Corinth Recreation Area
The Corinth Recreation Area is a state-of-the art campground located on the on the shores of the upper part of Lewis Smith Lake in Winston County. Initially built in the 1960s and renovated in 1998 it offers facilities for individual and group camping, picnicking, swimming, and boat launching.
Check-out time for Corinth is no later than 12:00pm the day of departure. Check-in time is no earlier than 2:00pm. This 2 hour window allows our staff adequate time to clean and maintain each site.
Two camping loops contain 52 campsites, with electrical, water, and sewer hookups. There are four bathhouses, with warm showers, serving the camping areas. A boat ramp is provided for campers. An entrance station with an electronic gate is available to control access to the campground. Corinth also offers eight rustic tent camping sites with nearby community hydrants and a bathhouse. No garbage bins are in the campground; users are required to pack out trash and deposit it in the dumpsters by the dump station. ADA accessible sites are available.
The day use portion of the recreation area focuses on the swimming beach, served by a bathhouse with an outdoor beach shower. Twenty-nine family picnic sites are available nearby, and paved access paths connect all. Near the beach is a 100-person group picnic pavilion, with a flush toilet that serves both it and a portion of the picnic sites. A 1.25-mile hiking path is located along the shoreline of the lake. A year-round boat launch is available, with an SST vault toilet; and it has boat/trailer parking. A separate boat launch is available to the campground.
Welcome to the Corinth Recreation Area...
Use the Recreation.gov Mobile App.
Visitors on-the-go can use the Recreation.gov mobile app to reserve and pay for upcoming stays, reducing the need for on-site transactions and cash handling. Download the Recreation.gov app through the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
Functionality of the iPhone app available here...
Functionality of the Android app available here...
- All facilities are wheelchair accessible.
- Flush toilets, drinking water and showers are offered for both campers and day-use visitors.
- The campground offers spacious standard sites with full hookups that can accommodate RVs of any size.
- Sites contain paved parking spurs, picnic tables, grills and tent pads.
- There is a reservable group picnic shelter that can accommodate up to 100 people, as well as 29 first-come, first-served picnic sites.
Need to Know
Check-out is no later than 12:00pm the day of departure. Check-in is no earlier than 2:00pm the day of arrival. This 2 hour window is necessary to effectively clean and maintain all of the sites each day.
Be sure to reserve a site that will accommodate your equipment because the site you reserve is your site, you may not move to another site. Alcohol is not allowed in Recreation Area. Campground has a two tent maximum per single site. Two vehicles are included in the site fee. There is a fee for additional vehicles that will be collected at the campground. Entrance office hours are Sunday-Thursday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Friday & Saturday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. The Day Use Area is open from 8 a.m. until dusk. After-hours access is available by calling ahead, (205) 300-1513.
- Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more.
Connect to nature in The National Forests of Alabama.
Forest Service - Know Before You Go | Rules for National Forest Visitors
Forest Service - Know Before You Go | Preparing to Visit a National Forest | Boating
Forest Service - Know Before You Go | Preparing to Visit a National Forest | Canoeing
Forest Service - Know Before You Go | Preparing to Visit a National Forest | Caves
Forest Service - Know Before You Go | Preparing to Visit a National Forest | Heat Waves
Forest Service - Know Before You Go | Preparing to Visit a National Forest | Hunting
Forest Service - Know Before You Go | Preparing to Visit a National Forest | If You Get Lost
Forest Service - Know Before You Go | Preparing to Visit a National Forest | Lightning
Forest Service - Know Before You Go | Preparing to Visit a National Forest | Pet Dogs
Forest Service - Know Before You Go | Preparing to Visit a National Forest | Swimming & Boating
Forest Service - Know Before You Go | Preparing to Visit a National Forest | Tornadoes
Forest Service - Know Before You Go | Preparing to Visit a National Forest | Waterfalls
Natural Features
The 180,000+ acre Bankhead National Forest is in northwestern Alabama, and its prominent feature is the Sipsey Wilderness . Known as "The Land of a Thousand Waterfalls," the Sipsey is at the juncture of three separate geologic areas: the Appalachian Plateau, the Cumberland Plateau and the Coastal Plain. The vegetation from these three unique environments blend into a remarkable diversity of species, with overlapping ranges creating many unusual plant associations. The Sipsey is a 12,726 acre area of swift streams, waterfalls, sandstone cliffs, undisturbed gorges, majestic hardwood forests, wildflowers, birds, animals and is home to Alabama's largest tree, a tulip poplar with a 21-foot circumference at its base.
Lewis-Smith Lake (or Smith Lake) is located in the counties of Cullman, Walker and Winston. The 300-foot high dam, completed in 1961 by Alabama Power Company, impounds the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River to form the lake. Smith Lake has a surface area of 21,200 acres, 500 miles of shoreline, a watershed area of 944 square miles, a retention time of 435 days, and a maximum depth of 264 feet.
What's Happening in Your Alabama National Forest Video
Nearby Attractions
Four nearby attractions within Bankhead National Forest are:
- The Little Natural Bridge is the longest rock arch east of the Rockies. It was formed 200 million years ago when the sea washed the sandstone away leaving iron ore veins holding the bridge. In this area thrive 27 varieties of Ferns and a number of Canadian Hemlocks traced to the Ice Age. Satellite Map of Natural Bridge Park
- The 19th-century Pine Torch Church is one of the oldest churches in Alabama and one of only four surviving log churches. The church is located in the Bankhead Forest in Lawrence County at the intersection of Country Roads 70 and 73 Several online sources say it was built in the 1890s but a sign at the site claims in was built in the 1840s. According to legend, Pine Torch got its name from the pine knots that were set ablaze to light the building after dark. It is made of hand-hewn logs. The original floor, made of hand-hewn poplar planks, was stolen piece-by-piece and was replaced in 1940, according to a historic marker at the site. The original roof was made of hand-split wooden shingles. It was later replaced with tin. Behind the church is a cemetery whose grounds are covered with sand to make maintenance easier. A newer and larger wooden church was built at the back of the property. It is still in use. Satellite Map of the Pine Torch Church
- The Houston Civil War Jail - Houston, Alabama served as the first county seat for Winston County. The area known today as Winston County was originally established in 1850 as Hancock County, named after John Hancock, signer of the Declaration of Independence. In 1858 the county was renamed Winston after the first native-born governor of Alabama, John Anthony Winston. Old Houston, located a few miles away from present day Houston, was the first county seat. Citizens voted to move the county seat to present day Houston in the late 1850's and a log jail was constructed at that time. The jail burned during the Civil War and was rebuilt in 1868. The Houston jail was built of hand-hewn logs filled with nails to prevent prisoners from "sawing their way to freedom". The jail held prisoners and provided a site for court. In 1884 the county seat was moved from Houston to present day Double Springs. Houston Historical Society
- Discover the Incredible Variety of Habitats and Birds in the Bankhead National Forest. Birding on the Bankhead
Recreation
- Day-use visitors and campers have access to a boat ramp and swim beach.
- The lake provides excellent fishing for Kentucky Spotted Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass.
- Hikers can access the 1.3-mile Bobwhite Trail.
- Interpretive programs are hosted during the summer.
Contact Information
Mailing Address
BA SERVICES, INC. 263 STATE STREET, SUITE ONE BANGOR ME 04401
Physical Address
CORINTH RECREATION AREA 2540 COUNTY ROAD 57 DOUBLE SPRINGS AL 35553
Phone Number
For campground inquiries, please call: 205-300-1513
Rental Options
Learn more about gear rental options for your trip
Driving Directions
From Double Springs, travel 8 miles east on Hwy 278; turn right at Corinth Recreation Area sign on County Road 57. Satellite Map
Available Campsites
- Site 27, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 18, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 22, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 05, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 43, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 26, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 06, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 51, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 57, Loop Tent Sites, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
- Site 07, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 55, Loop Tent Sites, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
- Site 41, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 42, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 01, Loop CORI, Type Group Shelter Electric
- Site 21, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 29, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 47, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 60, Loop Tent Sites, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
- Site 44, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 02, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 56, Loop Tent Sites, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
- Site 20, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 19, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 1, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 16, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 36, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 33, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 49, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 13, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 03, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 31, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 59, Loop Tent Sites, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
- Site 39, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 04, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 12, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 37, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 40, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 17, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 25, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 53, Loop Tent Sites, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
- Site 32, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 08, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 10, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 11, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 46, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 24, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 30, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 35, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 15, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 38, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 48, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 58, Loop Tent Sites, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
- Site 54, Loop Tent Sites, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
- Site 14, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 09, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 34, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 23, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
- Site 50, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 45, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 52, Loop Firefly, Type Standard Electric
- Site 28, Loop Yellow Hammer, Type Standard Electric
