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’s 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.

“There 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,” said Matthew Capps, Director of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) State Parks Division. “We’re 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.

“I think this project is transformative. It’s 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.”

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’s top attraction at the Alabama Governor’s Conference on Tourism Awards Banquet. Visit www.alapark.com/parks/gulf-state-park/trails for more information.

“The new campground has been a long time coming.” Said Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship.  “One 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’t wait to see it open next year!”

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.

“We’re building an executive style campground, and what that means is more space,” Capps said. “Typically, we would have about 30 feet between campsites. This campground will have between 60 and 100 feet between campsites.”

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.

“We’re really excited about the improvements coming to the park,” Capps said of the $24 million project.

Matt Young, State Parks’ Southern Operations Supervisor, said the new campground will provide welcome campsite space to accommodate more guests who want to experience Alabama’s beautiful Gulf Coast.

“When 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’t able to get a campsite because it has such high occupancy,” Young said. “Some 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.

“There’s something for everyone in the family. If you want to putt a golf ball – kind of like an ode to the old golf course – or jump in the pool, it’s 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.”

Young said the activities center will be a multi-purpose facility that will meet many guest needs.

“We’ll have rooms available for rent for special events. It’s going to be a nice, comprehensive facility with a great room to entertain guests as they come in,” he said. “It will have a full laundry facility that will operate 24/7, and the external restrooms will be accessible 24/7.

“Another 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’s operated. You will be able to enter and exit on Canal Road.”

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.

“We’ll start taking reservations once we are a bit closer to confirming our opening date,” Capps said. “We want to make sure we are giving people accurate information, so as soon as we’re confident in the timing, we will open reservations and folks can start planning their trips.”

Keep an eye out for further advertisements or on the Gulf State Park Facebook page for updates on reservations.

Young said many features of the park have been remodeled or updated, including Gulf State Park Pier, Beach Pavilion and Romar Beach Access.

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.

“The new pool is going to have more space and will be great for kids,” Capps said. “The current pools will transition to be more for adults. We’re 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.”

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.

“We 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,” he said. “You 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.”

David Rainer is an award-winning writer who has covered Alabama’s great outdoors for 25 years. The former outdoors editor at the Mobile Press-Register, he writes for Outdoor Alabama, the website of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.