PLAN YOUR VISIT:
RESERVATIONS | GULF STATE PARK
ACTIVITIES & EVENTS | GULF STATE PARK
PARK ANNOUNCEMENTS:
2025-2026 Monthly Camping Reservation:
**Important Update: Gulf State Park Reservations**
Monthly Camping Request Practice Form - This document shows the questions which will be asked on the monthly reservation request form. Monthly camping spots fill quickly, so reviewing this document and planning your answers can help save you time when completing the questions on the live monthly request form. The live request form will be published at the link below on November 15, at 8am. The link will take you to a web survey form which is available on mobile and desktop browsers.
CLICK HERE FOR WINTER MONTHLY CAMPING REQUEST FORM - Available at 8am on 11/15/2024
The Gulf State Park Pier is open!
Please note that the pier’s elevated observation deck will remain closed until a new elevator is installed to make it accessible for all guests.
All minors 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
Pier Access Fees:
Weekly Fishing Permit – $41.00
Please note that the pier’s elevated observation deck will remain closed until a new elevator is installed to make it accessible for all guests.
Recreation
There is something for everyone at Gulf State Park. The beach pavilion provides picnic tables as an escape from the beach, the nature center is a great place for the kids to learn, the swimming pool provides refreshment for our guests and the Lake Shelby day-use area offers kayaking and canoeing. For a change of pace while visiting, check out the fishing and education pier, miles of biking on the Backcountry trail, beautiful flowers in the butterfly garden, and additional education at the Learning Campus or Interpretive Center.
Gulf State Park has a multitude of activities to participate in that includes hiking. biking, fishing, exploring, geocaching, paddling, and more! Beach vendors are available to plan activities such as parasailing and kayaking.
Use the ADCNR Interactive Map to learn more about the Alabama State Parks.
Use this park map to help you make your plans.
Accommodations
Reconstruction of The Lodge at Gulf State Park, a Hilton Hotel, is complete, and new hostel-style accommodations are available nearby as well. The Lakeside Cabins and Eagle Cottages are also available for overnight stays. Longleaf pines and the local palmetto forest surround our four “woods cabins”. Remaining “lakeside cabins” along Lake Shelby offer swimming, fishing, and sunrise walks right outside your front door. And with recent trail enhancements, waking up to jog or bike ride is easier than ever.
The park’s 20 cabins provide guests with beautiful views of Lake Shelby or the beautiful longleaf pines and the palmetto forest of coastal Alabama.
Guests choose to stay at Eagle Cottages because of all the fishing, swimming, boating, and other activities found along the shores of Lake Shelby. This 900-acre freshwater lake is one of the closest to saltwater along the Gulf of Mexico.
From canvas tents to full hook-up RV sites, camping comes naturally to our guests. We offer a 496-site improved campground including 11 modern bathhouses, pull-thru sites, back-in sites, waterfront campsites, and ADA accessible sites. Our paved camping pads fit large RV’s and provide full hookups with water, sewer, electricity, a picnic table, and pedestal grill. The park even has 3 new “glamping” sites and 11 primitive camping sites that include stone campfire rings, grill tops, and picnic tables nestled among the trees and along the creek.
AREA ATTRACTIONS
The park’s close proximity to Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Foley, Fairhope and Mobile, provides Gulf State Park with several retail and restaurant options to choose from. The Five Rivers Delta Resource Center, Weeks Bay Reserve, The USS Alabama and Meaher State Park are all within driving distance.
Use the ADCNR Interactive Map to learn more about the Alabama State Parks.
