NW Alabama: Bankhead National Forest/Corinth Recreation Area

[Dr Steve]

We just finished four days camping at this gem of a campground. Great level paved sites; some are closer together than others but none are what I would call too close to death other. From what I could tell, each spot had 50A service, water/sewer, a very heavy picnic table, lantern hooks, and a fire ring. No cable or wi-fi. Good OTA TV signal though; we got 27 channels on our antenna. $28 per night, make reservations on recreation.gov.

From I-65, go roughly 30 miles west on US-278 to County Road 57. Turn left on County Road 57 (there's a church called "Rock Family" right at the turn). Take 57 approximately 6 miles to the recreation area. There are a lot of ups and downs, and some sharp turns, so don't be in a hurry.

The facility is divided into two loops, yellowstone and firefly. Our reservation was in a pull-thru in yellowstone but we found someone occupying that spot when we arrived. We took a look at a couple of other pull-thrus but those spots had the hookups right where our entry steps would be. On to firefly.

We found a great back-in spot that had more than enough room to accommodate our Silverback 29IK and F-350LB. Even better, the hookups were on the proper side. We had a great view of the woods and were able to see Smith Lake through the trees. The spot was secluded enough for privacy, but close enough to socialize with neighbors.

The Sipsey Wilderness is a 20-minute drive away, with lots of hiking. Stop at the ranger station to get maps and the latest trail conditions. Check out the picture of the waterfall that one of the trails takes you to (sorry, I can't get it to orient properly). There is also an old church very close by. Double Springs is the closest town; it's very small but it does have a dollar general, a pharmacy, and a grocery store.

A couple of things to note: BEWARE the poison ivy if you venture off the campsite or the trail. This time of year it was pretty dried up so no worries, but other times it could be a real problem. Keep your eyes open. Also given the proximity to the lake the mosquitoes could be bad at times. Again due to the time of year and lack of rain for the previous week we didn't have a problem.

We HIGHLY recommend this campground if you find yourself in northwest Alabama!