NEWS RELEASES
Alabama County To Purchase Private Campground On The Escatawpa River
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through AL.com's website.
AL.com reports that the Mobile County Commission plans to spend $715,000 to buy 45 acres of land along the Escatawpa River, on the state boundary with Mississippi. Commission members have reportedly had the piece of land long in their sights, hoping to add it to their recreational facilities. The county currently operates Chickasabogue Park and Campground as well as the Delta Marina and Campground, both located just off I-65. The property under consideration, currently the Escatawpa Hollow Campground, is in a more rural setting, on the south side of U.S. 98 before it crosses the Escatawpa River into Mississippi. Funds for the purchase will come from the county’s GOMESA money from federal oil and gas leases under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act.
The county plans to add amenities such as walking trails and will expand the site's camping facilities, possibly adding a lodge. The private campground currently rents canoes and kayaks and is a popular destination for paddlers to launch on the blackwater Escatawpa. The county plans to extend these facilities as part of a planned Blueway Trail, which will be funded by money from the RESTORE program, related to the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.
Find out more at the Mobile County Parks website.