Best Tent Camping near Talladega National Forest

*It's been a while since my last visit, but since I camp there every year, several times each summer, I figured I'd go ahead and do a quick review anyway.

Every summer for the past few years I've traveled to Oak mountain, typically going several times each summer (July and August) to run the Southeastern trail series. Although there are numerous back country camp sites, I've always stayed at the campground due to its convenient location, and always stay at the same campsite (B6) each visit. The campground is divided into two sections (A & B) and each campsite has parking right at the site itself.

Although the first few tent sites on the B-side are located right off the road, they're set back far enough that they feel pretty secluded with plenty of trees to give a slight sense of privacy. These first few sites have no electrical hookup or water, but are located a short walking distance from the front bathhouse (bathroom and shower). The bathhouse directly across from my site is rarely busy, and the single shower is clean with plenty of hot water.

Each site has a cinderblock retaining wall, a picnic table, and a steel fire ring with a flip-top cooking grate. If you're tent camping, the pad is dirt with a layer of pea-gravel, so a sleeping pad is a must. Firewood is easy to find in the surrounding woods if there hasn't been a lot of people thru the area. Otherwise, wood is available at the store at the entrance to the campground. The campground is easily accessible from the parks back gate entrance, which is only a short driving distance to pretty much anything you could need (restaurants, gas, groceries, etc).  There's even a small beach area at the back of the campground exclusive to campground guests. The staff is always friendly and reserving a campsite online is easy.

One of the great things about Oak Mountain State Park is that there's plenty to do aside from the camping; hiking, mountain biking, horse stables, a BMX track, an archery range, canoeing, paddle boats/ paddle boarding, several lakeside beaches with playgrounds, a wakeboarding course, a wildlife rehabilitation center, and a treetop nature boardwalk which features several enclosures where you can view birds of prey up close. Also, if you're into trail running or mountain biking, there are several race series held at the park each year.

All in all, I love this park and already have my reservations made again for this summer!

Campground Review: My wife and I had the amazing opportunity to stay at Parksland retreat this weekend making our first campground reservation through the Dyrt. Parksland is a beautiful off the grid campground and home that is well cared for and a wonderful experience to stay at. They have set up several areas for guests depending on what your camping preference is. The owners live at the highest point of the property and have an outdoor kitchen surrounded by a garden and chicken coop with woods in every direction. If you are interested in what would typically be considered classic car camping you can stay at one of the many tent sites they have set up around the kitchen area. Many of these sites already have tents set up for you to rent or if you prefer to bring your own tent you can use one of the other available spots. All of the sites in this area are already covered with large industrial tarps so you can stay dry no matter the weather. If you are interested in a more private area they have two more primitive, trail campgrounds a short hike down the hill that each has cleared ground providing space for several tents. On this trip, we had reserved the further, more private and smaller site but ended up staying at the closer site since it was available and more convenient with the weather conditions. 

We arrived at the campground on Saturday around noon and got a tour around from Dustin the owner where he showed us all of the options. We then climbed down the steep hill with all our gear and set up camp before the rain came in. Since the site was relatively large we were able to find the perfect spot for our tree tent. After a quick lunch of grilled cheese, we headed off to explore the hiking around the area. Dustin suggested we take the Ridgeline loop trail and with only a couple of wrong turns, we managed to complete the loop and finish at the swimming hole. Although the water was cold it still felt wonderful and is a much welcome amenity in the hot and humid Alabama weather. Other than the poison ivy (which you can’t really do anything about) the hike was really scenic and a good afternoon trek. Make sure to take the map though cause it helps to make the turns at the right spots. We got back before the rain began so had time to take advantage of the hot shower they have available and cooked dinner by our fire (firewood is provided). We whipped together a wonderful sweet potato and chili combo with recipe inspiration provided by Fresh off the grid. After dinner, we cleaned up around camp, moved everything under our tent, and climbed in for the night. 

Although we were prepared for the rainstorm that we knew was coming overnight we were not prepared for rain inside our tent… We woke up in the middle of the night with puddles on our sleeping bags and a storm raging outside. Luckily we were able to stay warm and relatively dry but woke up intermittently. In the morning with rain still pouring we decided to just trek back up the hill with the gear and load up the car since we were already wet. We packed everything up and headed on home discussing how even with the crazy weather and unfortunate leakiness we had a fun and adventurous time and were glad we went. 

Overall, Dustin was so welcoming and helpful throughout our entire stay and he has created a wonderful oasis that makes a perfect getaway. I highly suggest checking it out. 

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Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to try out new and interesting products at campgrounds I visit. On this trip, I stored all my food in the RovR RollR 60 Cooler to keep it cold and fresh for the weekend. My takeaways from using the durable rolling cooler are:

1. Transportability: Although there are now several rollable rotomolded coolers out on the market none are designed with off-road capabilities like the RovR. With large inflatable tires, I was able to go over steps and rocks, move through waterlogged mud, and glide gently over gravel paths with minimal amounts of effort. The cooler is on the heavier side but this was barely noticeable since it is so much more maneuverable than any of the other options. On top of that, it comes with a collapsible gear bin that attaches to the top proving even more space to keep gear that needs to be moved around. Since this campground required a short but steep hike to get to over fairly rough terrain there was no possible way we were getting any other cooler to and from this campsite but with the RovR it took 1 trip. I was able to roll the cooler down all by myself with most of our cooking gear loaded in the bin on top. My wife could then carry down the tent and clothes and we were able to get camp set up much sooner and get to eating lunch. Although I wouldn’t want to backpack with a piece of gear like this (though you probably could) I can’t imagine a camping situation where the RollR 60 wouldn’t succeed in making food transport easier. I also loved the design feature with the handles on the side since I have a tendency to perpetually hit my heels while pulling things directly behind me. 
2. Temperature Stability: I didn’t get a chance to test this out to an extreme level since we only camped for one night but I did get a general idea of how well this cooler holds its temp. We loaded it up with ice and food on Friday afternoon to save time on Saturday and then unloaded it when we got home on Sunday and about half of the ice was still sitting in the bottom and everything felt like it was coming out of the refrigerator. The ingenious design also features a water runoff area underneath the dry bin so that you don’t have things sitting in a large pool at the bottom. This also ends up surrounding the dry bin with ice cold water turning it into a refrigerator of sorts. 
3. Dry bin: Speaking of the dry bin this is by far the best design I have seen for organizing a cooler yet. It has two deep sections that sit all the way in the lowest part of the cooler as I mentioned earlier. This was so helpful for 2 reasons. First, the items in the dry bin actually stay cold rather than when the dry bin sits at the top of the cooler in the warmest part making you decide whether you would rather have your frozen items in cardboard packaging either soaking in the water at the bottom or fully thawed in the dry bin at the top. The second amazing thing about this dry bin is that it is deep/tall enough to store items that need to stand straight up. We were able to put things like sour cream and open cans of olives and jalapeños without worry about them falling over when the ice melted. Take a look at the picture I included to see just how much it helped with keeping everything organized. 

Overall, this is by far the best high-end cooler I have had a chance to try out. My wife and I found ourselves continuously impressed and excited about how well this cooler was designed and how much fun it was to use. If you are ready to pull the trigger and spend a little bit to get a nice cooler I can’t recommend the RovR more highly.

General: Two improved campgrounds (Upper and Lower), two primitive campgrounds, chalets, cabins, and a motel. We camped in the improved Upper campground, so this review is focused on that. I would recommend you arrive during daylight hours as it was challenging for us to find our site in the dark! There is very limited cell service in the park and none in the campgrounds. 

Site Quality: Gravel and pavement; most looked level. They are all rated tent/RV and small- medium– large and they mean it! We have an 18-foot campervan, and we were pretty snug in Site 19. Also, it was hilly and the angle to back into the site was somewhat challenging. All of the sites are FHU. We were warned that freezing temperatures were expected during our stay and that we could not stay connected to water or the spigot would break if not drained and that we would be charged a $125 repair fee. Each site has a metal picnic table, a BBQ grill, and a fire ring with a grate. 

Bathhouse/Shower: Basic but clean. No hooks to hang toiletry bags but it looks like there used to be some. The showers looked a bit sketchy but since it was so cold during our visit, I didn’t feel the need to check them out. Plenty of toilet paper but hubby reported that in the men's room, there always seemed to be toilet paper unraveled all around the restroom! 

Activities/Amenities: Several short hiking trails and longer forest service ones nearby. Mountain biking, although I read on the All Trails app that the trails are extremely challenging for biking. I agree that with so many leaves covering the roots and rocks, the trails were more challenging (hubby slipped and fell on one hike). There is a small store and a pool for in-season. Rappelling is also popular in this park but requires a permit. There was a small informative CCC museum (there was significant evidence of the work of the CCC in the park). There was also a small “fairy garden” near the entrance that was quite adorable. There was a postcard in the store that showed an impressive waterfall but it was completely dried up in November! There used to be a restaurant/bar but it has been closed indefinitely due to staffing issues. 

Cheaha State Park prides itself on being a Leave No Trace Park (one of about a dozen in the US) but while there were two large dumpsters by the campground, there were no recycling bins.

My wife and I recently got a chance to escape all the craziness of COVID lockdown and take a socially distanced backpacking trip in Talladega National Forest. We took the Chinnabee silent trail from the parking lot along Cheaha rd and camped out in one of the secluded sites next to the falls. The site we stayed at is in the area of Cheaha falls but is behind a couple of other campsites in its own secluded area. You just follow the river upstream to get there. The site is fairly large and big enough for a couple of tents with nice flat cleared out ground. It also has enough tree cover that you get a good bit of privacy and are away from the main trail. It also has a wonderful access point to the water for filling up your bottles or rinsing off after a hot day of hiking. We even found the perfect tree for hanging out food bag. I would definitely suggest visiting in springtime since everything is magical when the plants are blooming and all the wildlife is out and exploring. Also, make sure to continue along the trail for a couple more miles to see the larger falls where you can climb down and get a much-needed swim in the hotter months.

Oak Mountain State Park is Alabama’s largest state park. Located just outside of Birmingham, it’s easy to escape to nature without being too far off the beaten path. This park is HUGE! There’s so many things to do here, we plan to return when we have more time to explore!

We saw several hiking trails, a horseback riding area, a golf course, a lake with a beach and swimming area, plus kayak and boats, we also saw some kind of skiing tow rope area! It was really cool, I’d never seen one of those! I read the park is known for mountain biking also, and I noticed a few road bikes in the bike lane driving in.

We originally booked a tent site without electric, but it was blazing hot, so we decided to move to a site with electric so we could have fans in our rooftop tent and ended up in site A06. The site was shaded and there was no one in that area so we had great privacy. Our site backed up to the woods, so it was nice.

The tent (no electric) sites are the best in my opinion. Most are back in the woods and shaded. I don’t believe you can reserve a specific tent site, as they assign you one when you arrive, but there were so many great tent sites, i don’t think it would be a problem unless it was a super busy weekend. Most of the tent sites are walk in also, so if you have a rooftop tent, or car camping, these won’t work.

A loop seemed to have larger, wooded, sites with more privacy. B loop was wide open. The tent sites were great in both loops though.

The restrooms were ancient. They could use some updates, but they were clean and functional, and there were multiple facilities throughout the campground.

There’s a camp store at the check in area, they have the essentials, and they do have ice. The ladies working in there were really nice and helpful too.

Oak Mountain is a great spot to camp, just go when there’s not a heat wave in Alabama, and you have time to explore the park!

My wife and I recently got a chance to escape all the craziness of COVID lockdown and take a socially distanced backpacking trip in Talladega National Forest. We took the Chinnabee silent trail from the parking lot along Cheaha rd and camped out in one of the secluded sites next to the falls. (Check out my other review related to that site) After setting up camp we continued our hike passing the shelter at the top of the hill along the way. Although I have visited the site on previous trips I have not been here in the height of spring and seen just how beautiful the space is with all the flowers blooming. The shelter is situated at the top of the hill after crossing the falls and it has a magnificent view of the surrounding mountains. Although you won't get the same sight distance as you do by taking the Pinhoti to the top of the ridge the cover provided by the trees creates a magical environment. On top of the beauty of the foliage, the wildlife was really starting to come out. We saw so many birds and even found a nest that was built in a bush along the trail. In terms of the sleeping accommodations, the shelter is like most you will find along these kinds of trails with a raised platform and a roof that is closed in on three sides. Others in this wilderness area have loft areas but this one is a single level and is relatively exposed. Overall, it can really be a lifesaver if bad weather or heavy rain is in the forecast but personally I prefer to be under an open sky whenever possible. Another thing to consider is that the shelter is often occupied but there are enough alternate campgrounds that this shouldn't be too much of a concern.

Campground Review:

Since I have reviewed many of the backpacking routes in the Cheaha area I would first recommend taking a look at some of the other campground reviews in this area. This shelter is actually along a new trail for me where the Pinhoti heads North from the Cheaha Trailhead on 281. The parking lot has a beautiful entrance archway then heads away from the road before splitting. Take your first right then when the trail splits again take another right. I have a video attached showing the turns. You then continue for about .5 miles before crossing back over the road and following the ridge for a while. After going a little more than 2 miles you will reach a sign that directs you to the shelter. You can’t miss the wooden structure a few yards down the path.

Most of the camping along the Pinhoti is classic semi-flat backcountry sites with a small fire pit and not much else. So when we came across this amazing shelter we were thoroughly impressed. It has a large area on the first floor where you could set up several sleeping bags and then there is an additional closed off area in the loft that is dark and dingy but very clean and perfect if the weather is ugly. The site also has a HUGE firepit which seemed a little overkill but could be nice if you have a large group. Finishing off the amenities is a picnic table and several cleared out tent areas. Make sure to check out my video to get a full idea of how this site is set up and if it would be a good place for you to stay. 

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Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to try out new and interesting products at campgrounds I visit. On this trip, I tried out the RoM Pack. My takeaways from using the combo backpack, poncho, picnic blanket are:

1. The backpack works incredibly well for what it is designed to do. If you are going to be carrying your things somewhere where you will then unpack and hang out for a while this piece of gear does exactly what you need. It held all the items we needed for the day of hiking including a hammock, water bottles, food, and small items (phone, wallet, keys, etc.) and still had plenty of internal space to spare. When we arrived at the campground we set up and unpacked then took apart the backpack so that we could use the blanket to sit on. I can imagine in the future this pack also being very useful for keeping in the car when any one of its uses might come up.
2. It is very comfortable to hike with. I found the strap design and layout to fit comfortably on my chest. They are highly adjustable for different sized individuals. The one criticism I had of the straps is that the cross chest straps are a little too long and I had trouble getting it tight enough since I am a relatively small person. Overall though I didn’t have much shifting around while hiking. 
3. Included with a backpack was a small drawstring bag that is designed to fit inside the larger pack and hold your gear when using the pack as a poncho or blanket. I found this to work ok but felt it was a little unnecessary since anytime I would plan to take about the pack I would want to be at my final destination where I would be ok just taking out my gear. 

Overall, I would say this pack has a few very specific applications and it performs really well for all those situations. Worth checking out if you want to have a multipurpose backup bag in the car or are often in a situation where you are hiking in to picnic locations.

Stayed at site 13, level gravel sites with picnic table on concrete pad, fire ring, FHU. Extended stays at the back of park and closer to hwy 20. There is a nice dog park, playground, covered pavilion, laundry room, dated bathroom, but clean. Shirley reserved our spot, and helped us pull through,and hook up, with our new RV! There is a little path/bridge, so We walked over to Camping World to get our bigger RV. The next morning, we had a few questions, so the Camping World service employee, came over (on a golf cart)to answer them. We decided to stay another night, and it was easy enough for Shirley to extend our reservation. If we were in the area again we would go back. There is a lot to do in the area….Talladega National Forest, Talladega SuperSpeedway and Cheaha State Park.T-Mobile was good, and paid about $30 night with Good Sam Discount. This Campground is also known as CWGS Campground of Oxford.

We just left this morning, booked May 15th-May17th. I did my booking about two weeks early and I know it was sold out when we got there. The majority of the attractions are closed, and half the grounds are due to Covid. The others, including a trail or two are closed due to AT&T tower construction. We got in on the upper semi primitive tent sites, which was absolutely perfect. I booked 107&109 together for a family that was coming up with us, but did want to keep our distance as much as possible as there are still distancing and safety guidelines to live by. I think the ground was perfect and fully shaded spots, I did my research here and we were about 100 ft from the bathrooms (no bathhouse just toilets). They were okay...they did clean them (empty the trash and refilled the soap) by the time we left so maybe once a day. I'd like to see them a bit more sparkling or smell somewhat like cleaning spray to feel comfortable, but I take a cleaning wipe to touch anything that others may touch as well. Then I ensure I'm washing again, with sanitizer after. People don't seem to mind the fact a pandemic is happening but I just want to safely get my family outside the house, and my selfish outdoors experience in. Might not make me much different than the others, but I'd be very careful. The sites were perfect and had trails leading to the Leave no trace trail, which was a good mile for my 3 yr old and 16 month old (we carried both intermittently 16 months obviously was in the ergo baby 99% of the mile). There are shared spigots for water supply and this is no big deal, we put a small hose on ours at 109 & everyone very well enjoyed it. Views make you feel out of Alabama, I am used to 4,000 footers and up but I loved being out there and will go back to plan a hike without my kids (or even husband!)