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.
    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!


Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Selma, AL?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Selma, AL is Jones Bluff with a 4-star rating from 1 review.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Selma, AL?

TheDyrt.com has all 5 tent camping locations near Selma, AL, with real photos and reviews from campers.