Peaceful
Very well kept clean relaxing campground been going here for years.
Site9
Month of VisitMay
Could have been better
I have driven through this campground before and thought it was beautiful, but this time it was not at all. The lake was down to the mud and stumps and they had just done a prescribed burn on the forest. Maybe this is how it looks every March. If that’s the case I would suggest going at a different time of year. This park has wonderful campsites and nice bathrooms. Definitely worth going to when you can enjoy the water as well!
Month of VisitMarch
Hidden Gem
What else can you ask for, quiet and isolated. Restroom was nice and clean and camp host was available for any questions. Plenty of firewood to use around the property.
Nice!
Very quiet and secluded, there is a beach area for swimming and bathhouses are large and clean. Plenty of shade and picnic areas!
Beautiful and quiet
This place was amazing. Watching the sun come up on this lake was so calming. We camped in site 16 and had a good view and a little walk way to the water. I wasn’t impressed with the bathrooms or showers but they were at least clean.
Great for a weekend
I've been several times. I recommend this place because it's not crowded and the sites are a nice size with many being on the water. There's a swimming area, you can kayak, fish and hike. Unless you have Verizon you probably won't have cell service (which is why it's not crowded) but that can be a good thing. The water and sites are very nice and it's reasonably priced. There's not much information online but there's an honor system if there's no one at the front desk. The closest store is a long drive away so it's best to bring everything that you need initially. No outlets in the bathroom but they do have showers. There's plenty of firewood to gather. They have RV sites and primitive tent sites.
Month of VisitJune
Peaceful spot on the lake
It is really beautiful here. The lake was full of lily pads in bloom when we arrived mid-morning. We looked at every single site upon arriving and narrowed it down to a few great ones, but ultimately chose based on the "neighborhood." While there were only 5-6 other occupied sites, the camp host said it was completely full last weekend. Since we had our choice, we splurged $18 for a full hookup RV site just because we liked it best. There are no primitive sites open at this time (the Eastern Side Campground is closed) but about half with just water. There are multiple bath-houses and they're on the clean side of standard. There are also several trash receptacles in the campground, so you don't have to trek to a dumpster. There are lots of trees for hammocks, but I would say that the sites aren't very private if it were to be crowded. The host also let us know we could scavenge any fire pits or pick anything brown off the ground for a fire.
Payne Lake is a pretty popular destination for locals, but it wasn't packed. The lake has a sandy beach and a roped-off swimming area. It's full of lily pads and fed through a marsh so it feels really clean.
There's a nature trail past the campground. It's a trek uphill if you walk, but you can drive/bike to the the trailhead as well. The trail itself is not long, but it's pretty overgrown. A lot of it is planked, some rotten. Y'all. It's kinda creepy, definitely swampy. We turned around about a third of the way around the loop when the trail became hard to find. I would not consider this for a hiking-centered trip.
We got an afternoon rain shower and, afterward the bugs were gnarly. Eaten alive. Be prepared for biting things, for sure, not just mosquitos. Didn't get any ticks. Also, there are supposedly alligators here but we didn't see any. The bird watching here is probably great, I heard lots of less common bird calls. Several people were fishing from boats but no motors are allowed on the water, which is great.
All in all, this was a great site and we'll likely come back for a day trip from Tuscaloosa. It's clean and well pretty well maintained. It's close to home for us but feels very remote. Great for just getting out of town.
Site9
Month of VisitMay
