By David Rainer
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) State Parks System has more than $150 million available for renovations, repairs and construction and is currently undertaking extensive upgrades and expansions so that guests can experience and enjoy Alabama’s natural beauty.
State Parks Director Greg Lein said these projects span the entire state, with improvements planned at many of Alabama’s 21 state parks. Lein gave updates on the projects from south to north, starting with the Gulf State Park Pier, which was damaged during Hurricane Sally. Repairs and construction are proceeding as planned.
“The pier project is almost complete and should be finished in September. That’s exactly what we expected,” Lein said. “Also, Gulf State Park is renovating the Beach Pavilion bathrooms with a new HVAC system. That’s very important down at the beach. That’s the main public access to the beach and is heavily used from Memorial Day through Labor Day.”
On the north side of Gulf State Park, the old golf course will become an additional campground with numerous amenities, including a pool, clubhouse, putting green, splash pad, and playground. Construction will be done in two phases, with approximately 118 sites in Phase I and another 145 sites in Phase II. Both phases will offer 60′ x 20′ sites with 50-amp electrical service, water and sewer hookups, and back-up and drive-through sites. Other unique features will be included. The current campground at Gulf State Park has 496 improved sites, which are often completely booked during peak season.
Meaher State Park is moving to the head of Mobile Bay on the Battleship Parkway (Causeway) and is receiving a significant expansion of its lodging offerings with a new 45-site campground area, a new bathhouse, six cabins similar to those already in the park, and a new camp store and office.
At Lakepoint State Park on Lake Eufaula, the half of the lodge closest to the water is currently being renovated; the project is scheduled to be completed in late fall, in time for the Christmas season.
Chewacla State Park near Auburn is gaining a new role in the State Parks System.
“In Chewacla, we have a beautiful barndominium design that we’re putting out to bid this month,” Lein said. “That design is used for parks like Chewacla and Lake Lurleen. It’s a really nice pavilion with bathrooms and roll-up doors. You can have meetings and special events there. In Chewacla, we have this big upper field at the back of the park, so the barndominium is designed to fit in there. We’re also going to replace one of the bathhouses in the campground and make other improvements.”
New cottages and campground renovations are currently being built at Wind Creek State Park on the shores of Lake Martin.
“They’re putting the roofs on the cottages right now,” Lein said. “They’re going to be really nice. The renovations to the campground and cottages should be finished this winter. We’re really looking forward to it. Most of the campgrounds didn’t have 50-amp electrical hookups, so we couldn’t really accommodate the new, big, modern RVs because we didn’t have the modern electrical. That’s going to be a big improvement for the park. There’s going to be bigger and wider sites, and a lot of them will be on the water. I think that’s going to be a big boon to the park.”
Lake Lurleen, located northwest of Tuscaloosa, is being almost completely renovated.
“We’re going to redesign all the campgrounds and probably build a barndominium there,” Lein said. “We’re also building cabins. There have never been cabins in this park. They’ll be tiny cabin homes, like at Meaher State Park. That will be a big improvement for the park. The bid will be out in the next few months and renovations should be completed by fall 2025.”
Cheaha State Park offers panoramic views of the Oxford-Munford area as it sits on the highest point in Alabama. Cheaha, the oldest park in the state, will soon undergo a major renovation with an entirely new lodge and lodging options. The lodge will be built in a design that combines materials found or sourced in the area, demonstrating how to build sustainably with locally available natural materials.
“We just put out a bid for the new lodge,” Lein said. “We’re going to tear down the old hotel. We’re building a whole new lodge right next to the restaurant, so everything will be on the edge of the mountain. All the rooms will have views of the valley. In the old hotel, half the rooms faced the parking lot. The new lodge will have fantastic views from every room.”
“And the lodge will be built using solid wood construction, which is an interesting architectural achievement. Work will begin fairly quickly. Everything should be online in the fall of 2025.”
Rickwood Caverns State Park will soon be taking bids on a new bathhouse and playground, while DeSoto State Park recently took bids on a new pool house that is expected to be completed in the spring. At Lake Guntersville State Park, a new golf course trail is scheduled to be completed in September.
Near Huntsville, the cabins at Monte Sano State Park are currently being renovated. A new bathhouse and campsites are also being built. A new bathroom and trail are being built in the day-use area.
At Joe Wheeler State Park near Rogersville, renovations are underway at the lodge, including new railings and other exterior work, as well as new windows in the dining room. The Joe Wheeler pool has also been upgraded.
One completed project is the Oak Mountain State Park campground, which was completely renovated and opened to the public in late May. The campground facilities were completely overhauled and equipped with new water and sewer lines and improved electrical service. Campsites were enlarged and a gathering pavilion and restroom facility were constructed.
“We’ve received rave reviews about the new bathrooms at Oak Mountain,” Lein said. “People love the new family-style bathrooms. It’s extremely popular.”
Lein also highlighted the new feature that gives Alabama residents a one-month advantage when booking reservations at Alabama State Parks.
Starting last week, Alabama residents can reserve online 13 months in advance, one month ahead of residents of other states. The expanded reservation window for Alabama residents offers Alabama residents more flexibility in price, location and date options.
“We used to let people book 12 months in advance,” Lein said. “Now, if you live in Alabama and use the online reservation system, you can make your reservations 13 months in advance.”
Reservations can be made online through the Plan Your Adventure online portal at alapark.com. Your credit card zip code determines which booking window applies.
“This gives Alabama residents an advantage in booking and some price advantages as well,” Lein said. “We are very excited to be able to offer this new opportunity to the citizens of our state. Our new reservation system went live last fall and thanks to this new technology, we were able to offer Alabama residents this new option.”
“We are always looking for ways to reward our customers, especially the citizens of Alabama. We are proud to serve our state and provide the best hospitality possible at our state parks. We are always striving to make the state parks better and more modern. In addition to all of these physical improvements for people to see and enjoy, we are also improving infrastructure such as water, sewer, electrical upgrades and WiFi. All of these efforts will help modernize our state parks and make them more user-friendly and enjoyable for our customers.”
