Best Campgrounds near Bear Creek, AL

Our RV GPS and Waze brought us south from Tishomingo via MS-25 to MS-4 to John Rankin Hwy. It’s a more scenic and narrower road than just taking MS-25 south, but there were no issues. We had made online reservations earlier that day for this Army Corps of Engineers Campground (CG) where we get a 50% discount per night using the National Parks Access Pass. We arrived earlier than 2:00 PM when the check-in gate opens, but there was a sign to go ahead and set up and come back at 2:00 to check-in. As we had our site number, we headed directly to pull through site 9 with water and electric(50/30/20 AMP). This was our third time camping at Whitten and we were delighted to find that they had combined site 8 and 9 into one long site. This site still had the old site amenities, which meant that we had double electric pedestals, water spigots, patio areas with picnic table, standup bbq, and fire pit. We were able to adjust our 5th wheel to avoid the several unlevel areas in this very long pull through. As with most COEs, water pressure was good and the electric worked fine. Whitten CG has a lot of mature trees, so satellite is iffy. We had no north shot for our Starlink. However, we got 2 to 3 bars on Verizon and the Mifi worked well for our needs to include streaming. There’s no WiFi in the CG. Site 9 has water view and does not bump up to other sites, which we found highly desireable. During our first stay in 2019, each loop had a shower house with a washer and dryer that we had used. Our last stay was an overnighter and we didn’t need to do laundry, so we hadn't checked those facilities out. This time we were here for three nights and had planned on doing laundry only to find the doors locked. We asked the camp host about the washers and dryers. He stated that the washers and dryers had been closed during COVID and now they were no long functional and weren't going to be replaced. We again enjoyed the trail system through out the CG and recreation area to walk our dogs. The James L. Whitten Historical Center is interesting to go through. There are several fishing piers as well. We came on a Wednesday and were pretty much by ourselves. Both Thursday and Friday campers started coming in around 11:30 AM filling up the CG. The camp hosts didn’t seem to mind the early arrivals and even opened up the office around noon for a few minutes to accommodate check-ins.

Clean, quiet and friendly. No actual WIFI but cell signals are strong. Will stay here again

From the get go at checking in we noticed how laidback and friendly the staff was. We stayed in #26 which has an incline to park the RV which wasn’t a big deal for us. We liked that on the passenger side are view was woods with the lake. The restrooms could used an updated for sure but still very usable. Fishing off the fishing docks was great! Spacing between sites is decent with trees between at most sites. Very friendly family quiet campgrounds.

Everything is clean and new and the bathrooms are amazing. Beautiful pool and splash area for kids. Pool table inside the store and a cute macaw named paco is a fun surprise.

I picked a location just off the Trace to camp and ended up here. Very nice lake side campgrounds. Quite clean beautiful relaxing weekend trip.

First impressions pulling in I was thinking it was going to be awesome but while setting up we noticed thrash all over. The wife picked up a full bag of garbage while I was setting up. It was around 7pm we noticed that this camping area is a special spot for tweakers and some sketchy people. They did keep to themselves which worked out. I’d say this location isn’t that bad if you’re a believer in the 2nd and watching out constantly. The camper next to us decided to run the loudest generator from 8pm on. Going to the restroom early am noticed a guy up and watching from a distance. Also someone in the stall having a weird intense conversation with himself and was in there for over a hour. Park does have the possibility of being a great campground with some improvements and someone keeping out the tweakers.

*Cabin 3 Stars- Older cabin that had some maintenance and repair issues, generally clean however several minor details needed some cleaning attention, would also benefit from a fresh coat of paint throughout, could use a pressure wash outside *Campground 3 Stars- very peaceful and quiet, nice lake overlook areas, minimal shade, gravel roads *Amenities 3 stars- many amenities yet minimally maintained and showing age and wear *Staff 5 stars- Very friendly, helpful, and responsive

Great camping nice and clean. Next time I’ll bring the kayak and do some fishing!

It's the perfect place to stop while traveling through. There are spacious spots, a short nature trail, a swimming area on the lake, and one good restaurant just down the road.

There are some spots right on the lake.

We stayed here with 3 dogs and it could not have been better! The bathhouse was amazing and we practically had the park to ourselves! Dogs loved running around smelling all the smells!

We love this park but it is about 45 minutes from a town with a good grocery store or restaurants.

Hello Iam here to let everyone know that His number has changed and he hasn't been able to change it online yet. His new number is 205- 412-6773 if he doesn't answer leave him a voicemail or you can try to text him. Also if you see this please spread the word so he doesn't miss any business in the future. Thank you so much

Sites were level and clear. A little muddy but it had been raining. No utilities or restrooms but thats to be expected with a free site. Sites are spread out and pretty private. Overall a good free camp site.

Excellent place for an overnight rest on trip out West. Clean, spacious rv sites, and great views of lake.