{"id":3836,"date":"2025-10-02T15:38:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T15:38:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rvparkiq.com\/industry-insights\/?p=3836"},"modified":"2025-10-10T15:41:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T15:41:27","slug":"new-executive-campground-under-construction-at-gulf-state-park-alabama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rvparkiq.com\/industry-insights\/new-executive-campground-under-construction-at-gulf-state-park-alabama\/","title":{"rendered":"New Executive Campground Under Construction at Gulf State Park, Alabama"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Matthew Capps and Matt Young check on the progress of the new campground’s activities center at Gulf State Park. Photo by David Rainer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

With a planned opening in the first half of 2026, the new Gulf State Park Campground will make many campers happy with its extra space. a little more privacy and an abundance of amenities. The new campground will be built in two phases on the park\u2019s former golf course. A new entrance will provide convenient access to the campground from State Road 180 (Canal Road) near the new Beach Express bridge in Gulf Shores.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be two phases, based on current funding levels; the first phase will consist of 100 campsites with about 100 more planned for phase two,\u201d said Matthew Capps, Director of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources\u2019 (ADCNR) State Parks Division. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have a new entrance that comes off Canal Road at the new overpass. It will be only a few hundred feet from that.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think this project is transformative. It\u2019s going to allow visitors easy access straight into the new campground so they can start enjoying the amenities, like the trails, as soon as they park.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Gulf State Park includes the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail, which runs through portions of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. It has been ranked the top trail in America for the past three years, and it was also recently deemed the state\u2019s top attraction at the Alabama Governor\u2019s Conference on Tourism Awards Banquet. Visit www.alapark.com\/parks\/gulf-state-park\/trails for more information.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe new campground has been a long time coming.\u201d Said Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship. \u201cOne of the hardest decisions I have had to make as Commissioner was the decision to close the golf course. It needed a tremendous amount of work and was not cost effective from a return-on-investment perspective to renovate. Building a new campground to add more opportunities for people to camp at Gulf State Park is a far better investment. I can\u2019t wait to see it open next year!\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The new Executive Campground will cover about 200 acres and will have its own amenities as well as easy access to the rest of the park. Capps said the new campground will be notably different from the south campground.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re building an executive style campground, and what that means is more space,\u201d Capps said. \u201cTypically, we would have about 30 feet between campsites. This campground will have between 60 and 100 feet between campsites.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Additional features will include a large pool, splash pad, pickleball court, putting green, activities center with public restrooms, washers, dryers, event space and recreation space.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really excited about the improvements coming to the park,\u201d Capps said of the $24 million project.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Matt Young, State Parks\u2019 Southern Operations Supervisor, said the new campground will provide welcome campsite space to accommodate more guests who want to experience Alabama\u2019s beautiful Gulf Coast.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look at our existing campground that runs in excess of 90% occupancy for 11 months of the year, this affords another location for folks who aren\u2019t able to get a campsite because it has such high occupancy,\u201d Young said. \u201cSome of the sites at the new campground will be shaded, and most will be back-in compatible. All will be in proximity to a bathhouse, and all are within walking distance to the amenities on the site.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something for everyone in the family. If you want to putt a golf ball \u2013 kind of like an ode to the old golf course \u2013 or jump in the pool, it\u2019s there. We will have a connector from that campground to the greater trail network that leads to the beach and all other aspects of the park. It just gives the visitor a different aspect of the park, including to the Hugh Branyon Backcountry Trail.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Young said the activities center will be a multi-purpose facility that will meet many guest needs.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll have rooms available for rent for special events. It\u2019s going to be a nice, comprehensive facility with a great room to entertain guests as they come in,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will have a full laundry facility that will operate 24\/7, and the external restrooms will be accessible 24\/7.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnother thing about the new campground is it will be much more private. With the south campground and its location near other amenities, like the Nature Center and boat launch at Middle Lake, folks come in and out of there that are not associated with the campground. The new Executive Campground will be more private with the way it\u2019s operated. You will be able to enter and exit on Canal Road.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Obviously, with a new campground, the demand is likely be extremely high, and Capps wants to make sure everything is on track for an opening in the first half of 2026 before reservations open.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll start taking reservations once we are a bit closer to confirming our opening date,\u201d Capps said. \u201cWe want to make sure we are giving people accurate information, so as soon as we\u2019re confident in the timing, we will open reservations and folks can start planning their trips.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Keep an eye out for further advertisements or on the Gulf State Park Facebook page for updates on reservations.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Young said many features of the park have been remodeled or updated, including Gulf State Park Pier, Beach Pavilion and Romar Beach Access.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Another large project involves The Lodge at Gulf State Park, where all 350 rooms have been refreshed with new furniture, paint, carpet, art and TVs. The Lodge is also adding another pool to accommodate the demand.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe new pool is going to have more space and will be great for kids,\u201d Capps said. \u201cThe current pools will transition to be more for adults. We\u2019re excited about that pool becoming available to give all people more room in and around the pools. The construction is underway, and we hope to have that open in the spring of 2026.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Capps also invited those who are interested in Alabama State Parks to follow on Facebook for the latest news about the division and individual parks.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have started posting some of our construction pictures and renderings on our Facebook pages so that people will have updates on what is happening and what is about to be available at State Parks,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can see updates at Gulf State Park, the total renovation of Lake Lurleen State Park, and the new spectacular lodge and facilities at Cheaha State Park.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Source<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With a planned opening in the first half of 2026, the new Gulf State Park Campground will make many campers happy with its extra space. a little more privacy and an abundance of amenities. The new campground will be built in two phases on the park\u2019s former golf course. A new entrance will provide convenient access to the campground from State Road 180 (Canal Road) near the new Beach Express bridge in Gulf Shores. \u201cThere will be two phases, based on current funding levels; the first phase will consist of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3837,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[43,23,6],"tags":[],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rvparkiq.com\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3836"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rvparkiq.com\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rvparkiq.com\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rvparkiq.com\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rvparkiq.com\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3836"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rvparkiq.com\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3836\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3838,"href":"https:\/\/rvparkiq.com\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3836\/revisions\/3838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rvparkiq.com\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rvparkiq.com\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rvparkiq.com\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rvparkiq.com\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}