PLAN YOUR VISIT:
RESERVATIONS | GULF STATE PARK
ACTIVITIES & EVENTS | GULF STATE PARK
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 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 offers a variety of activities, including 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 plan.
Accommodations
The Lodge at Gulf State Park, as well as the Lakeside Cabins and Eagle Cottages, are available for overnight stays. Longleaf pines and the local palmetto forest surround our four “woods cabins”. The remaining “lakeside cabins” along Lake Shelby offer swimming, fishing, and sunrise walks right outside your doorstep. 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 the numerous fishing, swimming, boating, and other activities available along the shores of Lake Shelby. This 900-acre freshwater lake is one of the closest to saltwater along the beautiful shores of the Gulf!
From canvas tents to full hook-up RV sites, camping comes naturally to our guests. We offer a 496-site improved campground, featuring 11 modern bathhouses, pull-thru sites, back-in sites, waterfront campsites, and ADA-accessible sites. Our paved camping pads accommodate large RVs and offer full hookups, including water, sewer, electricity, a picnic table, and a pedestal grill. The park even has 3 new “glamping” sites and 11 primitive camping sites, each with stone campfire rings, grill tops, and picnic tables, nestled among the trees and along the creek.
AREA ATTRACTIONS
The park’s proximity to Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Foley, Fairhope, and Mobile offers Gulf State Park numerous retail and restaurant options. The Five Rivers Delta Resource Center, Weeks Bay Reserve, the USS Alabama, Daphne Sports Complex, and Meaher State Park are all within driving distance.
Use the ADCNR Interactive Map to learn more about the Alabama State Parks.
