The best DISPERSED camping near
Whisp , ARKANSAS

This is a great fishing hole with a small campground! The sites are nice and have great views of the lake. For those of you with RV’s beware that there is no sewer dump station here. You have to drive to Crowleys Ridge State Park to use their dump station. (10 minute drive).

The drawback for me is that this campground only has vault toilets and no showers.

The campground was empty when we visited and the office was closed, so we didn’t get to go inside and learn more about the area.

We were in RV site 25, which had a huge amount of space to roam. Weather wasn’t great for our 5 night visit in late January but we really enjoyed our stay. Windy roads, hills and GPS took us the “scenic” route into the campground. It’s just a few miles from the Mississippi River which this time of year had huge beach front to explore and watch the barges go back and forth. The bath houses need some work, there is NO cell service (which I kind of enjoyed) but other than that a beautiful park with plenty to do.

It’s good, not great. Proximity to Memphis was a plus, however, we had 0 service anywhere near our campsite. Nice to disconnect for a night, but plan accordingly. The park was nice, the staff were very kind, but the bathrooms needed some attention. Paid $28 for a tent spot, so for that price I would probably try somewhere else next time.

Reading through the reviews, they are all spot on. We stayed here in a 40' class A for 28 days. There are few spots that we would fit, but it worked out. The staff is great and the camp host is very knowledgeable. Under "new management", they are trying to clean the deadwood and control the mosquitos. Will stay here again!

You really can't go wrong with Meeman-Shelby. It is so damn close to Memphis that while you won't feel like you are near an urban center, you benefit from its proximity. I very much appreciated being able to site see and camp during our brief overnight here. 

The campground itself is tucked away deep into the Meeman Shelby State Forest and offers a pleasant amount solitude even though the sites are fairly close together. We watched an super long RV struggle to back into their site, so I wouldn't recommend this campground to RVs that require pull through sites.

Not all sites are suitable for tent campers. I would call ahead to ask what sites to consider if booking online, or just show up. There are a lot of sites here and you'll find something.

The campground is not terrible even, so be prepared for that.

We stayed in the group site that will hold up to 200 people for Halloween and it was perfect. The group site is away from all the other sites so you have plenty of room for children of all ages to run around and play without disturbing other campers. It’s very roomy and beautiful. You do have to watch for the falling acorns in the fall as they drop like bombs and don’t feel so nice. Ranger Tyson was awesome and came to check on us and fix any issue we had. I would recommend them putting in some electrical outlets under the pavilion but other than that I have no complaints. One of the hiking trails passes through the camp but we went on a slow weekend and saw nobody walk through. The lady that was in the museum when we went through was super awesome with a great personality and was very helpful! We will definitely be back to the site!

We were passing through Memphis and stayed overnight at Fort Pillow. The staff in the office were not super friendly or helpful. I had to ask for everything, like a campsite map to my site, a trail map, and buying firewood. Nothing was offered, so definitely ask. The layout is also backwards. You have to drive all the way to the back of the park to get to the museum visitors center. I am sure there is a practical reason for this, but it wasn’t fully transparent. I always check in to campsite to introduce myself and get a lay of campsite from the people who work there. They just were not very social or helpful.

We stayed in campsite 4 which is more or less a walk-in type site. You park and then have to haul your gear about 15 yards to your site. The privacy and cliff side campsite is worth it, but there again was no one warning. We were only staying one night and the site was a little impractical for our needs. If you are staying 2-3 nights then grab campsite 4, in the winter months after the leaves have fallen this site would be stunning. It is basically a private overlook to the Mississippi. Only thing that would’ve made this campsite perfect would be running water. Instead you have to walk to the bath house to snag water.

Amenities:

There was electrical hookup at site but no water. (Was not able to locate communal water) Bath house cleaned daily and was a private set room style. Tent pad and campsite is pebbles to allow for moisture/bring long stakes or expect to not to be able to stake in your tent.

This is my neighborhood campground, so i might be a little biased. A great spot to spend the weekend with lots of good trails, a big lake for paddling and fishing, and quaint camp sites. The bathrooms are clean but have strong serial killer vibes. There used to be a pool here. I’d love to see that open again!

Meeman-Shelby, north of Memphis, is a nice addition for your camping travels.  Very quiet with decent, if old, shower and toilet facilities. Lots of mosquitoes due to the forest surrounds so be prepared.  Some sites have dual levels so be prepared there, too.  Not much privacy between sites.

The campground is generally more expensive than the other surrounding camping spots in the area. However, the camp is very nice. It didn’t feel crowded, the restrooms are clean, and the views are nice, especially camps 36-45. There is also good amount of hiking around. There is a longer 12 mile hike close by, and other shorter more challenging and less challenging trails. There is also a lake near by.