Established Camping
Monte Sano State Park Campground
About
State Park
Location
Monte Sano State Park Campground is located in Alabama
Directions
From I-565 take exit 17b Governors Dr. Follow to top of mountain and turn left on Monte Sano Blvd. Go 2.5 miles and turn right on Nolen Ave. Follow it 1 mile until you arrive at the park.
Address
5105 Nolen Avenue
Huntsville, AL 35801
Coordinates
34.74537426 N
86.51213036 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Hike-InBackcountry sites.
Stay Connected
- WiFiGood
- VerizonGood
- AT&TGood
- T-MobileFair
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
- Cabins
Features
For Campers
- Market
- ADA Access
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- WiFi
- Showers
- Drinking Water
- Electric Hookups
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
- Sewer Hookups
- Water Hookups
- Pull-Through Sites
- Big Rig Friendly
Recently renovated camper sites
Definitely remember to look at the Park's website for the best way into the park. Our RV specific GPS was waaaay off! All the camper pads have recently been redone, so it's pretty easy to find a flat site. We enjoyed the Japanese tea garden, and look forward to coming back for more hiking and site seeing. 1 washer/dryer per bath house-- not new but got the job done. ATT and Verizon signals weren't super strong but good enough to stream some TV and check email, but we used a high gain antenna.
State Park
Beautiful mountain view and a great park. We enjoyed our stay.
Great campground! Second stay this year.
This is the second time we have stayed here are love this campground. the location is so nice with lots of trees and shade. It seemed way more cool here than down in Huntsville and even felt less humid which was wonderful. The bathrooms and showers were clean as well as the campground overall. Great place to stay!
Great Stay!
We had such a great time at MSSP. We stayed in two sites (since we decided we wanted to stay longer when we got there): 48 & 61, which were both bluff sites. 48 is directly across from the bathhouse. My husband and I both agreed that the bathrooms could’ve been cleaner. I only looked in the showers since we have one in our camper and they were yucky and I’m glad we didn’t have to use them. Site 61 was our favorite of the two since it’s the last one on the bluff before the road goes into the primitive area. All the sites seem to be spacious which we liked. The office staff were all VERY kind and VERY helpful. The camp store itself is small but had pretty much anything you might’ve forgotten. The bike trails are numerous and while we don’t mountain bike we did ride our cruiser bikes down past the rental cabins and on past the gate onto a nice wide gravel trail. It was beautiful and we saw lots of wildflowers and deer. I highly recommend this park. It was lovely.
- (20) View All
Monte Sano State Park is Gorgeous!
Got a last minute reservation. Staff very helpful and friendly. Camp sites very well laid out and spacious. We were able to purchase firewood at their store. The trails are well marked. We saw two sets of deer along our hike of the North Loop. Trails well marked. You do share the trails with mountain bikers so you need to live to the side when they’re coming. Met friendly people along the way. The Stone Cuts Trail and Sinks trail came highly recommended by other hikers. Was told to avoid the Stone Cuts Bipass unless you want a very difficult hike. Also, don’t miss the overlook at the top. If not camping, you can drive right to the overlook. There is parking there.
- (4) View All
On A Forested Hill
Monte Sano AL:
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
70 yr olds in 17’ trailer:
Overall Rating: 4.5
Price : $30 for elec/ water.
Usage during visit: 1/2 to 3/4 full
Site Privacy: mostly under tree story, somewhat open
Site Spacing: Large sites , Be careful of sites that back up to each other. Circled sites on map have a view, right now of the city and sunsets . 17 and 19 are nice, at the bottom of the first loop.
Site surface: Packed gravel
Reservations: Yes
Campground Noise: 5 - children playing
Road noise 5. None
Electricity. Yes
Water: Yes
Sewer: Some sites. See map
Dump: yes
Bathroom: Very clean
Showers: Yes, clean, curtains
Pull Throughs : some sites
Cell Service (Verizon): 4 good
Setting: CG sits on a hilltop in a deciduous forest.
Weather: high 70. Low : high 30s
Bugs: A very few mosquitoes
Solar: Filters light
Host:
Location: Near Huntsville. 20 minutes from the Space and Rocket Museum. (Well worth a visit)
Notes: This will be a lovely setting in 1 to 2 weeks when leaves push. They are just beginning to on the hill.
- (20) View All
Very Nice State Park with Excellent Campground
We stayed here in January while visiting family in Huntsville. The campground was very clean and had an excellent shower house and bathroom. It was heated, no extra cost for the shower and very clean. We will likely stay here whenever we come visit Huntsville. We did not hook up to electric or water, but it was available at our site. the camp hosts were super friendly and helpful when we checked in!
Fantastic campground; needs more water
I stayed at Monte Sano for several days as I explored Huntsville. This is a very, very nice campground, and the state park it sits in is a destination in itself. There are miles of hiking trails on the plateau, as well as a closed down section of Bankhead Parkway NE that anyone with a non-motorized wheeled conveyance should enjoy. I took my kick scooter down this road many, many times. The downhill grade is perfect, and there are just enough pavement wows to keep it interesting. Wish there were more roads like this.
I camped in one of the primitive sites, which are located along a long gravel loop at the back of the campground. The sites all seemed to be nice and large, with plenty of tall trees for shade and shrubs for privacy. These sites are fairly remote, and the closest bathrooms were crowded and dirty when I visited (albeit modern and well appointed). There is another bathroom of identical construction closer to the campground entrance. This was empty and clean. There are also nice single occupancy bathrooms at the campground office.
The main downside to this campground is its water, or lack thereof. Most campgrounds have plenty of water spigots for tent campers, and maybe a few dishwashing sinks. This campground has none of that. Sure, the RV sites have water hookups, and I pirated these when the sites were empty, but when they filled up, where was I supposed to find water? As far as I know, there is only one water spigot in the entire campground, and it took me days to locate (at the picnic shelter near the cleaner, emptier bathroom). This was too far from my campsite to be of much use anyhow. Even at the large picnic shelter down the street from the campground (looked to be CCC-built), there was only a single drinking fountain. At a place supposedly geared for big group picnics. I saw what looked to be old water fixtures that had been decommissioned. What the heck was going on here? It was all very strange, and very frustrating. I'm okay with dry camping, but when a campground has water but makes it hard to access... this is quite annoying. Please fix this, Monte Sano.
- (13) View All
Fantastic Campground!
Everyone here is very helpful and friendly at the check-in, camp store, and security. There is a roving security guard most of the night. Great steady power and water. Clean sites, mostly level even for my 43’ rig. Beautiful hiking and biking trails and close to Huntsville with plenty of shopping, dining, etc. This was my very first RV park experience and I will absolutely be returning often!
- (4) View All
Beautiful
Park views are gorgeous! Our spot was perfect. The view made it! Quiet park and hiking and biking great! I have to vent though the bathrooms were atrocious!! Toilet paper and paper towel was plentiful but they were never cleaned! Went to shower and underwear was on shower bench and never removed! Floors not swept showers disgusting!! So sad!!
Great for RV and tent camping
We got a chance to spend 2 nights up at Monte Sano this fall and had a wonderful trip with some chilly nights. The park is one of the best state-managed campgrounds I have been to and is an amazing place for either tent camping or RV camping. On this visit, they were undergoing serious renovations of one of the RV loops that is closest to the tent area so we ended up having even more privacy and quiet than usual. Although there are no bathroom facilities in the tent area they are a short drive or a couple of minutes walk away and are very nice and well kept. The tent sites are all well established and pretty spaced out. Since we stayed from Saturday to Monday we had the place to ourselves on Sunday night. We also arrived after dark on Saturday but they had a great system in place for getting the gate code and info about the site. We spent the whole day on Sunday hiking the long loop around the park. Since the trails connect to the land trust adjacent to the park you can never run out of areas to explore. I highly recommend visiting Monte Sano for your next camping adventure.
- (11) View All
Close to Huntsville
A nice state park very close to Huntsville. A range of trails, including some easy to moderate ones. Great views from both sides of the mountain. Campground is fine and is gated at all times, for extra security. A great home-base to balance nature time and jaunts into the city. Consider checking out Burrit on the Mountain, which is just down the road.
- (10) View All
Gorgeous
The drive in is beautiful. Primitive Tent sites feel more secluded even though they are not hike in sites. Still reasonably close to the bathrooms/showers. Good price for camping!
Awesome hiking
We had a great time at Monte Sano and loved that you can hike straight from your campground. The Stone Cuts was fun to see and hopefully next time we go we can make it to the Natural Well. It is also a short drive to Cathedral Caverns
Very nice!!
Stayed in 53..very level! Facilities are excellent! Love the trees and the canopy. The people who work here are incredibly friendly and helpful!
Best campground in Huntsville
Has it all! Outdoors, big sites, hiking, places to bike, playground, shade, state park in town! We have camped here at least twice a year for over 20 yrs.
Our Hometown Favorite
We are partial to this campground as this is where we lived and started hiking/trail running. Now it is a great spot to camp when we come back to the area to visit our family. The sites are spacious and level. The bathroom/shower are clean and during the winter, they are extremely warm. We have stayed here during Thanksgiving, Christmas and for a race during the winter and it was great! The campground is so close to so many great hiking trails, playground, and picnic areas. Downtown Huntsville is a quick 5-10 minute drive. One downfall is the WiFi and cell service is not very good at all. I get better service on the trails hiking than at the campground.
- (5) View All
Great location with no connectivity
Family enjoyed the trails and campsite while having no connectivity. Huntsville is close if you need anything. Make sure you take Monte Sano Blvd up, otherwise you’ll be into switchbacks to your campsite.
My Staycation Spot
I'm a local and tent camping saves my sanity from a high preassured daily life. When I cant leave to camp I'll set up at a primitive site here for a week at a time. It's a simple space. No picnic tables at primitive sites. It's clean...beautiful....loads of hiking trails...and great food is a 10 min ride down the mountain to Huntsville.
Perfect Weekend Getaway
We made a last minute decision to visit Monte Sano when a site became available for Memorial Day weekend. The campground is fantastic! The sites are shaded, well spaced, and easy to navigate. The park has tons of hiking options and even a disc golf course! We will definitely be back.
Great older campground
Great older campground with lots of options. Cabin, RV, tent. Hiking galore. This old campground atop Mont Sano has something for everyone.
Great family campground
I’m a Huntsville native and have camped here more times than I can count. Over the years they have made great updates. Facilities are always clean, you’re never far from a bath house, the roads are good, and it’s beautiful. I’m a tent camper but appreciate having water and electric hook up sites because it makes life easier with kids. There is a great playground not too far from the campground (small playgrounds by bath houses), amazing lookouts, and hiking trails for various skill levels and lengths. There’s a disc golf course as well. Deer and raccoons are always abundant on Monte Sano. I’ve camped in many other places and it has truly given me appreciation for Monte Sano.
Spacious and shady campground with great trails!!!!!
This is a great campground with spacious sites!! Wildlife, trails and a beautiful overlook of Huntsville.
One of the best campgrounds in Alabama
This is an amazing place to camp and hike. Most of the other reviews cover all the wonderful amenities so I will mostly just add my photos from a trip here in the fall. Well worth a several-night stay. I personally like the tent sites but they also have paved RV spaces as well. Make sure to check out their Japanese garden as well. If you complete all the trails in the park you can expand to check out the attached land trust. See maps in my review.
- (40) View All
Close to the home favorite
Beautiful campground on top of Monti Sano mountain. Downtown Huntsville is at the base of the mountain. Lots of hiking and biking in the state park and the many Land Trust trails in the area. Just a nice pretty place to camp in the city of Huntsville with the feel of being out away of it all.
Downside is that cell coverage is weak except in the upper loop.
Beautiful State Park
High atop the mountain just south of Huntsville there sites are spacious and well spread out. Bathhouse is clean and warm. Mountain bike trails and hiking trails galore. Easy access to Huntsville!
One of our favorites
We camp here often. The staff is super friendly and helpful. We tried a full hookup site 5 this time which needed more gravel as it was pretty sloshy/muddy. The water/electric sites without sewer are more private for sure... our favorite area is around 19-ish. The trails here are amazing, but do get quite muddy after a rain, so definitely do not try mountain biking on wet trails. The Stone Cuts trail is great for hiking, and the McKay Hollow trail is very nice for hiking and has a waterfall, but a pretty difficult hike, especially when wet. The planetarium is a little cheesy but very fun when it’s open if you have kids.
Great Campground with Top Notch Staff
My boyfriend and I stayed here for Valentine's Day weekend (2 night stay). I had intended to go south for warmer weather. It's not what we got, BUT we had such a pleasant stay nonetheless!
We stayed in Site 14, a pull through site towards the middle of the loop. None of the sites are secluded, but they aren't right on top of each other either. You can definitely see and hear your neighbors' sites.
We drove in late on Friday night (after 9:00 pm). The fog was so bad, we couldn't see further than 5 feet in front of us! With GPS, we were able to make it to the state park entrance. We were greeted by a wonderful gentleman who gave us directions to the campground.
Upon arriving at the gate of the campground, the host came out on a golf cart and guided us directly to our site. He brought us firewood and made sure we were in the site safely. The staff members at the SP were stand outs! Super friendly and helpful!
The fog ended up freezing on to everything, but we still managed to get out and about! Even made the short trip out to Fagan Creek Falls near the picnic area.
The bath house was super warm! Showers were great and the stalls were kept clean! The campground is pet friendly too.
Overall, a wonderful experience! We will definitely be returning!
- (8) View All
Great Hiking and Gardens
We loved it here and can’t wait to go back! The campsites were a little close together, but it was very doable. We had extremely foggy, wet weather (I’m pretty sure we were in a low cloud all weekend), but it’s things like that that make memorable trips!
Lots of hiking in the park, plus the gorgeous Japanese Gardens was a huge bonus! Highly recommend the Stone Cuts Trail!
The camp office has a few supplies if needed. The host sells firewood, but it was still too fresh for us to burn, so we had to leave camp to go buy wood somewhere else.
- (18) View All
Great weekend
Great hiking and biking rv camp ground very nice and clean bath houses