Gulf State Park Campground

After spending a month in more rustic campgrounds across the us with beautiful nature yet fighting for any tv reception and trying to use one measly bar of cell coverage for internet access it’s nice to take a break in civilization.

Nice, big campsites, wifi faster than at home, pools,pickleball, tv reception, restaurant and good weather. The washrooms are clean and nice, and good showers too.

It’s just really nice to have a break.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars was from the road noise. That would quiet down at night. Also so many taxes tacked onto the base price including resort fees. However, with that being said, we would definitely come back. Trails galore! There is a swimming pool, tennis courts, etc. Sites are well spaced and very clean. They do have someone at the gate house 24/7. Gulf State Park has free bikes to use. Need an app to use them. Beaches are amazing. Not a perfect campground, but close!

This place is a very well run State Park campground with something for almost everyone.

All campsites are FHU and big rig friendly. Majority are back ins but angled so easy to get into. There are some pull through. Roads are all paved as are sites. Sites are generally open though some on the edges of loops have a little more privacy. There are a number of waterfront sites which are definitely desirable for wildlife watchers.

Utilities were all good, water pressure was decent. Verizon and AT&T were both good enough to support streaming. There were about 30 OTA channels. Facilities were all maintained and everything was very clean.

Lots of resort like amenities here, pool, pickle ball, tennis etc. There is a decent store and a nature center. Outside the campground but still in the park is the beach, pier, hotel, cabins and restaurants.

The park has 28 miles of paved trails and additional miles of unimproved trails. Trail markings and maps are excellent. You can get to the beach and pier without crossing a main road thanks to boardwalks. Trails extend beyond the park as well, we rode our bikes to a different coffee shop each afternoon.

The campground is huge, the park is even bigger so bring a bike. Don’t have a bike? No worries, they have free bike share stations all around the park or you can rent a bike, e-bike and even a bike with a child trailer.

Wildlife viewing is excellent, we saw
Alligators, Eagles, herons and more.

Price is the only thing keeping this from being a 5 star campground. A week here is nearly 4 bills after fees and taxes.

We absolutely love this state park! All states should take a lesson from this one. All lots are paved and are not on top of each other and feels more private. You can ride your bikes for hours and still not go down every trail. You get free parking at the pavilion and pier when you stay here! Ice machines through out the pack that take debit cards is a nice addition.

The Woodside Restaurant is a must try! They had live music on Friday night and happy hour from 4-6 with half price appetizers and drinks. Fire pits and outside games for the kids to play.

This is a state park that rivals the offerings of most private parks.

The sites are well spaced and provide plenty of room to setup for a few days or a few weeks. We had full hookups which in a state park is rare from what we've found in our travels. We didn't use the shower facilities because we had full hookups plus the one closest to us was closed for renovations. I did walk through one and it looked clean and well maintained.

Based on other user's pictures it looks like they've cleared out a lot of the trees along the main road. Our site backed up to the road and we had no privacy. We were definitely out in the open for all to see. Next time I'll definitely look for a site off the main road.

The beach was a little too far for our kids to walk so we drove to the beach parking area. Unfortunately there was an increased number of sharks in the water while we were there so we didn't do much swimming. We drove all the way to the beach and spent our swimming time in the pool.

We'll definitely be back and would recommend Gulf State Park, if you can get in.

We had been trying to get into Gulf State Park for months, but it stays full. Now I know why. This is a huge campground with 496 improved sites, however it doesn’t feel cramped with adequate spacing between sites. Most sites are in the Sun, but all seem to be mostly level and all are full hookup. There are some beautiful water sites as well. The bathrooms were exceptional. Ours was recently remodeled.

The amenities were great as well with a large pool and splash pad available at no additional charge. The had a camp store with the essentials. Laundry mat was large with approximately 20 washers and 20 dryers. The nature center was nice as well.

Over on the day use side, they have the bike share program where you can use a park bike for free and ride the 28 miles of paved trails.

The staff were very nice and professional. Free parking at the beach and fires access to state park pier. We have already booked our next trip. Can’t wait to return.

This park has it all! Large sites, full hookups, WIFI, pool, tennis courts, nature center, sugar white sand beaches, miles of bike trails, and more! This area has our absolute favorite beaches. We had a great stay. We ate at Lamberts and Oyster House, visited Fort Morgan, beach fun, pier (free with camping reservations), and lots of pool time.

A couple bummers for us: lack of playground unless you drive over to the lake, which we ended up not doing. No fire pits, but good standard camp grill. Actually, there are some "group" fire pits at the end of some of the streets, but we stayed on our own site. Also, we intended to try the bike rental system, which is even free, but it is for ages 16 and over only. We have 4 kids, so we couldn't try it. Next time, we will bring kids' bikes and rent the adults'.

Video Review: https://youtu.be/n0vrPjr2GUs