Pine Glen Recreation Area

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

The last 4-5 miles in are loose gravel with some wash out areas. Go slow…..coming out is much better. I would not have wanted to meet another motorhome on this road though! The sites are spacious and some were muddy with standing water from recent rains, but plenty of dry areas. We were the only ones here. The Talledaga forest is phenomenal!

Stayed here Saturday 4/23/22. Was exactly as described. Got there at noon with plenty spots available. (There were still 4-5 spots available upon bedtime) Many sites had picnic tables, fire rings, and tent pads. I put $5 in the fee box along with a short form you fill out (i think it may be a minimum of $3?). I camped in my car in site 11. Has vault bathrooms that were stocked with toilet paper. Sites are spaced out pretty well. There’s about 4-6 miles of gravel road leading up to the campsite. Google Maps got me there just fine from Cheaha state park (1 hr). Overall no cell service for AT&T & Verizon - For Verizon, I had 1 bar pop up twice for a few minutes. No lighting at night- be sure to bring plenty flashlights. Has a nice little creek you can walk over to. Lots of families, friendly folk around at my neighboring campsites. Quiet.

There are a handful of sites large enough for RVs, mostly around the inner circle. The campground is very 'natural' and not strategically laid out, so if you have a larger rig, you might want to walk around and find a site to see how to access it best. We stayed in site 1, a pull through across from the river. As someone else said, it does get muddy in several points around the campground. We were the only ones there during the week in February. Verizon signal was very weak and went in and out. We ended up leaving a day early because of that.
For a $3 FCFS campground, we give it 5 stars.

Know that this is a dispersed camping area. Beautiful, large camping spaces in a glen of large pines and hardwoods. 3 pit toilets (may want to bring your own toilet paper. A really nice large stream next to one side of the campground. Great hiking very close by. The only reason I gave this area 4 stars is that the dirt roads accessing this area are a little rough for a large TT or motorhome. Ours is a 28' class C, so we just went fairly slowly. BTW, we were able to make and answer a few calls while there. No OTA television stations. We paid $1.50/night, but that's with the 50% Lifetime Senior Pass.

Six slow miles up a national forest service road. We had a small camper and did well. Be careful with anything large. No water or electricity and no cell phone service. But once you get there it’s very nice peaceful and in nature. Seems to be a good place to set up a base camp for hikers. We were there at the end of October and we had 20 sites all to ourselves all day. There were a couple of night time arrivals, but otherwise no visitors. Unlit vault bathroom is spooky.

Pine Glen is deep inside the Talladega National Forest near Heflin, AL. To get to it, you need to go through about 6 miles of mountain gravel roads. There are a few pot holes and muddy spots but it is easy enough to navigate. Once you get to the campground STAY AWAY from the north corner near the creek. It is muddy and you can get stuck there. We got stuck but luckily we were able to get out with the help of some very nice people. The Campground itself is absolutely stunning with tall pines and broad leaf trees creating a beautiful canopy. There are many trail heads nearby and a creek with several access points. The creek pools and gets deep in several places making it perfect for swimming. We wish we could have stayed longer but will definitely be back.