DeSoto State Park Camping: Alabama at it’s Finest

Looking for a warm weather camping trip?  Alabama has some great state parks with excellent campgrounds for all camping methods!  Specifically, we are talking about DeSoto State Park camping.  

With 94 Full Hook-Up sites, 18 Primitive sites, cabins and even Chalets, there is a campsite for everyone and every budget.  

So let’s start with a few helpful links for planning your trip!

Important Links

DeSoto State Park Website

Plan Your Trip – Advice from DeSoto State Park

DeSoto State Park Camping – make reservations here!

DeSoto State Park Campground Map

State Park Hiking Map

Hiking to DeSoto Falls post

Camping Checklist Freebie

Location

DeSoto State Park is tucked away in the northeast corner of Alabama. Just across the Alabama-Georgia state line, and below the Alabama-Tennessee state line.

For a better idea, DeSoto is 1 hour south of Chattanooga, TN, 2 hours west of Atlanta, GA and just shy of 2 hours northeast from Birmingham, AL.  

This location makes it the perfect location for a day trip or a weekend getaway if you are in the tri-state area of Tennessee/Georgia/Alabama.  

Alright, so now you know the location, let’s discuss the campground and all you need to know about DeSoto State Park Camping.  

Campground 

With 94 full hook-up sites, cheap primitive sites, and numerous luxury options, you won’t want to miss the DeSoto State Park campground.  There is wifi around the improved campground (note: it doesn’t reach every site), great bathhouses, and plenty of hiking, biking, kayaking and fishing to do in the area.  

Whether you are on a tight budget and camping in a tent, or prefer a touch of luxury by staying in a picturesque cabin, there is something for everyone.  

If you are considering DeSoto State Park camping, my husband and I really enjoyed our time at this state park.  The spots are well spaced out and great for tents, campers or even RVs.  So let’s jump into the details of the campground!  

Details

• 94 Full Hook-Up Campsites (sewer, water, & electric) ($45 per night)
• 18 Primitive Sites (Tent Only) ($18 per night)
• 2 Backcountry Sites ($18 per night)
• 25 Motel Rooms (Avg $105/night)
• 10 Chalets (Avg. $160/night)
• 15 Cabins  (Avg. from $165 to $198/night) 
• 3 Bathhouses amongst each campground loop
• A Country Store and Nature Center
• Pool (Memorial Day to Labor Day)

As I pointed out before, there are accommodations for just about everyone.  But don’t forget to read some of the details below.  Starting with the rugged option of backcountry camping and working our way up to those beautiful cabins within the park.  

Backcountry Sites (Dog Friendly)

Are you the hardcore camper in your friend group?  Then these Backcountry sites are for you.  

When it comes to DeSoto State Park camping, backcountry camping is the most adventurous option.  Each site requires about a mile long hike to reach the specified campsite, and there is no quick way back to your car if you forgot something.  There is also no bathhouse nearby, so this is the definition of roughing it if you are camping for more than one day.   

The Sites

• Never Land Site – Located on the Never Never Land Trail (3.8 miles) with parking at the Lost Falls Trailhead.  
• CCC Quarry Site – Located on the White Trail (2 miles) with parking at the Country Store or the CCC Museum.  

While these are not particularly long hikes to reach these campsites, they are still more challenging than driving right next to your site and setting up a tent.  So if you are looking for adventure, this is the set up for you!  

For more information on the Backcountry sites, you can read the info here!

Primitive Sites (Dog Friendly)

The next level of “roughing it” comes from the primitive sites.  Or what some would call a walk-in site.  

These 18 sites are located on a gravel road loop that is separate from the cabins or the full hook-up loops.  There is a locked gate that can only be entered/exited with a provided key upon checking in.  So don’t lose that key!  

Once you have entered, you have to park your car in a nearby parking lot and walk to your campsite.  

There are no showers in the primitive loop.  Fortunately, guests of the primitive loop are allowed to drive over and use the improved loop’s showers.  This is a huge bonus for people choosing this option, and the people sharing a tent with heavy sweaters…you know who you are.  

But now, let’s begin climbing the ladder of glamping.      

Improved Sites – Full Hook-Up (Dog Friendly)

The improved loop is the more traditional type of camping where tents, campers and even RV’s are welcome.  This loop is exactly what most people picture when they think of DeSoto State Park Camping.  

Each site has a location for the tent or camper to be set up, as well as a place to park your car or truck.  This close proximity to your vehicle gives you the ability to pack as heavy as you want.  So bring all the cool camping gadgets you’ve got!

These sites are full hook-up, which means that there is water on the site, electricity on the site, and even sewer hook-ups!  This is the jackpot of camping locations considering it’s only $45 per night.  

This was the option that my husband and I chose and I will say that we were extremely happy with our full hook-up site.  Sure, we didn’t need all the hook-ups considering we were in our tent.  But the spaced out sites made us feel like we were truly camping out in nature, not just a number to be squished together in a small field.  If you’ve camped at that kind of place, you know exactly what I’m talking about!

The comfort stations (showers, bathrooms) were centrally located so you could just take a cut through path to go to the bathroom, instead of walking all the way around the loop.  

Wildlife Warning

Obviously, I can only speak for our experience, but the racoons at DeSoto State Park were very…active here.  And sneaky!

One raccoon actually got up on our picnic table and stole food while we were standing there!  Our backs were turned, making the fire and next thing I know Brian is yelling at that little bugger.

One raccoon even tried to get in the back of our truck when I left the tailgate down for just a few minutes.  

After these 2 encounters, everything that was even close to food went back into our locked truck as soon as we were done eating.  So you’ve been warned!

Chalet and Cabin Sites

We’ve officially reached the highest level of glamping when it comes to DeSoto State Park Camping.  And that comes in the form of Chalets and Cabins.  

Chalets

Ok, what the heck is a chalet?  I definitely didn’t know when we first stayed here.  A Chalet is like a cabin, but it has a sloping and overhanging roof and is more than one story.  

At DeSoto State Park, the chalets look like partial A-frame cabins. 

In these Chalets, there is 1 queen bed downstairs and an open loft with 2 twin beds upstairs.  They have 1 bathroom and it’s meant for 4 people.  

Two important things to note

1. Dog Friendly options are available, but they cost an additional $30 per night 
2. The rate is based on 4 people, for each additional person (age 12+) there is an up-charge of $10 per night.  

You can find more information here about the Chalets if this is something you are interested in booking! 

Cabins

Next on our glamping list are these beautiful log cabins!

There are two types of cabins in DeSoto State Park.  There are log cabins (Pictured above) and there are Rustic Cabins.  

The biggest 2 differences are the amount of people who can stay and the dog friendliness.  

The Log cabins do not allow dogs and they only allow 4 people to stay in them.  While the Rustic cabins house up to 6 people and 1 of these cabins does allow dogs.  

Besides that, they offer 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom with various bed sizes to choose from.  Some have queen beds, king beds and even sofa beds depending on what works for your family or friend group.

You can read more specific information about the cabins here if you are interested in booking one of them.  

Now let’s get into the biggest deciding factor when it comes to where to stay, the price!

Price Comparison (approximate)

Disclaimer: these prices are based on random dates that I searched when writing this post, so if the amount is off, I apologize in advance.  These numbers are just to give you an idea of cost.  

Prices

• 1 Backcountry site is $18 per night, or $126 per week
• 1 Primitive site is $18 per night, or $126 per week
• 1 Full Hook-Up site is $45 per night, or $315 per week
• 1 Chalet is $160 per night, or $1,120 per week
• 4 Person Cabin is $170 per night, or $1,190 per week
• 6 Person Cabin is $195 per night, or $1,365 per week

Depending on your budget, there is something for everyone.  

Whether you prefer a little glamping and want to stay in the cabin or want to hike to your backcountry tent site, you should enjoy some time at DeSoto State Park camping!

Our Camping Experience

We chose the Full Hook-Up sites in the Improved campground loop.  While we were only in our tent we wanted to be near the showers.  If you’ve read my posts before, you know we are a “Must Shower” type of family.  We were only in our tent, so we definitely could have stayed in the Primitive section, but we know what we like. 

The sites are well spaced and we enjoyed the shade and the trees surrounding the site.  We hate it when we are camping and it feels like we have been placed in someone’s backyard.  

What we also really enjoyed was the hiking that is in and near DeSoto State Park.  With many miles of trails, this place is a hikers patch of heaven!

Hiking in DeSoto State Park

This patch of heaven is perfect for all levels of hikers.  Ranging from short and easy to difficult, there are over 30 miles of trails in the park.  And how could I not mention the popular trail to DeSoto Falls, which is just 7 miles outside of the park.  

One of our favorite things to hike to are waterfalls, and there are many waterfalls in this area.  

Waterfalls in DeSoto State Park

• Laurel Falls
• Indian Falls
• Lodge Falls
• Lost Falls

Unfortunately, there was a drought when we hiked in DeSoto State Park, so we saw none of these waterfalls.  We were fortunate enough to see one beautiful waterfall just outside the park.  And there are several really awesome waterfalls that are worth the drive!

Waterfalls Near DeSoto State Park

• DeSoto Falls – 7 miles away
• Little River Falls – 10 miles south
• Grace’s High Falls – 16 miles away

There are other falls in the area as well!  If you want more information about the waterfalls in the area, you can easily read about them here.

However, if you are interested in hiking to DeSoto Falls specifically, I have written a much more detailed post about those trails.  You can read about Hiking to DeSoto Falls here. 

Time to Spend Here

Everyone wants to know, “how long should I spend here or there?”  I will tell you there is no straight answer. 

But, I can give you a few suggestions to help you with planning your DeSoto State Park camping trip!

Day Trip Ideas:

• Spend a day hiking or biking parts of the 30+ miles of trails
• Have lunch at the picnic area near the Little River
• Hike near and around DeSoto Falls
• Go kayaking in the DeSoto Falls Area.

Weekend or Week-long Trip Ideas:

• Camp in the DeSoto State Park campground (full hook-up or in a tent)
• Stay in a log cabin or a chalets in the park for a more luxurious stay
• Book a few nights in the Lodge & Mountain Inn Restaurant, a motel within the park
• Hike and/or bike some of 30+ miles of trails, including to DeSoto Falls a few miles down the road
• Go kayaking in the DeSoto Falls Area
• Hike to the many waterfalls in the area

DeSoto State Park is a great place for a weekend away, with a great campground and plenty of hiking and outdoor activities.  And we really enjoyed our time in the DeSoto State Park Campground.  

But, below was our exact itinerary.  Feel free to copy, modify or ignore what we did, but here it is!

Our Itinerary

• Friday: Leave home right after work, arrive and check-in at the campground.  We then set up our tent, made a quick and cheap dinner, and enjoyed some fireside time before heading to bed.
• Saturday: Woke up, made breakfast, and headed over to the DeSoto Falls Trailhead parking lot.  We then hiked to the basin below the falls and the bluff trail.  Next we hiked the Orange and the Blue trail in DeSoto State Park.  Finally, we came back to the campground, made dinner, showered, and hit the hay.
• Sunday: Packed up camp, made breakfast and headed to the boat ramp located at DeSoto Falls Picnic Area.  We kayaked the short paddle there and then headed home. 

Our main focus was hiking near the DeSoto Falls picnic area to see the beautiful DeSoto Falls.  But we also hiked in DeSoto State Park and they have excellent trails.  

Conclusion

We quite enjoyed our DeSoto State Park camping trip!  The spaced out campsites and lots of hiking trails nearby made this a great weekend trip location.

We would gladly camp here again and would recommend this campground to just about anyone.  Yes, even those glampers who prefer a cabin have an option here!

So head on down to DeSoto State Park in northeast Alabama!  You won’t regret it!

As always, if you have any further questions, feel free to email me at [email protected] and I’ll do my best to help you plan a great camping trip!

Happy Camping!