Brierfield Ironworks Historical Park

You feel like you have stepped back in time with the laid back atmosphere it is so pleasingly pleasant. The hostess couple go out of their way to see that your needs are met and that the accommodations are the best that they can be. Hardest working hostesses that I have ever seen at any camp ground and we have camped over the last 50 years all around Alabama as well as other states. This campground seems to get overlooked more than the others on having more to offer its campers but they certainly make the best from what they do have to offer. I highly recommend putting more emphasis on this park by whomever is in control of it. There is so much more that could be added very easily that would not be a high cost at all and I am sure you would be surprised at the increase in revenue it would bring in. And it would not take anything a way from the atmosphere of the park.

This quiet and peaceful rural campground has one large caveat. There is only "one camping unit" allowed per site. That means no tent is allowed next to your RV, even for the kids. The RV is a "camping unit." A tent is a "camping unit." So if the idea is to let the kids or a friend enjoy the experience by tenting on your site, that is against the rules. You will have to use and pay for 2 sites at the full price of that site. A family member joined us at our Full Hookup site to use a tent, we had to pay $24.65 a night for him to park his car in the site next to us. The tent was placed on our site with room to spare. THIS IS NOT MENTIONED ON THEIR WEBSITE, SO BEWARE!

The park is designated a State Park, but receives no State funding, so there is understandably a need for some TLC. Our stay was enjoyable. The staff were friendly. The Park Store was stocked for day use visitors. Ice is available, if needed. The water pressure for the showers was almost painful, so use a pressure regulator on your rig's water connection. The restrooms and showers were rustic, but adequate. Plan to use and pay for full hookups. We had 1-2 bars of AT&T LTE cell service in the Middle campground, but it was sketchy.

All sites are surfaced with crushed gravel. The improved sites without sewer, are located in the Lower Campground. That section is not level, and the sites are small and poorly arranged. It appears they were once tent sites, which someone decided to improve to increase revenue. The Middle campground has back-in and pull-through sites, with more room per site. The best ones back up to the spring-fed creek. Most have some shade. All are FHU sites. Most are level. The Upper campground sites are FHU back-in sites, close together, and next to the creek. They appear to be level with shade.

The park has picnic tables scattered throughout for day-use. There are several hiking trails in the hills around the park. They are not lengthy, but some require ascending some steep hills. The wildlife we saw consisted of birds, both common and not so common. We saw a Pileated woodpecker, like Woody Woodpecker, which is usually heard rather than seen. Wildflowers were abundant along the spring-fed creek in the woods. The remains of the ironworks furnace and the furnace rock (slag) scattered in the park is interesting. There is also a swimming pool, which is currently closed. Other facilities include cabins, a lodge, pavilions, and a restored small church building.
Pricing: FHU $28 (Seniors: $24.65), W/E $24 (Seniors$20.90). We saw no primitive sites, but they list Primitive $16/tent (4 persons to each tent). Cabins and larger buildings all vary in price.
We enjoyed our stay and will probably return for another visit.

We stopped here to break up a long trip. We came in late in the day, and the sweet lady at the camp office let me pick our site and then return and pay. We took site 7 and there was plenty of room to back in. This was a FHU site.
(I will note the park was full due to a historical battle re-enactment there the next day, so if you're not into that, you might want to ask before you make a reservation.)
There are many old, restored buildings around the campground. The site of the old ironworks is there and interpretive panels tell the story. My son and I enjoyed exploring around the buildings. There was also plenty of room for him to ride his bike.
I noticed there were trails in a couple of places, but we were tired and didn't venture off the pavement. At night, it was so quiet and peaceful, despite the full capacity. There was no vegetation between sites, but they still felt private. Our site had a perfect view of the ironworks, which is lit up at night. It was a wonderful view!
I used the bathhouse and found it clean with ample shelves to put my things. My only complaint was the water pressure was low. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was much more convenient than the state park we had stayed in previously. So I was happy.
They had a pool on site, but I was told it had been closed due to covid, so hopefully they will be able to open it in the summer. I will also mention that although this park is a "state park," it receives no state funding. I think they do a very nice job keeping up the park with what they have, and I can appreciate what hard work the volunteers do.
Overall, we had a great experience, and it was a nice place to decompress after our long trip. We would return again for a weekend.