Sustainable Off-Grid Nature Retreat with Camping & Glamping
Clothing Optional | LGBTQ+, BIPOC & Neurodiversity Friendly
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Address: 1313 Germany Mountain Rd. | Talladega, Alabama
No arrivals without a booking, please.
Check in 2pm-9pm | Check out by 12pm
Be free with nature
Be free with nature
Parksland Retreat is a 40-acre oasis surrounded by the Talladega National Forest.
Clothing is optional. Respect for visitors and the land is mandatory.
We offer three primitive campsites, three primitive sites with tent platforms, three bell tents with queen beds, and a cabin with a full bed / kitchenette. Amenities include a Spa (Sauna, Hot Tub/Cold Plunge, and Herb Greenhouse Showers), outhouse (privy and composting) toilets, sinks for drinking water and washing dishes.
Enjoy a swim in the creek, hiking along a mountain ridge,
and easy access to the Blue Hole, a nearby waterfall. Read more about nearby places.
Find reviews on Airbnb , HipCamp, and Google
For event bookings, please email dusty@parkslandretreat.org
Amenities
Amenities
🍃 Accommodations include 3 primitive campsites, 3 primitive sites with a tent platform, 3 canvas bell tents with queen beds, and 1 cabin with full bed.
🍃 Accommodations include 3 primitive campsites, 3 primitive sites with a tent platform, 3 canvas bell tents with queen beds, and 1 cabin with full bed.
🍃 Spa Hot tub available most Friday evenings, Sauna available most Saturday evenings, Herb Garden Greenhouse Showers open 24/7, outdoor shower available other than in freezing temperatures.
🍃 Spa Hot tub available most Friday evenings, Sauna available most Saturday evenings, Herb Garden Greenhouse Showers open 24/7, outdoor shower available other than in freezing temperatures.
🍃 Linens and towels are provided with bell tent and cabin bookings.
🍃 Linens and towels are provided with bell tent and cabin bookings.
🍃 Parking for 1 vehicle is included with each booking; additional parking requires booking additional sites.
🍃 Parking for 1 vehicle is included with each booking; additional parking requires booking additional sites.
🍃 Sinks with potable water, three outdoor toilets (privies), and hot showers available to all guests.
🍃 Sinks with potable water, three outdoor toilets (privies), and hot showers available to all guests.
🍃 Rental Gear including tents, sleeping bags, charcoal and propane grills, and portable power stations may be added to bookings.
🍃 Rental Gear including tents, sleeping bags, charcoal and propane grills, and portable power stations may be added to bookings.
🍃 Dry/Split Firewood sustainably harvested from our forest is available for purchase.
🍃 Dry/Split Firewood sustainably harvested from our forest is available for purchase.
🍃 Hiking options include the Ridg.linee Loop Trail, which is a 2-mile loop & easy access to the nearby Pinhoti Trail.
🍃 Hiking options include the Ridg.linee Loop Trail, which is a 2-mile loop & easy access to the nearby Pinhoti Trail.
🍃 Swimming options include the Parksacola Beach Swimming Hole and the nearby Blue Hole waterfall & swimming hole in the National Forest.
🍃 Swimming options include the Parksacola Beach Swimming Hole and the nearby Blue Hole waterfall & swimming hole in the National Forest.
🍃 Life Casting* by appointment
🍃 Life Casting* by appointment
*please ask about availability when booking
*please ask about availability when booking
Agreements
Agreements
🍃 Leave no trace
do not litter and please sort recyclable items
🍃 Respect the land
foraging and hunting are not permitted
🍃 Respect the people
no commenting on bodies
🍃 Quiet hours are 10pm-9am
unless otherwise specified by host
🍃 Keep pets leashed in common areas
pets are not allowed at Bell Tent sites
🍃 No weapons
🍃 No arrival without reservation.
Reservations can be made on Airbnb and Hipcamp.
🍃 Check in is 2pm-9pm; Check out is by 12pm
🍃 We only have one (1) parking space for each site booked
The Sunrise Cabin (C1) includes a full bed with linens and towels. Kitchenette includes stovetop burner, sink, and dishes. Wood burning stove and propane heater available for heating. Small fans for cooling. Wraparound deck with two Adirondack chairs and outside fire ring. The cabin is located about 500 feet from parking space and is a short hike to swimming hole.
Bell Tents (FF1 Knoll, FF2 Hillside, and FF3 Hollow) include a queen bed, seating, linens and towels, and small fans.
Solar lights and outside fire rings included.
FF1 Knoll
288 ft from parking
Woodstove and propane heaters
FF2 Hillside
190 ft from parking
Woodstove and propane heaters
FF3 Hollow
557 ft from parking
propane heater
Primitive Campsites (P1 Hilltop, P2 Creekbend and P3 Creekside)
P1 Hilltop
73 ft from parking
P2 Creekbend
559 ft from parking
P3 Creekside
960 ft from parking
Primitive Sites with Tent Platforms (P4, P5 & P6)
Toilets (South Privy, North Privy, and Parking Area Composting Toilet)
South Privy
Near FF1, FF2, FF3, P2, & P3
North Privy
Near P4, P5, & P6
Composting Toilet
at parking / trailhead, near P1 & C1
Sauna [year round]
Saturday Nights
Hot Tub / Cold Plunge [cold months]
Hot Tub Friday / Cold Plunge Saturday
Herb Garden Showers
Open 24/7
Life Casting
Life Casting
We offer life casting sessions where we make molds and castings of body parts. Popular life castings including hands held between partners, pregnant bellies and other body parts that a person wants to commemorate.
Life castings start at $40 per session.
Please inquire about availability with your booking.
The Parksland Story
The Parksland Story
The founder, Dustin Parks, who also goes by "Dusty," grew up in the mountains of Western Oregon. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University and traveled the world (30+ countries) as a young adult. His interest in learning simple truths and perspectives from the tapestries of people's life choices and circumstance continues to help him thrive today. He moved to Alabama in 2003 and built a career working for Honda as an Engineering leader.
In July 2016 after 13 years of living in Birmingham, Alabama, Dustin moved to the land in the Talladega National Forest that is now known as "Parksland". Dustin placed the first listing for Parksland on Hipcamp in 2017. He decided to retire from the corporate song and dance in the Spring of 2022 and now focuses fully on managing Parksland Retreat.
Volunteering
Volunteering
Over 200 volunteers have helped make Parksland Retreat possible.
We offer food and bell tent living arrangements to volunteers via Workaway.
Stay Connected
Stay Connected
❤️Support Our Work
❤️Support Our Work
We're a small team working hard to provide a safe space to be free with nature in a kind and respectful environment. If you'd like to support us, any donation - big or small - makes a big difference! Thank you 🙏
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