Agency-listedUSFSFee
Coleman Lake Recreation Area
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · AL · 33.78492, -85.55893
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Coleman Lake Recreation Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,163 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Coleman Lake Recreation AreaNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Coleman Lake Recreation Area · National Forests in Alabama · AL
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel7 mi
- GGrocery10 mi
- MMechanic10 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- RxPharmacy12 mi
- LLaundry12 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- WWater15 mi
- EVEV fast charger18 mi
- ShShower25 mi
- PPropane28 mi
- AAir-up42 mi
- OOutfitter46 mi
- DDump55 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 7 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Coleman Lake Recreation Area
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,163 ft
State
AL
Coordinates
33.78492, -85.55893
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Coleman Lake Recreation Area · National Forests in Alabama · AL (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townWhite Plains · ~7.7 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~7.4 mi
- Propane / LPGTexaco · ~28.2 mi
- GroceriesPiggly Wiggly · ~9.6 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~11.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicMediplex · ~11.9 mi
- HardwareWarren Hardware · ~11.6 mi
EV charging — from Coleman Lake Recreation Area · National Forests in Alabama · AL — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger17.6 mi straight-line SW — Oxford, AL - Tesla Supercharger (at a shopping center) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 12 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach14 within 25 mi · 42 within 50 · 428 within 100 · 608 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS17.7 mi — COMMUNITY CHARG EASTERN DIV 1, Anniston
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO17.7 mi — COMMUNITY CHARG EASTERN DIV 1, Anniston
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)10.1 mi — PIEDMONT CITY PIEDMONT #2 · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 101977 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Coleman Lake Recreation Area · National Forests in Alabama · AL — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomColeman Lake Recreation Area · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWarden Station · ~0.7 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBig Oak Hunter Camp · ~4.4 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPine Glen · ~4.9 mi SW · USFS
Open Coleman Lake Recreation Area elsewhere
Other camps near Coleman Lake Recreation Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Warden Station~0.7 mi · fee
- Laurel Trail Shelter Site~2.0 mi
- Big Oak Hunter Camp~4.4 mi
- Pine Glen~4.9 mi · fee
The unit that manages Coleman Lake Recreation Area
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Coleman Lake Recreation Area are set by National Forests in Alabama, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Coleman Lake Recreation Area
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Coleman Lake Recreation Area
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Coleman Lake Recreation Area
Camping near a reservoir →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Gear & rig loadout →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →