The best camping in Gulf State Park, AL

·
100% (7)

Gulf State Park: A Haven for Outdoor Enthusiasts and Nature Lovers.  

The best camping in Gulf State Park, AL

Public campgrounds here are often sold out.
Sugar Sands RV Resort

2. Sugar Sands RV Resort

100%
(25)
2.7mi from Gulf State Park · 90 sites · RVs, Lodging · Gulf Shores, AL
Sugar Sands RV Resort in Gulf Shores, Alabama, features roughly 80 sites including 5 stylish Tiny Homes for rent. All sites have full hookups, including 30/50 amp power, water/sewer, a picnic table, and WiFi!  Each site is a well maintained, spacious 22′ x 60′ concrete pad to accommodate even the largest RVs. You are sure to enjoy the beautiful, lush landscaping set among our coastal craftsman style buildings.Learn more about this land:Sugar Sands RV Resort offers full hookups with our 22’ x 60’ concrete spacious sites with privacy between , as well as power, water, sewer, cable, and Wi-Fi. Our Clubhouse is available for your use and is complete with kitchen, restrooms, sitting areas, tv area, library, and computer area. And did we mention our zero-entry pool? It is beautiful! You can also enjoy our fitness center. One of the many reasons to come and stay with us, if you love the beach, we are minutes away from Gulf Shores Beach and Orange Beach. Golfers can enjoy many of our pristine golf courses. Or if you wish to take in concert, a boat ride to see the dolphins or just sit and watch the boats, the Wharf is the place to visit. Just minutes away from the resort you will also find the new Park OWA, which features shops, dining, and an amusement park. At OWA, there are restaurants such Groovy Goat, Paula Dean’s, Trattoria Pizza & Italian, Rock n Roll Sushi. The Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum is only a 25.6-mile drive away. This is the home of the world-famous Blue Angels. Ft. Morgan State Historic Site is 25.9 miles from the Resort.Our list of attractions goes on and on! We have only named a few!All rigs over 10 years old will require photos to be submitted prior to approval of the reservation. 
Pets
Potable water
Toilets
from 
$119
 / night
Colorful Camping at Beakertopia✨️🌈

5. Colorful Camping at Beakertopia✨️🌈

97%
(110)
8mi from Gulf State Park · 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
Day trip fun.

9. YaYa's River Retreat

100%
(15)
26mi from Gulf State Park · 101 sites · Tents, RVs · Robertsdale, AL
A little slice of camping heaven, 41 acres with 800 feet of water frontage on Styx River. YaYa's is a completely primative or boondocking campground and swim area with porta pottie available. There is hot showers available at truck stop about a mile away and they have a dump station for those in RV. Come enjoy all the natural beauty or we are within an hour of hundreds of things to do for all ages. YaYA lives about 1/2 mile away and has a well available to refill your water. There is plenty of fallen wood to gather for fires or cut wood available for purchase. We have a community area with picnic tables, sun sails, grill, pavilion, and large bonfire. Please note the access road is old gravel and dirt, so if in a low car you'll need to take it slow. If there has been rain call ahead for entry directions as part of road becomes muddy. There is also a shooting range near by so during the day you will hear this some. You will not be disappointed if you love the tranquility of being outdoors.
Pets
Toilets
Campfires
from 
$30
 / night
Malakai 🏕 different by design

12. Malakai 🏕 different by design

98%
(85)
37mi from Gulf State Park · 6 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging · Dickerson City, FL
Welcome to Malakai campgrounds different by design 🏕 I purchased this land several years ago after a loss of a child a daughter her named was (little jo) JoLisa Marie Roadcap , it was a life changing moment, teaching me that family and enjoying of life is what it all about... so I want to welcome you here to Malakai for a peaceful and relaxing time, it's even a place that may help you heal from life hardships... At 5:30 just as the Sun comes up it is time for you to go out on to the deck and listen to the birds song 🎵 . As the Sun starts to rise on a new day ✨️ dozens of species of birds from the Great American Bald Eagle , To the endangered woodpecker, The blue herrings, bluebirds(we have mating pair that comes every year) blue jays, mocking birds, doves and several other species and occasionally a couple small black bears like walking through, we want you to have a peaceful and relaxing stay here while you visit everything,here at Garson Point were several species of carnivorous plants grow wild and our beaches have much to offer. It's official -- after 4 years of politics we are officially a park and a preserve.....9 acres of 🚶‍♂️ trails 👣 we are still constructing trails by hand I believe this place has a spiritual strength to people of all nations History of our location Count De Galvez awarded a land grant on Garcon Point to Antonio Garzon following his 1781 Siege of Pensacola in consideration of “his good services rendered as an interpreter to the Indians of Pensacola." The grant was held for 35 years before Maria Garzon, who survived husband Antonio, sold the land they called Garzon’s Point to Joseph (Jose) Bonifay. The land uses were favorable for cattle grazing and turpentining through the 1800s. Many more pioneer families moved into the area and began their own business in the booming industrial opportunities of western Florida. It came to be known as Yellow River Marsh State Buffer Preserve on June 12, 2000, when it was purchased by the state of Florida to protect rare and environmentally sensitive lands, plants and animals. Through generous donations, Preservation 2000 and the Florida Forever Program, more land was added to protect contiguous habitat of the Garcon Ecosystem. Today Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park provides recreational opportunities for hiking and nature study along the Great Florida Birding Trail among rare and endemic plant species and within one of Florida’s oldest multi-cultural frontiers.The preserve is located in Santa Rosa County on Garcon Point, which separates Escambia Bay from Blackwater Bay. Nearly 20 rare and endangered species of plants 🪴 and animals make their homes along the bay and its wet prairies, dome swamps and flatwoods.
Pets
Potable water
Toilets
from 
$26
 / night
Our sign near the entrance

13. Heart of the Country

98%
(226)
38mi from Gulf State Park · 8 sites · Tents, RVs · Spanish Fort, AL
Heart of the Country is our home and also your own personal twelve acre state park whenever you stay with us! We are less than 15 minutes from Interstate 10 and from Interstate 65. I offer a half-dozen campsites, all either on a relatively level paved driveway or grass. Power (20 amp and 30 amp) and water is available. We have two 30 amp campsites, which are first come, first served. WIFI is available! (please ask for password). We have a portable toilet for your use. This is a Longleaf Pine sanctuary with lots of nature trails. This is also a hobby farm with livestock (Donkey, two Goats, a Duck and a flock of Chickens). I feed the livestock grain every morning usually between 8 and 9 am, and again hay before dusk. You are always welcome to join me and I'll introduce all of them to you! My dog, Homer, is our very friendly welcoming ambassador who will enthusiastically great you upon your arrival. I put him up in his kennel each evening around dusk, then lock him in his shed until morning which keeps him from backing during the night. We also host an AirBnB, so other guests may be here as well. Texting via the app is our preferred mode of communication. If you call, please leave a message if I can't answer, and I will call you back. We are slowly updating the site photos. Use them only to determine your price, for example: A site with 30 amp power and water is $25 per night. A site with 20 amp power and water is $20 per night. A boondocking site (no power) is $15 per night. All sites have access to a porta-potty and water. Suggested local attraction: Blakeley State Historic Park is four miles away.
Pets
Potable water
Toilets
from 
$15
 / night
Bay Forest Retreat

15. Bay Forest Retreat

96%
(362)
45mi from Gulf State Park · 7 sites · Tents, Lodging · Navarre, FL
Explore 11+ acres of rustic and untamed woods. We are a military veteran family who enjoys the land as a place for family and friends to explore, camp, and relax at the 250+ feet of the East Bay beach. We do not have WiFi, but we do have 5g service throughout the 11 acre property. Our camping sites DO NOT have electricity These are hike-in only campsites ☺️ Primitive camping is permitted at designated wooded high grounds in the middle of the property. It is a 5 and 10-minute rugged hike in to the middle ground respectively. The trail remains under development, so please bring close-toed shoes or boots for hiking throughout the property (depending on rainfall, there may be mud and water). We have two primitive campsites these campsites are first come first serve, they are not assigned when booking. Plesea see pictures. Our Glamper tent is a 10x12 canvas furnished full size bed with bedding, pillows and enough floor space for two sleeping bags. The tens are located off a short trial, but rugged 2-minute hike from the parking area. We provide the opportunity to go camping without having to pack the tent. Closed toed shoes are highly suggested as well as plenty of lighting with batteries or solar charging capability. This is a rugged, fun and serene camping experience. Locates justminutes from the Emerald Coast - 7 mins to Navarre Beach, - 30 mins to Pensacola Beach, - 15 mins to Naval Live Oaks, - 45 mins to Fort Pickens, - 50 mins to NAS Pensacola, - 45 mins to Santa Rosa Island, - 35 mins to Okaloosa Island, - 40 mins to Destin. Recommended local restaurants: St. Michael's Brewery which has rotating food trucks and is family friendly, Ye Olde Brothers Brewery, Dewey Destin’s, Andy D's on Navarre Beach, Stripe's Pub, Johnny Huston's, Windjammers, TC’s Front Porch, Deb’s Coffee, The Eatery food truck park, Top’s Burgers, and New York Pizza Depot. Other sightseeing in the area includes: Museums: National Naval Aviation Museum, Air Force Armament Museum, Fort Pickens, Indian Temple Mound Museum, Pensacola Museum of Art, Museum of Industry, and Destin History & Fishing Museum Additional activities include: Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center, HH Arts Gallery, Emerald Coast Science Center, Gulf Breeze Zoo, and Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park.
Pets
Potable water
Toilets
from 
$35
 / night
Sun Outdoors Orange Beach

20. Sun Outdoors Orange Beach

1.8mi from Gulf State Park · 497 sites · RVs · Orange Beach, AL
Discover the unique charm of Sun Outdoors Orange Beach, the premier master-planned RV resort nestled in the heart of the Deep South near Gulf Shores, Alabama. This expansive 30-acre resort offers a perfect blend of affordable luxury and a refreshing getaway, making it an ideal destination for RV enthusiasts. At Sun Outdoors, we cater to both families and snowbirds with spacious RV sites available for short-term or extended stays. Our Orange Beach RV park boasts an array of luxury amenities that will pleasantly surprise you. Enjoy access to a fully equipped business center, two inviting swimming pools, and scenic nature trails perfect for hiking and biking. Throughout the year, we host a variety of planned activities and social events to enhance your stay. Located just minutes away from some of the finest beaches and exciting attractions along the Alabama Coast, Sun Outdoors Orange Beach is the perfect base for exploring the area's natural beauty. Whether you're seeking outdoor adventures, delightful restaurants, or charming shops, you'll find plenty of reasons to extend your visit. Experience the allure of Orange Beach and create lasting memories at our exceptional RV resort.
Pets
Potable water
Toilets
from 
$66
 / night
100% (7)

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Sugar Sands RV Resort

100%
(25)
2.7mi from Gulf State Park · 90 sites · RVs, Lodging · Gulf Shores, AL
Sugar Sands RV Resort in Gulf Shores, Alabama, features roughly 80 sites including 5 stylish Tiny Homes for rent. All sites have full hookups, including 30/50 amp power, water/sewer, a picnic table, and WiFi!  Each site is a well maintained, spacious 22′ x 60′ concrete pad to accommodate even the largest RVs. You are sure to enjoy the beautiful, lush landscaping set among our coastal craftsman style buildings.Learn more about this land:Sugar Sands RV Resort offers full hookups with our 22’ x 60’ concrete spacious sites with privacy between , as well as power, water, sewer, cable, and Wi-Fi. Our Clubhouse is available for your use and is complete with kitchen, restrooms, sitting areas, tv area, library, and computer area. And did we mention our zero-entry pool? It is beautiful! You can also enjoy our fitness center. One of the many reasons to come and stay with us, if you love the beach, we are minutes away from Gulf Shores Beach and Orange Beach. Golfers can enjoy many of our pristine golf courses. Or if you wish to take in concert, a boat ride to see the dolphins or just sit and watch the boats, the Wharf is the place to visit. Just minutes away from the resort you will also find the new Park OWA, which features shops, dining, and an amusement park. At OWA, there are restaurants such Groovy Goat, Paula Dean’s, Trattoria Pizza & Italian, Rock n Roll Sushi. The Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum is only a 25.6-mile drive away. This is the home of the world-famous Blue Angels. Ft. Morgan State Historic Site is 25.9 miles from the Resort.Our list of attractions goes on and on! We have only named a few!All rigs over 10 years old will require photos to be submitted prior to approval of the reservation. 
Pets
Potable water
Toilets
from 
$119
 / night

Colorful Camping at Beakertopia✨️🌈

97%
(110)
8mi from Gulf State Park · 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

YaYa's River Retreat

100%
(15)
26mi from Gulf State Park · 101 sites · Tents, RVs · Robertsdale, AL
A little slice of camping heaven, 41 acres with 800 feet of water frontage on Styx River. YaYa's is a completely primative or boondocking campground and swim area with porta pottie available. There is hot showers available at truck stop about a mile away and they have a dump station for those in RV. Come enjoy all the natural beauty or we are within an hour of hundreds of things to do for all ages. YaYA lives about 1/2 mile away and has a well available to refill your water. There is plenty of fallen wood to gather for fires or cut wood available for purchase. We have a community area with picnic tables, sun sails, grill, pavilion, and large bonfire. Please note the access road is old gravel and dirt, so if in a low car you'll need to take it slow. If there has been rain call ahead for entry directions as part of road becomes muddy. There is also a shooting range near by so during the day you will hear this some. You will not be disappointed if you love the tranquility of being outdoors.
Pets
Toilets
Campfires
from 
$30
 / night

Malakai 🏕 different by design

98%
(85)
37mi from Gulf State Park · 6 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging · Dickerson City, FL
Welcome to Malakai campgrounds different by design 🏕 I purchased this land several years ago after a loss of a child a daughter her named was (little jo) JoLisa Marie Roadcap , it was a life changing moment, teaching me that family and enjoying of life is what it all about... so I want to welcome you here to Malakai for a peaceful and relaxing time, it's even a place that may help you heal from life hardships... At 5:30 just as the Sun comes up it is time for you to go out on to the deck and listen to the birds song 🎵 . As the Sun starts to rise on a new day ✨️ dozens of species of birds from the Great American Bald Eagle , To the endangered woodpecker, The blue herrings, bluebirds(we have mating pair that comes every year) blue jays, mocking birds, doves and several other species and occasionally a couple small black bears like walking through, we want you to have a peaceful and relaxing stay here while you visit everything,here at Garson Point were several species of carnivorous plants grow wild and our beaches have much to offer. It's official -- after 4 years of politics we are officially a park and a preserve.....9 acres of 🚶‍♂️ trails 👣 we are still constructing trails by hand I believe this place has a spiritual strength to people of all nations History of our location Count De Galvez awarded a land grant on Garcon Point to Antonio Garzon following his 1781 Siege of Pensacola in consideration of “his good services rendered as an interpreter to the Indians of Pensacola." The grant was held for 35 years before Maria Garzon, who survived husband Antonio, sold the land they called Garzon’s Point to Joseph (Jose) Bonifay. The land uses were favorable for cattle grazing and turpentining through the 1800s. Many more pioneer families moved into the area and began their own business in the booming industrial opportunities of western Florida. It came to be known as Yellow River Marsh State Buffer Preserve on June 12, 2000, when it was purchased by the state of Florida to protect rare and environmentally sensitive lands, plants and animals. Through generous donations, Preservation 2000 and the Florida Forever Program, more land was added to protect contiguous habitat of the Garcon Ecosystem. Today Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park provides recreational opportunities for hiking and nature study along the Great Florida Birding Trail among rare and endemic plant species and within one of Florida’s oldest multi-cultural frontiers.The preserve is located in Santa Rosa County on Garcon Point, which separates Escambia Bay from Blackwater Bay. Nearly 20 rare and endangered species of plants 🪴 and animals make their homes along the bay and its wet prairies, dome swamps and flatwoods.
Pets
Potable water
Toilets
from 
$26
 / night

Heart of the Country

98%
(226)
38mi from Gulf State Park · 8 sites · Tents, RVs · Spanish Fort, AL
Heart of the Country is our home and also your own personal twelve acre state park whenever you stay with us! We are less than 15 minutes from Interstate 10 and from Interstate 65. I offer a half-dozen campsites, all either on a relatively level paved driveway or grass. Power (20 amp and 30 amp) and water is available. We have two 30 amp campsites, which are first come, first served. WIFI is available! (please ask for password). We have a portable toilet for your use. This is a Longleaf Pine sanctuary with lots of nature trails. This is also a hobby farm with livestock (Donkey, two Goats, a Duck and a flock of Chickens). I feed the livestock grain every morning usually between 8 and 9 am, and again hay before dusk. You are always welcome to join me and I'll introduce all of them to you! My dog, Homer, is our very friendly welcoming ambassador who will enthusiastically great you upon your arrival. I put him up in his kennel each evening around dusk, then lock him in his shed until morning which keeps him from backing during the night. We also host an AirBnB, so other guests may be here as well. Texting via the app is our preferred mode of communication. If you call, please leave a message if I can't answer, and I will call you back. We are slowly updating the site photos. Use them only to determine your price, for example: A site with 30 amp power and water is $25 per night. A site with 20 amp power and water is $20 per night. A boondocking site (no power) is $15 per night. All sites have access to a porta-potty and water. Suggested local attraction: Blakeley State Historic Park is four miles away.
Pets
Potable water
Toilets
from 
$15
 / night

Other options near Gulf State Park

The best camping in Gulf State Park, AL guide

Overview

About

Picture yourself nursing a daiquiri on white sand beaches under a royal blue parasol. You're not in Jamaica, but close enough. Gulf State Park boasts a two mile stretch of idyllic beaches and pavilions to satisfy your every whimsy. Zoom down one of the park's zip lines or try your hand on the 18-hole golf course. PGA pro staff mean you'll pick the right club to swing, and the snack bars mean you'll never go hungry. Hike one of 10 trails and keep an eye out for wildlife like bobcats, alligators, and even black bears. Fishing enthusiasts have 900 acres of fishing from the beach or dock of Lake Shelby, and with everything from camping to cottages, your budget shouldn't be a road block here. State park? More like resort.

Notable campgrounds

  • Improved Campground: Features 496 sites with modern bathhouses, full hookups, and waterfront views for the ultimate camping experience.
  • Outpost Campsites: For a more rustic adventure, these sites offer a unique 'glamping' experience nestled in nature.
  • Primitive Campsites: Ideal for the traditional camper, these sites include fire rings and picnic tables amid the park's beauty.

Tips for snagging a campsite

  • Book early, especially for peak seasons, to ensure your spot in this sought-after natural retreat.
  • Consider weekday camping for better availability and a quieter experience.
  • Stay flexible with your dates and check for last-minute cancellations to snag a reservation.
  • Explore nearby camping options if the park is fully booked, ensuring you don't miss out on the area's charm.

When to go

The best time to visit Gulf State Park is during the spring and fall when the weather is mild and the natural scenery is at its peak. Summer offers warm beach days, but be mindful of the hurricane season. Winters are cooler and less crowded.

Know before you go

  • Check the park's website for any trail or area closures before your visit.
  • Remember to pack sunscreen and insect repellent for a comfortable adventure.
  • Accessibility is a priority, with wheelchair-friendly fishing spots and trails available.
  • Facilities such as restrooms and picnic areas are conveniently located throughout the park.
  • Keep an eye on the weather and dress appropriately for the season to maximize your enjoyment.
100%
7 ratings · 2 reviews