Exploring Alabama
After leaving Florida, I wanted to continue to stay close to family as well as keep to the south since it was still winter (please, no more snow!). So this led me into Alabama. I'd visited the state before but hadn't really spent much time there despite living "next door" in Georgia for 7 years. I ended up spending 6 weeks exploring the state during early 2025 and feel like I only scratched the surface. I know I missed a lot as I avoided the larger cities, but I wanted to focus on the state parks. I've included a list of all the stops below.
My time in Alabama included some really wonderful experiences which I'll get to in a sec, but it also created a whole new appreciation for the weather. As if snow in Florida wasn't bad enough, I had hail and several major storm fronts come through while I was in the state. The worst one spun off multiple tornados with one not too far from where I was at. During the tornado watch, I was parked on top of a mountain in Double Springs, AL - so totally exposed. The upside was that there was a storm shelter nearby. It looked like something out of a zombie apocalypse movie, but I was glad to have it available during what was still a pretty sleepless night.
I lost power during several of the storms and on one occasion, the pump station went out, so I had no water for a good 24 hours. Fortunately, my batteries provided power to the fridge, and I had been keeping at least a days worth of fresh water on board so I was reasonably well prepared. Pine cones pelted the roof several nights making it hard to sleep, but thankfully, no trees or trim limbs feel on the RV despite the high winds. The closest tornado touched down about a half hour away (closer than I'd have liked) but did miss me. And no damage from the hail either. The universe was definitely looking out for me!
The weather was an unfortunate side effect of being in the area during the winter. As I learned pretty quickly, these sorts of storms are common this time of year, and I was starting to think snow wasn't all that bad. Fortunately, there were also some really beautiful, mild days to help balance it out.
In the midst of this weather was bit of a roller coaster, the big upside was that most of the parks were pretty empty. A stark contrast to Florida where you'd be lucky to find a single site available. Not only was there space, but lots of beautiful spots! Two where I was right on the water. By the end of my time in Alabama, it was edging into spring with red buds in bloom everywhere. Absolutely gorgeous! So all in all, a great time to go if you're willing to brave the total insane weather.
Every stop had it's beauty and I've share highlights for each of the stops on my Instagram (@dandelionroadtravel), so be sure to check those out. Thanks to those nice days, I was also able to get out and explore a bit. Unfortunatey, the plan to hike in the William Bankhead National Forest hit a snag since the pedestrian bridge over to the hiking trails got taken out by a tree. Still a beautiful drive, and we did get to enjoy the trails at the Natural Bridge Park nearby which I pretty much had to myself.
The time in Alabama started at Lake Jackson which is a fairly small county run park. It has the most amazing sunsets and there is a beautiful walking path along the lake. Most of the campers are seasonal which made it feel like a community. One night, we even had a private blue grass concert at the campsite across from me. What a great experience and the community there definitely welcomed me like family.
My next stop was Hardridge Creek Campground, right on the Georgia/Alabama bourder. My phone kept getting confused about what timezone I was in, but this was one of those spots where I was right on the water so happy to deal with the time confusion. There was also this wonderful little roadsite food stop (The Silo) nearby with great people and fantastic food (although not much else in the area).
From there, it was up to Chewacla in Auburn, AL as I needed some supplies I wasn't going to be able to find in the more remote areas. Chewacla is a great park for hiking although it's really setup for dirt biking. Trails EVERYWHERE! But it was quiet, and I was able to get everything I needed before moving on.
Of course no state visit would be complete without a winery stop. Most wineries in this part of the country tend to focus on Muscadine wines (not my favorite), and this winery was no exception. However, they did have a wine made from a cousin of the Muscadine which was a lovely (and delicous suprise). Sadly, I recently learned this winery will be closing so glad I was able to visit while they were still in business.
After visiting the winery, it was on to Deerlick Creek in Tuscaloosa, AL. The sites at this park are amazing! Not on the water, but the park is up on a ridge and many of the sites have decks built out on the edge of the ridge with amazing views. Icing on the cake was the number of deer sitings. I suppose seeing deer at a place called Deerlick Creek shouldn't have been a surprise. But given that some of the host campers put out food for them, they are pretty much guaranteed to be around.
Leaving Deerlick Creek, I headed up to Double Springs, AL near the William Blankhead National Forest. It's a beautiful area with lots of options for dispursed camping if you've got a solid off road option or are willing to hike in (neither of which applies to me). I started off at the Bama Campground which is where we weathered hail and the tornado scare. On the drive up to the campground, I passed a dead cow with several vultures sitting on it. In hind site, I wonder if this was an omen.
It was from Bama Campground that we took our drive around the National Forest with the hopes of doing some hiking. Sadly, the pedestrian bridge connecting the parking lot to the hiking trails had not faired as well as I had through all the storms. The drive was still beatiful even if the hiking didn't pan out.
I moved off the mountain down to Corinth Recreation Center for a few days (still in the William Bankhead National Forest area) and then headed over to Rickwood Caverns. The caverns are a small state park, but definitely worth a visit. Camp sites here are miniscule (but lovely), and thankfully the park was only about half full so there was room to move. And the little bats inside the caverns were absolutely adorable. I've been through several caves before, but I haven't been lucky enough to see so many of the little guys up close like that.
Next up was Mallard Point in Decatur, AL and a time to catch up on laundry, etc (I'll spare you those details) and then onto Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville, AL. Monte Sano is a true hikers park. Many, many miles of trails and a wonderful Japanese Garden a short hike from the campground. I loved being able to walk to the gardens in the mornings with the dog. There was rarely anyone else there. So peaceful!
On my way out of Alabama, I pass by Little River Canyon. There is an overlook stop right off the road where you can walk down and see the falls. And I can definitely say that if I have the chance to come back through this part of Alabama, I would definitely want to spend some time exploring this area.
But now it was time to say good bye to Alabama as I was heading to Georgia!
Alabama Feb/Mar 2025
Lake Jackson State Park (Florala, AL)
Hardridge Creek (Abbeville, AL)
Chewacla State Park (Auburn, AL)
Hidden Meadow Winery (Jemison, AL) - Sadly, this winery is now closed
Deerlick Creek (Tuscaloosa, AL)
Bama Campground and RV Park (Double Springs, AL)
Corinth Recreation Area (Double Springs, AL)
Rickwood Caverns State Park (Warrior, AL)
Point Mallard Park (Decatur, AL)
Monte Sano State Park (Huntsville, AL)
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