Coastal camping
The Alabama Gulf Coast is in southern Baldwin and Mobile counties, on both sides of Mobile Bay. Alabama beaches are renowned for their white sand and clear, blue water. Several parks and campgrounds offer visitors the opportunity to camp on or near these pristine beaches.
Gulf State Park
Gulf State Park is the only Alabama state park on the Gulf of Mexico coast. The park includes more than two miles of beachfront property between the towns of Gulf Shores to the west and Orange Beach to the east. Activities in the state park include camping, nature center, beach pavilions, picnic areas, hiking trails, swimming, biking, boating, geocaching, an 18-hole golf course, freshwater fishing in Lake Shelby, and saltwater fishing along the beach and from the 1,540 ft. fishing pier. The campground itself is about one and one-half miles from the beach along the north shore of Middle Lake. There are 496 improved campsites, modern bathhouses, and an activity center with wireless Internet access. Additional amenities expected to be completed by summer 2010 include tennis courts, a pool house, new nature center and boat docks. In addition to campsites, the park contains 20 cabins and 11 cottages, all along the north shore of Lake Shelby and within walking distance of the golf course.
Gulf State Park
22050 Campground Road
Gulf Shores, AL 36542
(251) 948-6353 or (800) 252-7275
alapark.com/gulfstate
Dauphin Island Campground
Dauphin Island, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico off the southern coast of Mobile County, is connected to the mainland by a bridge on Highway 193. The Dauphin Island Campground is located on the eastern end of the island nearby historic Fort Gaines (which played a strategic role in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War) and the Audubon Bird Sanctuary (considered one of the 10 most important sites in the world for annual bird migrations). Campground amenities include 150 modern sites with water and power, 75 sites with sewer, bathhouse with hot showers, laundry facility, campground store, picnic and barbecue facilities, boat launch, walking and hiking trails into the Audubon Bird Sanctuary, fish-cleaning facility, boardwalk to the beach, playground, bicycle rentals, badminton and volleyball courts, and shuffleboard and horseshoe facilities. The nearby public beach includes several miles of pristine, quiet, undeveloped beaches.
Dauphin Island Campground
109 Bienville Blvd.
Dauphin Island, AL 36528
(251) 861-2742
dauphinisland.org/camp.htm
KOA Gulf Shores/Pensacola West
The Gulf Shores/Pensacola West KOA campground is located just south of U.S. Highway 98 on the western shore of Perdido Bay near the Florida border. The campground offers tent sites with electricity (both 30- and 50-amp sites), pull-through sites for RVs, cabins, modern bathhouse facilities, laundry facility, recreation hall, playground, boat launch, swimming area, camp store, free wireless Internet and cable television. Although this campground is not directly on the coast, Gulf Coast beaches are within 12 miles.
KOA Gulf Shores/Pensacola West
33951 Spinnaker Drive
Lillian, AL 36549
(251) 961-1717
lostbayrv.net
Tags: Dauphin Island, Gulf Shores, Dauphin Island Campground, Gulf Coast, Gulf Shores Pensacola, Gulf State