Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge

Story

Lake Guntersville State Park is a publicly owned recreation area located on the far north side of the city of Guntersville in Marshall County, Alabama. The state park occupies on the eastern shore of Guntersville Lake, a 69000acre impoundment of the Tennessee River. The park features resort facilities and is managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.HistoryThe state park had its beginnings in 1947, when the Tennessee Valley Authority transferred on Guntersville Reservoir to the state to create what was first known as Little Mountain State Park. The park opened in 1974.In 2011, the park suffered severe damage when it was struck twice during the tornado outbreak of April 27. Hundreds of trees in the northern half of the park were destroyed by an EF2 tornado that struck in the early morning. The campgrounds also saw damage done to RV campers and the camp lodge. A second tornado, measured as an EF1, followed shortly after the first, damaging the park entrance and golf course. Two years later, the campground officially reopened, following a rebuilding and upgrading of facilities and the planting of more than 400 new trees.Activities and amenitiesThe park features a resort inn, restaurant and convention complex on Taylor Mountain, 18-hole golf course, fishing center, beach complex, lakeview cottages, lakeside campground, and of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.