History
The state park had its beginnings in 1947, when the Tennessee Valley Authority transferred {{convert|4000|acres}} on Guntersville Reservoir to the state to create what was first known as Little Mountain State Park.[5] The park opened in 1974.[6]
In 2011, the park suffered severe damage when it was struck twice during the tornado outbreak of April 27.[5] 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.[8] A second tornado, measured as an EF1, followed shortly after the first, damaging the park entrance and golf course.[9] Two years later, the campground officially reopened, following a rebuilding and upgrading of facilities and the planting of more than 400 new trees.[10]
Activities and amenities
The 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 {{convert|36|mi}} of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.
References
1. ^1 {{cite gnis|151977|Lake Guntersville State Park}}
2. ^1 2 {{cite web |url=http://www.alapark.com/sites/alapark.com/files/StateParks75thReport.pdf |title=Alabama State Parks: A Reflection on 75 Years of Successful Public Service |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |accessdate=January 18, 2016}}
3. ^1 {{cite web |url=http://www.alapark.com/sites/alapark.com/files/parksoverviewchartwithparkclosures.pdf |title=State Parks Overview Chart |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |date=2015 |accessdate=January 27, 2016}}
4. ^1 {{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2920 |title=Lake Guntersville State Park |work=Encyclopedia of Alabama |publisher=Alabama Humanities Foundation |first=Thomas V. |last=Ress |date=October 8, 2014 |accessdate=January 18, 2016}}
5. ^1 {{cite web |url=http://www.alapark.com/lake-guntersville-state-park |title=Marshall and DeKalb Counties (Lake Guntersville State Park) EF-2 |publisher=National Weather Service Huntsville, AL Weather Forecast Office |accessdate=January 18, 2016}}
6. ^1 {{cite web |url=http://www.alapark.com/lake-guntersville-state-park |title=Marshall County (Lake Guntersville State Park to Hwy 227) EF-1 |publisher=National Weather Service Huntsville, AL Weather Forecast Office |accessdate=January 18, 2016}}
7. ^1 {{cite news |url=http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20130513/NEWS/130519929 |title=Lake Guntersville puts "welcome" sign out for campers |newspaper=Gadsden Times |first=Andy |last=Powell |date=May 13, 2013 |accessdate=January 18, 2016}}