Gulf Shores, Alabama, is a popular beach vacation destination in the Deep South. It's known in particular for hot summers, mild winters, and 32 miles of beautiful Gulf of Mexico beach shoreline. There isn't a recreational vehicle (RV) camping off-season in Gulf Shores. From sun-seeking summer beachgoers to winter snowbirds, this town is typically packed with tourists year-round. In order to secure a campsite, you'll need to reserve your spot far in advance of the time you want to visit.
Gulf State Park Campground
Gulf State Park, part of Alabama's extensive state park system, is a popular choice for RV camping in Gulf Shores. This large campground has nearly 500 paved, full-hookup campsites. Parts of Gulf State Park are located directly on the beach, but the campground itself is located approximately 1-1/2 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.
Some campsites are situated directly on Lake Shelby, which is a great spot for fishing. The park has several climate-controlled bathhouses, numerous hiking and biking trails, a nature center, a camp store, outdoor sports courts (pickleball, tennis, volleyball, and horseshoes), a swimming pool, Wi-Fi access, and more. Nightly rates range from $52 to $75. Weekly and monthly rentals are available.
Island Retreat RV Park
Island Retreat RV Park is just a bit more than 2 miles away from the beach. The campground has more than 250 pull-through and back-in sites. All sites offer full hookups, including power, water, sewer, cable television, and wireless internet. Each site has a picnic table and a concrete pad that can be used as a patio or for parking.
The campground has a fenced dog run, swimming pool, playground, and exercise room. It also has modern bathhouses, self-serve laundry facilities, and a large clubhouse with a full kitchen and television. Campers can rent bicycles and fishing poles on-site. Nightly rates vary from $62 to $75; weekly and monthly rentals are available.
Doc's RV Park
Just 3 miles from the public beach, Doc's RV Park is a shaded, family-friendly retreat close to the action of Gulf Shores' beachfront road. This campground has more than 60 full-hookup sites, as well as a few park model units that vacationers can rent. Wi-Fi and cable are also provided.
The park has an outdoor swimming pool, a volleyball net, a place to play horseshoes, a playground area, and a bicycle path. It also has a clubhouse with a full kitchen, bathhouse facilities, and laundry equipment. Overnight camping starts at $42; this rate is discounted a bit for campers over the age of 60. Monthly rentals are also available.
Sugar Sands RV Resort
Sugar Sands RV Resort has more than 75 campsites, including a few that can be rented as double sites. It's located about 6 miles from the beach. The resort even has a few tiny houses to rent! All RV spots are generously sized and have concrete pads and full hookups, including 30- and 50-amp power, water, sewer, Wi-Fi, and cable TV.
There is a big clubhouse on-site that includes a fitness center and a community kitchen. The campground also has a pool, splash pad, playground, shuffleboard court, and fire pit. The on-site wash house includes shower and laundry facilities. Daily rates start at $45 and go up to $95. Weekly and monthly rentals are available.
Bay Breeze RV on the Bay
Bay Breeze RV on the Bay is a small campground (just 25 sites, plus rental cottages and a cabin) that really caters to snowbirds during the winter. It's so snowbird-friendly that the campground is limited to adults only during the winter months. It's about 8 miles from Gulf Shores' public beach but is situated directly on Mobile Bay, where campers can enjoy a lighted pier and a private beach. You can even rent a boat on site.
The campsites are shaded and offer water, sewer, power, and internet access. The bathhouse is inside the campground store. There are also laundry facilities on site. Overnight campsite rates vary from $54 to $74 dollars. Monthly and weekly rentals are offered.
Fort Morgan RV Park
Fort Morgan RV Park is a small, mostly wooded campground situated directly on Bon Secour Bay, where a dock is located. It's less than 2 miles away from the public beach at Gulf Shores. The campground sits on 6 acres and has 34 full-hookup campsites. Internet and cable television are available. The park has a bathhouse and laundry facilities that are free for campers to use, as well as an open dog run area. There is also a community room that has a television. Camping fees range from $59 to $90 per night. Special rates are available for monthly rentals.
Luxury RV Resort
Luxury RV Resort caters to campers who are looking for a comfortable, modern campground that is within walking distance (four blocks) of the beach. The word luxury is in the name for a reason. The resort does not allow pop-up campers, tent campers, or RVs that are more than 15 years old.
The resort offers more than 75 full-hookup concrete pad sites with water, sewer, power, cable television, and Wi-Fi. There is a dog walk and a swimming pool, a bicycle path, and a cornhole area. There's a store on site that carries RV camping supplies, plus a clean bathhouse and on-site laundry facilities. The daily rate is $79. Weekly and monthly rates are available.
Whispering Pines RV Resort
Whispering Pines RV Resort in Gulf Shores offers large, easily accessible concrete pad campsites with full power, water, and sewer hookups, plus Wi-Fi and cable. It also has a lot of family-friendly amenities, including an outdoor swimming pool, playground, fenced dog run, and a clubhouse.
The campground also has clean showers and restrooms, plus on-site laundry facilities. It's approximately 6 miles from the public beach in Gulf Shores. Many of the sites in this campground are privately owned. Rentals are available, and some lots are available for purchase. Overnight rentals range from $39 to more than $100 per night, plus a booking fee. Weekly and monthly rentals are also available.
Gulf Shores RV Park
If you like large campgrounds in resort communities, you're sure to love Gulf Shores RV Park. Brand new for 2022, this RVC Outdoor Destinations property has 400 concrete pad sites with full hookups, as well as a few cottages and glamping tents that can be rented.
This campground is within walking distance to the Gulf of Mexico, but you don't have to leave the park for water access because there are several stocked lakes for fishing. Other on-site amenities include an outdoor swimming pool, playground area, fenced dog run, lodge, pavilion, pickleball courts, and multiple bathhouses. Rates are competitive with other campgrounds in the area.
Heritage Motorcoach Resort and Marina
Heritage Motorcoach Resort and Marina is in Orange Beach, Alabama (which is adjacent to Gulf Shores). Surrounded by water, this Class A-only resort sits directly on a bayou and is across the street from the beach. The campsites are individually owned, though some owners allow their sites to be rented when they're not using them.
All sites have concrete pads and full hookups, including cable and internet. The resort has a zero-entry pool, lazy river, waterslide, hot tub, private dog-friendly beach, bathhouse, laundry, pavilion, community kitchen, business center, and more. Rentals are handled via the resort's website. Fees range from $80 to several hundred dollars per night. Weekly and monthly rentals are available. Some spots are for sale.
Buena Vista RV Resort
Buena Vista RV Resort is also a Class A-only motorcoach resort in which most individual campsites are privately owned. Located across the street from the beach, this RV resort also backs up to Gulf State Park. The resort has more than 100 large brick paver campsites with full hookups, including internet and cable. The resort has an indoor heated pool, hot tub, outdoor pool with a lazy river, a waterslide, a large fishing lake on-site, and a fenced dog run. The adjacent state park has nearly 30 miles of biking and hiking trails. Rental fees start at $65 per night and go up to well over $100, plus resort impact and cleaning fees. Monthly and weekly rentals are available; some spots are offered for sale.
Sun Outdoors
Sun Outdoors is an expansive 30-acre RV camping resort in Orange Beach that is not limited to Class A motorhomes. No matter what kind of RV you have, you'll be welcome here -- as long as there's space available! It's about 8 miles from the public beach in Gulf Shores.
All spots offer full hookups, including internet and access to cable TV. The campground has two outdoor pools and a hot tub, as well as a clubhouse, hiking trails, picnic area, lake access (including fishing), bathhouse, and laundry facility. The campground often hosts organized family-friendly activities for guests. Camping fees vary from $59 to more than $100 per night.
Enjoy an Alabama Gulf Coast Vacation
Gulf Shores and the neighboring community of Orange Beach are terrific spots to camp out along the Alabama Gulf Coast. Because this area is so popular with vacationers, it's very important for you to plan your trip far in advance. If you aren't able to get a campground reservation for the dates of your trip but still want to visit the eastern Gulf of Mexico, you may want to explore Pensacola Beach, Florida, to the east, or the Mississippi Gulf Coast to the west.
