On this week’s episode of The RV Atlas Podcast, our longtime correspondent Casita Dean May is back with a campground review that he calls an absolute grand slam: Noccalula Falls Park and Campground in Gadsden, Alabama. Dean and his wife Laura found this city-run campground while searching for their first camping trip of the year, and it turned into one of those discoveries that reminds us why we love RVing in the first place. A 90-foot waterfall, a 500-acre park, full hookup sites for under $60 a night, and a small city that is working hard to become the quintessential Southern town. This one has it all.
To hear Dean’s full conversation with Jeremy, click on the media player above or subscribe to The RV Atlas wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
A Dedication to Mr. Gibbs
Before diving into the campground review, we want to mention that Dean dedicated this episode to Mr. Gibbs, his and Laura’s Mississippi Maltese who passed away in April at the age of 15. Gibbs camped in 15 states over his 10 years on the road with Dean and Laura, logging an estimated 50,000 miles in his car seat. As it turned out, this trip to Noccalula Falls in mid-March was Gibbs’s final camping trip. He had his last birthday just after they returned home. It is a bittersweet note to carry into this review, and one we know a lot of our fellow RV families with senior pets will understand.
Finding Noccalula Falls Park and Campground
Noccalula Falls Park and Campground sits in Gadsden, Alabama, a city of about 33,000 people located right on Interstate 59, roughly five to six miles off the highway. Dean laid out the geography well: Gadsden sits about 75 miles southwest of Huntsville, about 60 miles northeast of Birmingham, and about 90 miles southwest of Chattanooga. For a bigger reference point, imagine Atlanta and travel 120 miles west.
Dean initially assumed this was a state park, but it is actually a city park, and one of those hidden gems that most people never think to search for. Municipal campgrounds do not get the same attention as national parks, KOAs, or Jellystone locations, but plenty of cities run excellent campgrounds like this one. The park dates back to the early 1960s, and it underwent a complete renovation in 2025, so everything still feels brand new.
Inside the Campground
The campground has 73 sites, and every single one offers a full hookup with a concrete pad. Because of the recent renovation, shade is limited across the property, so this is worth keeping in mind if camping in the heat of summer. Each site includes a fire pit, grill, and picnic table, and Dean reported no trouble parking his Casita and midsize truck with room to spare.
Two cabins are also available for anyone traveling with friends or family who do not have an RV. Each cabin includes two bedrooms with queen beds, a bathroom, a fireplace, a screened porch, and a full kitchen. The cabins sit at the far end of the campground for extra privacy.
Campground amenities include a new pool with a small fountain feature, a playground, new bath houses, a laundry facility, a new camp store, and pavilions for larger group gatherings. One of Dean’s favorite features was direct access to the park’s hiking trail system, somewhere between 15 and 22 miles of trails that radiate outward from the campground loop. His site backed up almost directly onto the paved trail leading down into the gorge, and several of those trails are also mountain biking friendly.
What It Costs to Stay
Full hookup sites run $52 to $60 a night during non-peak season and $65 to $75 a night during peak season, with no additional fees beyond tax. Dean noted that this compares favorably to some state parks, which often tack on multiple separate fees that push the nightly rate above $50 even before hitting peak season.
The cabins run $150 a night, plus a one-time $125 cleaning fee. Since that fee applies once per stay rather than per night, booking a longer weekend helps bring the effective nightly rate down considerably.
Wifi, Cell Service, and Customer Service
Wifi worked well throughout the stay, and cell service was strong too, since the campground sits right on the edge of Gadsden (Dean’s experience reflects AT&T service specifically). Staff in the campground store were consistently friendly and happy to point campers toward local recommendations for food and coffee, which Dean says almost always beats a generic online search.
A Few Things to Know Before Booking
This is a towable and motorized RV only campground. Because every site is paved as part of the 2025 renovation, tent camping is not permitted. If a group is mixing tents and RVs, this is not the spot.
The other honest note is the lack of shade mentioned above. The renovated sites are open and manicured rather than tucked under trees, so campers looking for a shaded, secluded site surrounded by forest should look elsewhere. Dean pointed out that this would be a tough campground in the peak heat of an Alabama summer, even with air conditioning running.
The 500-Acre City Park Next Door
The campground backs up to Black Creek Ravine, home to Noccalula Falls itself, a 90-foot waterfall. On the other side of the ravine sits the 500-acre city park that gives the campground its name. Walking access between the two is easy, and day-use visitors can also park directly at the park.
Admission to the park runs $15 for adults and $12 for seniors and kids, and it includes access to a scenic train ride around the park’s perimeter (pets are not permitted on the train), a miniature golf course, an animal habitat and petting zoo, an old-time pioneer village, and a small botanical garden. Visitors can also hike behind the waterfall itself, something Dean got to experience firsthand. A second visitor center and gift shop sit on the park side of the gorge, and it is actually larger than the campground’s own camp store.
The park also hosts a full calendar of special events throughout the year, including a Spring Lantern Festival (which Dean and Laura happened to catch during their stay, with hundreds of lanterns lit up across the park at night), a Smoke on the Falls Barbecue Festival, a Barbarian Challenge obstacle race, a stop on the World’s Longest Yard Sale route, and a Christmas at the Falls celebration.
Exploring Gadsden, Alabama
Gadsden itself is a small city on the rise. Dean described it as a place that is not yet the quintessential Southern small city, but is clearly working toward it, with new tourism development, a growing downtown, and a brewery housed in a converted warehouse right on the edge of downtown. The city’s sports complex recently expanded to include eight pickleball courts, so paddle-loving RVers will have no trouble finding a game.
For campers looking to extend a northern Alabama trip, Monte Sano State Park near Huntsville is about 75 miles away, and DeSoto State Park near Fort Payne is roughly 40 miles in the other direction. Stringing together stops at Noccalula Falls, Monte Sano, and DeSoto could easily fill a full week of exploring this corner of the state.
Where to Eat, Drink, and Get Coffee
Back 40 Beer Company earned the biggest recommendation of the trip. Dean called it home to some of the best brewery pizza he and Laura have ever had, and the dining room opens up to an outdoor area with cornhole and space to relax. He specifically called out the peanut butter porter as a standout, good enough that he brought home a six-pack of it instead of the brewery’s IPAs.
Blackstone Pizza Kitchen sits directly across the road from the campground, making it an easy grab-and-go option for a first night in camp after a long drive.
The Shack Bar and Grill sits out on 11th Street on the edge of Gadsden’s rural side. It draws a biker crowd for events but still feels family friendly, with a large patio that opens onto a meadow, plus wings and beer for anyone wanting to get away from the downtown bustle.
For coffee, Dean recommends Hubcap Coffee for a clean, polished cafe experience, or The Coffee Bar downtown for a quirkier hangout filled with old furniture and board games.
Cothran’s Bakery, open in some form since 1962, is the spot for donuts, and it is a full bakery rather than a simple donut shop.
For breakfast, Union Jack Cafe, located just a few miles away toward Rainbow City, serves excellent breakfast burritos and sandwiches alongside a British-inspired menu that includes options like fish and chips.
Would They Go Back?
Dean’s answer is an easy yes. Despite an unusually cold start to the trip, with overnight temperatures in the upper 20s and snow showers on the first day, he called it an A+ experience overall and said he would happily return with family. Spring and fall look like the sweet spot for a visit here, since the lack of shade would make peak summer a challenge.
For a campground that Dean and Laura stumbled onto while simply searching for somewhere warmer to head in March, Noccalula Falls Park and Campground turned into a true gem, and a fitting setting for Gibbs’s final trip on the road.
We’ll see you at the campground.
