One of Alabama’s favorite state parks has added to its accolades, with a travel site rating it as the state’s most beautiful campground.

Trips to Discover’s rankings of “The Most Beautiful Campground in Every State,” updated for summer 2023, includes campgrounds at bucket-list destinations such as Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave, South Carolina’s Hilton Head Island, Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park and Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. The site’s pick for Alabama is the campground at Gulf State Park.

Though the site didn’t spell out its criteria in detail, it clearly favored well-equipped campgrounds in picturesque settings, with easy access to natural wonders and other attractions.

“This park has a spacious campground, as well as a new lodge, two miles of beaches, educational opportunities at the nature center, a swimming pool, and other recreation too,” the site said of Gulf State Park. “You can make your campground reservation online or look into the cabins and cottages for more of a glamping experience. The campground has 496 sites for both tents and RVs, 11 modern bathhouses, full hookup sites, waterfront sites, picnic tables, and grills. The towns of Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, and Fairhope are all close by.”

Gulf State Park’s beachy location makes it an easy pick, particularly in the summer months. It topped Southern Living’s 2023 list of “The 10 Best Places To Camp In Alabama,” with that site observing that “You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better or more beautiful beachside campground than the one at Gulf State Park.”

Should you get tired of the beach, Southern Living said, “you can also spend time paddling Lake Shelby or exploring the 27 miles of paved trails and boardwalks passing through nine distinct ecosystems in the park.”

That’s a reference to the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail, a network of paths that connect the park, Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. Earlier this year, USA Today readers ranked it as the Best Recreational Trail in the site’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.