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
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 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.
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.
FACILITIES
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
Discover the Incredible Variety of Habitats and Birds in the Bankhead National Forest.
Amenities
Campground:
- Accessible Sites
- Beach Access
- Boat Dock
- Boat Ramp
- Boat Trailer Parking
- Campfire Circles
- Campfire Rings
- Cell Phone Service
- Dock
- Drinking Water
- Dump Station
- Electric Hookups
- Electricity
- Fireplace
- Fluch toilets
- Flush Toilets (Seasonal)
- Grills
- Host
- Ice
- Lantern Posts
- Lights
- Parking Area
- Paved Pathways
- Paved Sites
- Picnic Shelters
- Picnic Tables
- RV Parking
- Self Pay Station
- Sewer Hookups
- Shade
- Showers
- Showers (Seasonal)
- Tent Pads
- Water (Seasonal)
- Water Spigot
Campsites:
- Picnic Table
- BBQ
- Electricity Hookup
- Fire Pit
- Sewer Hookup
- Lantern Pole
- Water Hookup
- Full Hookup
- Tent Pad
Activities:
- Biking
- Birding
- Boating
- Camping
- Canoeing
- Day Use Area
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Interpretive Programs
- Kayaking
- Motor Boat
- Paddling
- Photography
- Picnicking
- Recreational Vehicles
- Star Gazing
- Swimming
- Swimming Site
- Water Access
- Water Activities
- Water Sports
- Wildlife Viewing