Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · AL · 33.68714, -85.62209
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 site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. 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 Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,144 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Lower Shoals Trail Shelter SiteNIFC · 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 Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site · National Forests in Alabama · AL
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery3 mi
- MMechanic3 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- RxPharmacy10 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- +Urgent care11 mi
- HHardware11 mi
- LLaundry12 mi
- WWater12 mi
- ShShower18 mi
- PPropane28 mi
- AAir-up40 mi
- OOutfitter51 mi
- DDump60 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 3 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 — Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,144 ft
State
AL
Coordinates
33.68714, -85.62209
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site · National Forests in Alabama · AL (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureCahulga Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townCleburne · ~2.7 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelLove's · ~7.2 mi
- Propane / LPGAirgas Store · ~11.8 mi
- GroceriesFamily Dollar · ~3.4 mi
- PharmacyGolden Springs Pharmacy · ~9.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicNortheast Alabama Regional Medical Center · ~11.8 mi
- HardwareWarren Hardware · ~11.0 mi
EV charging — from Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site · National Forests in Alabama · AL — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger10.6 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 reach9 within 25 mi · 36 within 50 · 425 within 100 · 604 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS11.9 mi — COMMUNITY CHARG EASTERN DIV 1, Anniston
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO11.9 mi — COMMUNITY CHARG EASTERN DIV 1, Anniston
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)10.2 mi — Sunny King Honda, Anniston, AL · Blink Network · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port 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 Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site · National Forests in Alabama · AL — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletHenry Creek Shooting Range · ~2.8 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPine Glen · ~2.8 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBig Oak Hunter Camp · ~4.3 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWarden Station · ~7.3 mi NE · USFS
Open Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site elsewhere
Other camps near Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Pine Glen~2.8 mi · fee
- Big Oak Hunter Camp~4.3 mi
- Laurel Trail Shelter Site~5.7 mi
- Warden Station~7.3 mi · fee
The unit that manages Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site are set by National Forests in Alabama, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site
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
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
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 Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site
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 — Lower Shoals Trail Shelter Site
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →