The best camping in Alabama with surfing

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Even if “Sweet Home Alabama” isn’t already on your road trip playlist, you should add the southern state to your camping itinerary. With its mountains, inland lakes, and Gulf Coast beaches, Alabama has plenty to offer campers, whether you prefer hiking to mountains and waterfalls, diving into Civil Rights history, or renting a seaside cottage—all served with a warm spoonful of Southern hospitality, of course. Opt for a seafront or lakeside campsite in summer when temperatures soar beyond 90°F, or choose a fall or winter trip for cooler weather ideal for hiking.

97% (187)

Top-rated campgrounds

Colorful Camping at Beakertopia✨️🌈

1. Colorful Camping at Beakertopia✨️🌈

97%
(110)
23 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging · Bon Secour, AL
Come camp on one of the Southeast's most unique properties, Beakertopia! Our 2.4 acre artist compound is enclosed in bamboo and lush with hundred-year-old live oaks + native pollinator flowers we’ve planted. Choose any spot to pitch your tent and enjoy our magic oasis only 20 min from the beautiful white sandy beaches of Gulf Shores. You're welcome to use the "outdoor living room" as you please. This area includes a bar with rainwater catchment for washing hands/dishes, refrigerator, freezer, electric tea kettle, microwave, solar oven, complimentary coffee/tea station, 2 burner biogas stovetop with cooking equipment&utensils, games, aerial yoga silks, climbing wall, slackline, Iyengar yoga rope wall, trash/recycling, filtered alkaline drinking water and more! Feel free to use our laundry facilities, communal picnic basket, and complimentary condiments, seasonings, sauces, etc found in the door of the fridge. Attached to the lounge is our air conditioned ecobathroom with *hot* shower, bio toilet, and complimentary toiletries if you forget anything. A few notes on the property: Most people have never used an EcoToilet and don’t realize it takes some work. If you have children, you will very likely have to do this part for them. We keep the lounge area as clean as possible but at the end of the day it is an outdoor kitchen! Kitchenwares will have a layer of dust even if cleaned the day prior, so please give everything a rinse before you using! You may read about mosquitoes in some of our past reviews, but I am happy to share that we now have a monthly mosquito service in place that has mitigated that issue :) Learn more about this land: Our intention for this artist community is to bring like-minded people together and make the world a more beautiful place. It serves as our primary residence and also residence for seasonal workers&traveling artists when they come here. Every year we have the opportunity to employ about a dozen people to work with us during the tourist season, from March-October. Aside from our local employees, we also wanted to create a space that would allow for fellow travelers to join our crew. Beakertopia provides the possibility for friends from around the world to come live and work. Check out our website for more info ✨️
Pets
Potable water
Toilets
from 
$50
 / night

Even if “Sweet Home Alabama” isn’t already on your road trip playlist, you should add the southern state to your camping itinerary. With its mountains, inland lakes, and Gulf Coast beaches, Alabama has plenty to offer campers, whether you prefer hiking to mountains and waterfalls, diving into Civil Rights history, or renting a seaside cottage—all served with a warm spoonful of Southern hospitality, of course. Opt for a seafront or lakeside campsite in summer when temperatures soar beyond 90°F, or choose a fall or winter trip for cooler weather ideal for hiking.

97% (187)

Top-rated campgrounds

Colorful Camping at Beakertopia✨️🌈

1. Colorful Camping at Beakertopia✨️🌈

97%
(110)
23 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging · Bon Secour, AL
Come camp on one of the Southeast's most unique properties, Beakertopia! Our 2.4 acre artist compound is enclosed in bamboo and lush with hundred-year-old live oaks + native pollinator flowers we’ve planted. Choose any spot to pitch your tent and enjoy our magic oasis only 20 min from the beautiful white sandy beaches of Gulf Shores. You're welcome to use the "outdoor living room" as you please. This area includes a bar with rainwater catchment for washing hands/dishes, refrigerator, freezer, electric tea kettle, microwave, solar oven, complimentary coffee/tea station, 2 burner biogas stovetop with cooking equipment&utensils, games, aerial yoga silks, climbing wall, slackline, Iyengar yoga rope wall, trash/recycling, filtered alkaline drinking water and more! Feel free to use our laundry facilities, communal picnic basket, and complimentary condiments, seasonings, sauces, etc found in the door of the fridge. Attached to the lounge is our air conditioned ecobathroom with *hot* shower, bio toilet, and complimentary toiletries if you forget anything. A few notes on the property: Most people have never used an EcoToilet and don’t realize it takes some work. If you have children, you will very likely have to do this part for them. We keep the lounge area as clean as possible but at the end of the day it is an outdoor kitchen! Kitchenwares will have a layer of dust even if cleaned the day prior, so please give everything a rinse before you using! You may read about mosquitoes in some of our past reviews, but I am happy to share that we now have a monthly mosquito service in place that has mitigated that issue :) Learn more about this land: Our intention for this artist community is to bring like-minded people together and make the world a more beautiful place. It serves as our primary residence and also residence for seasonal workers&traveling artists when they come here. Every year we have the opportunity to employ about a dozen people to work with us during the tourist season, from March-October. Aside from our local employees, we also wanted to create a space that would allow for fellow travelers to join our crew. Beakertopia provides the possibility for friends from around the world to come live and work. Check out our website for more info ✨️
Pets
Potable water
Toilets
from 
$50
 / night

Stories from the community

Value Prop
Value Prop
Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field
Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field

The best camping in Alabama with surfing guide

Where to go

North Alabama

Hikers and campers are in their element in Alabama’s northern wilderness, dotted with caves, waterfalls, and woodlands. Go hiking and kayaking in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains at DeSoto State Park, peep the fall foliage at Little River Canyon National Preserve, and discover the caves of Cathedral Caverns State Park. Or head to the shores of Alabama’s largest lake to camp, boat, and spot bald eagles at Lake Guntersville State Park.

Central Alabama

Urban campers can find plenty of distractions in Birmingham, but Alabama’s largest city is also within easy reach of some of the state’s most memorable natural landscapes. Great hiking, biking, and camping can be found in Talladega National Forest, after which you can scale Alabama’s highest peak at Cheaha State Park and explore ancient caves at Rickwood Caverns State Park. Other popular campgrounds are found at Lake Lurleen and Wind Creek state parks.  

South Alabama

Montgomery is the gateway to south Alabama and neighbouring Selma is a key stop on the Civil Rights trail, but outside of the cities, south Alabama is all about lakeside camping. To the east, Lake Eufaula is known as the “Big Bass Capital of the World” and has a wide choice of campgrounds, while nearby Blue Springs State Park offers plenty of lake camping. To the west, the Tombigbee River Valley is also prime for getting on the water.

Gulf Coast

Alabama’s 60-mile stretch of Gulf Coast shoreline is the place to cool off from the summer sun, spot shorebirds along the wetlands, or tee off at one of many coastal golf courses. RV parks are easy to find around the resort towns of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, while Dauphin Island remains a perennial favorite for beach camping. Alternatively, snag an RV site with full hookups at Gulf State Park, or book a cabin on the shores of Lake Shelby at Meaher State Park.

Top regions in and near Alabama