North MS, West TN, Eastern AR campgrounds

[TnCamperMama]

I live in the Memphis area. There are many cg's within a 2 hr driving distance of Memphis. What are some of your fav's?

I grew up on Arkabutla Lake in N. MS, so I'm very familiar with the area, and lakes like Enid and Sardis as well. I just never camped there. Now I'm a little N. of Memphis.

My favorite state park in West Tn is Natchez Trace state park. It's just on the other side of Jackson, Tn, before you get to the TN river. It's about 1 hr 30 Min from N. MS. Our fav campground is Cub Lake. It doesn't have sewer, and not suitable for large rigs except a few sites. It's quiet and peaceful there. The rv cg is Pin Oak. There's lots of great sites there as well. There's several fishing lakes in the park, and a wrangler cg. There's miles of off rd trails that we ride in the Ram truck, but horses and 4 wheelers are welcome too.

We won't be able to take a long trip this summer, so what are your fav places in the mid south to camp? We plan on several weekend trips this summer. 2hrs is as far as we will go just for the weekend.

{I felt bad for kind of hijacking the Petit Jean post, so I started one for these areas}

[Dixiecamper]

Fall Creek Falls is one of our most favorite TN state parks. I have stayed at a cabin right outside the park and camped in a tent at the campground. We love to hike so it was right up our alley. Chattanooga is not that far away so we went there on a day trip.

We live in North MS and camp mostly within 1-2 hours from home. A MS state park that I like really well is Trace State Park just outside Tupelo, MS. There are 2 RV campgrounds (one on each side of the lake), and a separate equestrian campground with stables. There are lots of places to fish from the bank and miles of multi-use trails.

Persimmon Hill campground is a COE campground at Enid Lake that we like. We also like Wall Doxey state park outside of Holly Springs, MS. The back campground is very wooded. There is a nice spring-fed lake in the park. They have trails and a disc golf course.

[linnemj]

After reading your post, I would recommend heading to Hot Springs for a long weekend with your camper TNcampingmana. There is a lot to do with kids - a nice amusement park, lakes, mini golf, ect. If you stay at one of the local state parks or the national park campground you are pretty close to town and shopping. I would recommend you pick some dates and make reservations asap since the parks are very popular. I tried to book a site a few years ago 5 months in advance and they were all booked already.

Falls Creek Falls is on our list for next spring. I visited there for a day and it is beautiful.

[TnCamperMama]

This summer for our big trip we went to Fall Creek Falls state park in E. Tn. It's about a 7 hr drive from Memphis, it's about an hr N. of Chatanooga Tn and an hr South of Cookville, Tn. It's in the middle of nowhere. The park is massive with several cg's, miles of hiking, and beautiful waterfalls.
I can't remember the exact cg we stayed at, but it didn't have sewer hookups. It had water and electric and a dump station.
It's not been my most favorite place to visit,honestly, but the prettiest. If you like hiking it would be up your alley, but I don't like to hike.
The cg was clean, but crowded and sites close together. The bath house was clean.
There's just not much to do but hike. If you want entertainment then take it with you. The closest Walmart is about 30 -45 mins away from the park, so take everything with you. Our tradition is to stop at the nearest WM to stock up on perishable supplies before getting to our final destination. I don't like hauling eggs and milk for hours and worry about keeping it cold on the drive from home.
We were there the last week of June into the first week of July. It rained 3 days, but the temps were nice esp for TN in summer. I think it would be better in the fall when you could see more of the terrain.
Will we go back? Yes, but not any time soon. Everyone we know has been there and raved about how great it was. To us, it wasn't. We went with my sister {from KY}. The trip was hard on the 4 adults, but the 7 kids had fun.

[TnCamperMama]

Thanks for the info!

[linnemj]

Pickway Lake has 2 campgrounds we have been to. The TVA campground has nice sites under pine trees. The state park is nice too with more for children. I just don't think there is a lot to do there unless you have a boat.

When we camp, we like to hike, ride motorcycles and be tourists. While we spend some time relaxing at the site, we usually leave to do stuff during the day. When we camped with our kids, we liked places with a stream since the kids could spend all day there!

TA camping mama - you might like camping at Seven Points COE park just outside Nashville. The area has lots for kids including a waterpark next door. It is about 4 hours from Memphis but good for a long weekend. Make reservations since it is very popular.

[TnCamperMama]

sdianel wrote:
Davis Lake Campground at the north end of Natchez Trace. Tombigbee National Forest. On a small lake.
Lake Catherine State Park, Hot Springs AR.
Noccalulu Falls Park, Gadsden, AL.

Do you mean the Rd. Natchez Trace? N.T. state park in Tn, is just off I-40 and no where near the rd. It got confusing to me when I moved to Tn that there was a park called N.T. and it had nothing to do with the actual Trace. 🙂

I've seen pics of Noccalula Falls, it's really pretty. My DH has an aversion to going to AL. Bad weather happens every single time he's ever been there or planned to be there,lol. It's kind of weird but tornado's happen when hes in AL.

[TnCamperMama]

We want to go to Current River in S. MO, and float, but I want to wait until my youngest is a little older. An adult only trip may be in order for up there.

We've camped at Chickasaw State park near Henderson,Tn. It's a smaller park, but really pretty as well. There's lot's of horse trails there, but we've never rode any. My friend has though. There aren't sewer hookups there, but a dump station. There's the rv cg, a wrangler cg and tent cg. No sites are on the water.

About Arkabutla lake in Ms, the Tate Co side, near the spillway is a dry co. So if you want to byob, you need to grab it before you get there. Hernando Point is in DeSoto Co., and it's not dry. We don't get hammered when we camp, but I do like a glass of wine after the kids go to bed.

I've been to Hot Springs a few times, but never camping.

Ft.Pillow state park here in W.Tn is close, but they only have electric hookups there.

We've camped up at Land Between the Lakes on the TN/KY line. We camped at Energy Lake. It's a small lake off lake Barkley. There's electric, but not water at the sites. It's all gravel, but it's really pretty. The bath houses are something to be desired though. You have to push the water for it to be on, scrub, then push it again to rinse off. I enjoyed the beauty and peace there, but I don't plan to camp there again.

My inlaws just got back from Pickwick Lake on the TN/MS line. Lot's of folks we know go over there. I've never been. The pics are pretty and my inlaws had a peaceful time.

[linnemj]

We live in North Mississippi and here are some of our favorites:

Lake Ouachita State Park near Hot Springs, AR - one loop has full hookups on a beautiful lake. Beautiful park near many things to do.

Bay Springs Lake on the Tenn-Tom waterway near Tishomingo, MS. This park has some wonderful sites on a beautiful lake. Good fishing and boating and near the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Buffalo Point Campground - Yellville, AR - a national park that most don't know about. The campground is on the Buffalo River National Scenic River. Great for floating or kayaking the river and some beautiful areas to explore.

Please keep sharing favorites in the mid-south

[sdianel_-acct_c]

Davis Lake Campground at the north end of Natchez Trace. Tombigbee National Forest. On a small lake.
Lake Catherine State Park, Hot Springs AR.
Noccalulu Falls Park, Gadsden, AL.

[TnCamperMama]

Can somebody tell me how to post a pic w/o uploading it from a website? I have some from Natchez Trace I want to post but can't figure out how