Orange Beach is Alabama’s small resort getaway for beach lovers and water sports enthusiasts of all ages. State parks, zoos, amusement parks, and miles of stunning trails draw vacationers to the city and its surrounding areas.
Top-tier campgrounds surround the area and enrich recreation opportunities. Plus, you won’t want to leave these Orange Beach, Alabama RV parks—they are sun-drenched, filled with amenities, and close to activities.
Top Attractions Near Orange Beach
Orange Beach is located in Alabama, but it’s only minutes away from the Florida border. You can hop between campsites, enjoying tucked-away beaches, fishing piers, and seafood. Or you can stay for a more extended period at a single campsite to get to know the area well. Pensacola Florida is 45 minutes away, which offers campers additional opportunities to explore museums, lighthouses, and old forts.
Alabama’s Gulf State Park is located near Orange Beach and boasts miles of beaches, pine forests, freshwater lakes, marshes, and boggy streams. Miles of shoreline and hiking trails offer recreation opportunities for individuals of all ages and abilities.
Nearby Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo provides hands-on wildlife encounters at an affordable price. Adventure Island offers amusement park entertainment suitable for the entire family. A faux-erupting volcano, miniature golf, and endless games provide hours of entertainment.
For lovers of quieter nature and relaxation, Perdido Key State Park is located on a nearby barrier island in Florida. Quiet beach landscapes are paired with plentiful wildlife and beachcombing opportunities.
Hikers will love the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail located in Alabama. Seven individual trails traverse six different ecosystems through Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Alabama Gulf State Park to create a 15-mile backcountry trail system.
Hardwood coastal swamps, butterfly gardens, and freshwater marshes await hikers and runners willing to explore. The trail also offers backcountry camping opportunities for the more intrepid hikers.
The Top Orange Beach, Alabama RV Parks
Image form the Dyrt camper Steve W.
There’s so much to explore in Orange Beach and the surrounding areas. Here are some of the top Orange Beach, Alabama RV parks in the vicinity and immediately across the border in Florida. You might as well make it a road trip and enjoy as much of the camping near Orange Beach as you can!
Gulf State Park
With its direct access to two miles of beaches and the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail network, this is one of the more ideal Orange Beach, Alabama RV parks for water lovers. Excellent surf brings wave riders endless thrills, while swimming pools, nature centers, butterfly gardens, and boat rentals on the lake provide recreation opportunities for the whole family. Biking, running, hiking, and swimming opportunities abound.
In terms of camping amenities, the Gulf State Park campground offers drive-in, walk-in, and boat-in sites. Cabins, yurts, tent cabins, group sites, tent sites, and RV sites are all available. RVs and trailers can be up to 45 feet long. Fire, pets, and alcohol are permitted—but jet skis and wave runners are not.
Drinking water, showers, and toilets are provided, and the campground’s market sells firewood. The campground also provides ADA accessibility, electric hookups, sewer hookups, water hookups, trash service, a sanitary dump, picnic tables, fire rings, phone service, and Wi-Fi.
There are 496 camping sites with paved pads, plus pull-thru and back-in sites are available. Tents are allowed on RV sites for children under 18. You can book a site for a maximum of 14 nights, but during holiday weekends and special events, you must book for a minimum of 3 nights, and it is nonrefundable.
Primitive sites start at $25 per night, and RV sites start at $55 per night. The campground is open year-round. Call ahead for weekly or monthly rates.
Fort Pickens Campground
Image from the Dyrt camper Annie C.
Located mere minutes across the border in Florida, Fort Pickens Campground is nestled on Santa Rosa Island. Part of Florida’s Gulf Islands National Seashore network, this island boasts stunning white sand beaches, historic sites, and plenty of watersport activities.
The warm waters welcome snorkelers and swimmers, and the pier is open for use by individuals without a Florida fishing license. Trails that traverse dunes provide runners and hikers with plenty of opportunities to experience the unique ecosystems and biodiversity of the island.
At Fort Pickens Campground, pets, alcohol, and fires are permitted. Drive-in, walk-in, and boat-in sites are available, with options including reservable cabins, tent cabins, group sites, tent sites, and RV sites.
The campground has 137 sites, and all campers are limited to one RV and one vehicle, and both must fit in the parking site, not on the grass. The length limit for RVs and trailers is 50 feet, and the sites are back-in. Some sites have restrictions on height, length, and slide, and trailers are not permitted in Loop D.
Thirteen of the sites are tent-only, and these are located in Loop B. There is a 14-night stay limit, and you cannot stay at the campground for more than 42 days in a calendar year.
The campground also provides drinking water, showers, toilets, electric hookups, sewer hookups, water hookups, trash service, a sanitary dump, picnic tables, fire rings, phone service, and Wi-Fi. A campground market sells firewood.
This campground is open year-round, and sites are reservable online. Call the campground for the most updated rates.
Big Lagoon State Park
Also located just across the border in Florida, Big Lagoon Lake State Park offers beautiful, woodsy camping. Reservable tent cabins, RV sites, group sites, ADA-accessible sites, dispersed camping, walk-in sites, hike-in sites, boat-in sites, and equestrian camping are all available.
Boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, and wildlife viewing are among the park’s top activities. The park also marks a trailhead for the 1,515-mile Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail. This exhaustive trail is for the intrepid adventurers who want to take in the entirety of the state.
The maximum vehicle length for this campground is 40 feet. The sites are back-in, and of the 68 sites, only one is tent-only. Some sites have 20-foot clearance, while others have 25, 30, 35, and 40. Florida State Parks permit up to 14-night stays.
The campground also provides phone service, Wi-Fi, drinking water, showers, toilets, electric hookups, sewer hookups, water hookups, trash service, a sanitary dump, picnic tables, and fire rings. A campground market sells firewood. Alcohol and pets are permitted on the campground. Rates start at $25 per night, and this campground is open year-round.
