shhQuiet

I did not stay in campsite 11, but directly across the FS 913 road from it. The entrance to #11 is steep, which is why I chose instead to camp across the road, which was nice. #11 is a HUGE site, easily enough room for a large group camp. There is a dirt road at the back of the site which is the Pleasant Hill bike trail.

This is a shady place, with lots of large trees. There is a fire area at the center of the site.

Location is about 1/2 mile from a paved road, US 29/80. You can hear cars pass by, but there aren't many cars, especially at night.

This is becoming one of my favorite campgrounds in the Talladega National Forest.

The $3 nightly fee ($1.50 with pass) is a bargain... Swim in Shoal Creek that runs alongside the campground and hike on the Pinhoti National Recreational Trail, which is accessible on both sides of the bridge over Shoal Creek. The peace and quiet and beautiful surroundings are the real gems in this campground.

Practical stuff:
No electricity or sewer. Water from a few spigots around the campground is available during the warm months but is shut off in winter. There is a pit toilet and there are garbage cans. There is a loop that I would recommend scouting out ahead of time before parking. Cell service is zero, although in a pinch you could drive up to the top of the hill to the south and get service. There are a few spots in this area you might find a bar or two. It is shady- probably won't get much charge for your solar, plus the hills around the campground mean the sun will rise late and set early. If you want power and water, consider Coleman Lake campground nearby.

Directions:
Best way to get here: Alabama Hwy 9 - set your GPS to "Choccolocco Check Station". From there you'll take FS road 522 (Joseph Springs Motorway), left on FS 531, then left again on FS 500. This is a 6.5 mile drive on gravel.

https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/f679f14e-730e-41b5-bb56-761eb64f2c15/?layer=NationalMap

I was very impressed with this campground. It is far from any town, so you'll need to bring your supplies. The experience started at the gate where Victoria the camp host greeted me and was very friendly and helpful. I was here the week between Christmas and New Years Day. During the winter, there are only 15 sites allowed for reservation. However, Victoria told me I could stay in any site that was not previously reserved. She gave me a map with the reserved sites highlighted, so I could pick and choose.

I had originally reserved site 38 at recreation.gov, but decided to stay in site 13. Site 13 has a small deck on the water and is right next to the boat ramp. This might be a problem in the summer due to non-campers using the ramp, but there were not a lot of fishermen during my stay. Many of the sites on the creek had these small wooden decks right at the water's edge and the aluminum picnic tables seemed to be fairly new.

Each site is super clean, the fire rings are blown clear between campers. All of the grounds were well maintained and the bath house was immaculate. I think there are 4 or 5 camp hosts for a max of 15 campers.

There is a very short trail near the boat ramp that winds around near Clear Creek and would make a good dog walk. Another trail leads out to the Black Warrior River. You may see big barges on the river since it is a major artery for commercial transport, including coal barges. I brought my kayak and paddled around Clear Creek and the Black Warrior for a couple of days. Overall, had a great time here and it was very quiet and comfortable. Power and water, no sewer- a dump station is available on the way out. Half-price ($14) with an America the Beautiful pass.

The only downsides I would mention is the location, which is pretty remote- the nearest town would be Eutaw, which doesn't have much other than a Piggly Wiggly grocery store. Also, there is a house directly across the creek from the campground that seemed to be blasting talk radio one night so loud I could hear it from my site. But overall, would definitely visit here again when I'm looking for a quiet peaceful getaway with great access to the water.

This park is somewhat older and worn, but still comfortable for a state park. The campground is shady and very cramped. The sites are short and the campground road is very narrow. During back-in and departure, you will most likely block the road. I parked my 23' travel trailer and then had to park the tow vehicle sideways. Even then, I was right at the edge of the road, so I put up some orange cones to warn people.

The campground is pretty hilly- the sites on the inside of the loop are relatively flat, but those on the outside of the loop (Where I stayed, site #40) drop off dramatically.

If you enjoy biking, I rode most of the paved paths. Out and back, it's probably about 12 miles. The paths are asphalt, with a few bumps and crumbling sides but not bad.

I looked in the showers and they seemed OK, but I did not use them. I didn't see any sites with sewer hookup, the campground has a dump station across from the campground entrance.

I stayed in site A12 and used my America the Beautiful pass for a discount. The website showed most sites were taken and the sign at the entrance said there was "no vacancy" for RV with electric sites. However, I only ever saw about 3 other sites occupied, I'm not sure why that was the case. I did go at the end of the season.

I did not use the bathhouse, but I checked it out and it was moderately clean and the showers were warm.

There is electric only, no water or sewer. There are potable water spigots scattered throughout. There was a camp host for the A/B loops that I never saw and I think he left during my stay. His site was covered in trash. I saw the campground hosts in the C/D loops and they were very friendly and their site was clean and neat.

This is a great area for access to the Ocoee river if you plan to do whitewater rafting. It was after the end of the season for that, so no water in the Ocoee :(

The road up the mountain is 7.5 miles long, with a few overlook areas that offer great views of Parksville Lake and nearby Sugarloaf Mountain. Be sure to stop and take pictures!

I did hike the roughly 4 mile round-trip trail to Benton Falls, it was nice, although the water levels were very low and not a lot of water was going over the falls.

There are no stores or places for resupply in this area, so make sure you bring along all you need. I got 1 bar of AT&T LTE and with my cell booster, was getting 3-4 bars.

I stayed in the "lower loop", site #84- It was a back-in. It seemed to me that the pull-through sites are a little closer together and there aren't as many trees. Didn't use the bath house, but it seemed clean and well-maintained. The staff was friendly and were attentive to keeping the campground looking good.

Quiet- there were quite a few deer that wander around the campground and they were a common sight. DeSoto Falls is about 6 miles away, you receive a day pass that covers fees there when you camp. My price was $36.75/night, which included taxes and fees and that was with a senior discount (62+).

The WiFi was actually fairly good, considering. Did not use the cable TV.

They mention not following GPS and that is true- you will wind up on some very curvy narrow roads if you follow the GPS. Use the driving directions they send in your confirmation email.

This is a Army Corps of Engineer's campground. There are two loops, the Antioch and the Catoma. The Catoma loops sites have sewer, Antioch is power and water only. Most of Antioch is gravel, Catoma is paved with concrete pads. I stayed in Catoma, site 68, which was pretty level and very nice. I did not use the restrooms/showers, but I did notice they had a few coin-op washers and dryers.

Cell signal was marginal, I usually got 1 or sometimes 2 bars of AT&T LTE service.

There are not many trails through this campground, especially connecting the Antioch and Catoma loops. I rode my bike around the whole campground and it was maybe 6 miles. I also put my kayak in the water here, although getting down to the water is sometimes a challenge due to the brush. Catoma site 5 has a nice trail to access the water. Antioch has a paved boat launch with a dock, so on that side, it may be easier to just use the boat launch.

The gate never closes, so you can come and go as needed. The problem is, there isn't much of anyplace to go. There is a Dollar General not too far away, but for grocery stores or restaurants, you'll have to drive 15-20 miles to get to Prattville or Montgomery.

Montgomery Speedway is less than a mile away and the noise from the race cars is pretty loud, but that is only on Saturday nights, as far as I can tell.

See my YouTube video of my stay at Gunter Hill here:
https://youtu.be/TMHhESAuszA

On a whim, I booked this campground around 5 o’clock on a Friday night. It was the second time I’ve been here. It is a stellar campground and I have had a great experience at every COE campground I’ve visited. With the America the Beautiful pass, you get it for $15, which can’t be beat for power, water and sewer!

This rest stop is closed