CHILATCHEE CREEK

Chilatchee Creek campground in Alabama is a pet-friendly site, so be sure to bring Fido to this one! But remember, your dog has to either be in the car or on a 6-foot leash. The park itself is mostly a wide-open area surrounded by woods of pine and oak, bordering the 27-mile shoreline of the Dannelly reservoir. The main activities at the camp are fishing, hunting, and bird watching.

Chilatchee Creek is actually an official stop of the Alabama Birding Trail, and you can spot Hooded and Kentucky Warblers, Common Yellowthroats White-eyed Vireos, Indigo Buntings, Northern Parulas, Carolina Wrens, Orchard Orioles, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Blue Grosbeaks, Yellow-throated Vireos, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Barred Owls, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Bald Eagles, Foster’s Terns, a few gulls, and Northern Bobwhites. Bird watchers can get a short-term pass for a few hours. If hunting is more your thing, you can grab a bow and hunt wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and the occasional alligator. Or you could fish for bluegill, bass, catfish, and crappie in the Alabama River. Fishing tournaments are frequently hosted at the park.

The soil at Chilatchee is dark and rich, and the forestry is full of wildlife. Aside from hunting and fishing, you can camp at any of the 33 sites, accessorized with boat ramps, flush toilets, hot showers, electricity, and laundry options. There are playgrounds for the kids and fish-cleaning stations for your catch. There’s also plenty of potable drinking water, and they’d prefer it if you bought local firewood - to avoid infesting the forest with pests from elsewhere that local trees may be unable to resist. 

The park is open to visitors from early March to mid-November every year, and it gets so busy that you have to book at least two days before you arrive. So if you want to visit Chilatchee Creek (with your pooch!), be sure to call first!