Can you reserve a site at Payne Lake Recreation Area?

No. Payne Lake Recreation Area is not reservable through Recreation.gov, so sites are first-come, first-served or booked elsewhere.

Payne Lake Recreation Area

Facility · Alabama ·

Managed by the USDA Forest Service

Talladega National Forest (NF) · Open Access

259 ft
Elevation

Payne Lake Recreation Area offers the outdoor enthusiasts solitude, a scenic lake, and picturesque campsites. Payne Lake Recreation Area has two swimming beaches and bathhouses for users of the recreation area. Each bathhouse has restrooms and showers. Camping is permitted at 76 developed sites along the shoreline of the 110-acre Payne Lake. Each site has a picnic table, cooking or fire circle, and tent or trailer pad.

Payne Lake Recreation Area is open year round and offers boating, nature trails, fishing, picnicking and swimming opportunities for Forest users. A trailer dump station is located in the campground.

The facts

Season: All year — USDA Forest Service, Aug 24, 2026

Recreation.gov's own page

Getting there

32.88723, -87.44307 · 32°53'14.0"N 87°26'35.0"W

Directions (Google Maps) · Directions (Apple Maps)

Typical weather

Typically 91°F in Jul, down to 55°F in Jan.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High °F	55	59	68	75	82	88	91	90	86	76	65	57
Low °F	32	35	40	47	56	64	68	67	61	50	38	34
Precip in	5.3	5.8	5.6	4.7	3.7	4.6	4.4	5.0	4.5	3.3	4.8	5.4

1991–2020 averages from the nearest NOAA station, 12 mi away — not measured at the facility itself, and elevation can make a real difference over that distance.

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Common questions about Payne Lake Recreation Area

Can you reserve a site at Payne Lake Recreation Area?: No. Payne Lake Recreation Area is not reservable through Recreation.gov, so sites are first-come, first-served or booked elsewhere.

Also listed by

Payne Lake Recreation Area also appears in other federal recreation data. Facts below are matched by name and location, not confirmed by Payne Lake Recreation Area's operator.

USDA Forest Service — data as of Aug 24, 2026

Recreation Fee Schedule

USDA Forest Service's own page

Camping near Payne Lake Recreation Area

Lock 8 19.6 mi · Campground · we watch it
Jennings Ferry 22.1 mi · Campground · we watch it
Finches Ferry 23 mi · Campground · we watch it
Lock 6 23.6 mi · Campground · we watch it
Deerlick Creek 25.7 mi · Campground · we watch it
Rocky Branch Day Use Park 26.7 mi · Campground · we watch it
Forkland 31.3 mi · Campground · we watch it
Belmont Park 34.3 mi · Campground · we watch it
Foscue Creek 35.7 mi · Campground · we watch it
Spillway Falls 36.5 mi · Campground · we watch it
South Sandy Shooting Range 8.3 mi · Facility
Vick Shooting Range 21.5 mi · Facility

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Contact

Info Recreation.gov

Recreation.gov last updated this record on 2026-02-25.

Facility information and photographs from Recreation.gov (RIDB). SpotOpened is not affiliated with Recreation.gov or any federal agency.