Alston Trailhead

This is a great spot for a quick overnight or chill spot to camp in a pinch! Easy access, road not too bumpy or rough, very flat in parking lot for posting up. We arrived after dark and it was quite easy to navigate.

Although we didn’t stay to do the Palmetto trail hike, it was gorgeous and tranquil in the morning. Despite not having amenities, there were 2 clean port a potties right in the lot.

Overall was quiet however there were about 4 trains that rolled by in the evening (quite loud) but didn’t wake us up late at night or early in the morning. There are a lot of frogs as well but not so loud that it disturbed our slumber.

Cell service was good and had no problem texting or using internet.

Would definitely stay again!

Stayed here overnight in a 2WD van in the middle of winter. Access was easy overall, though the road isn’t smooth and there’s a steep-ish incline up into the lot— still no problem in 2WD. The site itself is level with a good amount of space, easily fine for vans and tents. Probably not ideal for very large rigs. No one else stayed overnight when I was there, but people do come through during the day. Cell service was very limited, but Starlink worked great. There are train tracks right next to the site, and trains do pass by, so expect some noise. There are also blue flashing security towers around the area— not sure if there have been issues in the past, but I felt safe during my stay. Right next to a river, with porta-potties available and designated tent pads. Overall a solid primitive spot for a simple overnight or short stay, especially if you’re self-contained.

Nice spot for overnight car camping. However, freight trains run along the nearby tracks about every 2hrs. So, if you're a light sleeper, you might want to look elsewhere. If you do come, check-out the train bridge that crosses the river and be sure to read the signs regarding the history of the site. You won't be disappointed.

We enjoyed this free trailhead parking. No bathroom, and the train only woke us up once in the night. Only one other van there with us, so very quiet and peaceful. Lovely walk on the Palmetto trail in the morning. There are also “walk-in” campsites right behind the trailhead signs in the trees.

This site is awesome. The scenery is beautiful and it is super easy to access. You can hear coyotes howling at night.

The only problem is the train. It woke us up at least 4 times last night. You can see the train from your campsite.

Everything else was perfect for us though!

Beautiful place! Unfortunately no space for us to drive our bus to a camp spot but plenty of room in parking lot. Just a nice little spot to stop before hitting the road again.

There are several camp areas, fire pits and picnic tables at the beginning of the trail with a big gravel parking lot

This place is nice and quiet. Except for being snuggled up to a train track. Twice in the night the train came through. But we laughed, it was like being a kid where you could hear the train off in the distance and would ride your bike to go watch it pass. Nice experience, beautiful trailhead, lots and lots of bikepackers. It’s so cool to have somewhere like this in our own backyard. Definitely Recommend!