Lake Charles, LA is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Lake Charles is surrounded by family-friendly activities. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Louisiana camping adventure.
LegendFree camping on the beach. No problem driving on the hard packed sand. Camped here in a camper van. Plenty of room, far from other campers. I was surprised at how wide the beach was given it's history with storms. Clean. Portable toilets near entrance to beach; pretty nasty. Also, trash dumsters; full when we arrived. Horse flies & other insects can be a problem here, but not too bad if a breeze or wind is coming off of the gulf. Good AT&T & T-Mobile service. Good experience.
GuideGreat little Park. 14 sites. $12 a night. Reservable. Max stay 14 days per month. Day use area, playground, bathrooms, shower, pavilion, dump station, boat ramp. The host is wonderful.
RangerTypical state park campground area to suite campers/rv's & tents. Must reserve sites for 2-day minimums or more on weekends. Many of the campsites are shaded. They have bath houses w/ showers and flush toilets. Since it is close to Lake Charles, LA and other towns, this park does get used by both locals and others. SHJSP is surrounded by water on 2 or 3 sides, and has low water areas within the park. Thus, it is a popular place to go for fishing, canoeing, kayaking. The birding is very good here most times of the year, and there is deer that live on state park property here. Mosquitos can be really rough here certain times of the year. Hiking trails are ok here, but nothing awesome, except a couple boardwalks & viewing platforms are nice.
GuideStayed one night in 30 ft travel trailer (May 2,2022) and we were the only campers. There were other visitors/fisherman but quiet and peaceful. Restrooms clean and spacious. Shower was separate and locked but host would unlock as needed. All 7 pads are gravel, level, elevated above grass—helpful after hard rain— and would accommodate large rigs. Lake or old river course 100 plus feet from campsites. May bring kayaks next time. Road access is good and signs to guide you. One bar cell service. Each site has sewer but not conveniently located—near entrance to site and would require very long hose or require rigs to block access road when dumping This park happened to be along our route to another campground and not along major highway. Nice place to relax overnight or for few days.
LegendWe needed a one nighter and were going to do harvest host, but its a little warm for that, so looked for a place with electrical hookups. Found this one, and so glad I did!! Only 8 sites! Clean, quiet, pretty, large pull thru sites, and near the water. Every site has its own USA flag (so cool!!), and a picnic table, bbq grill and fire ring. Looks like its very popular with the fisherman!! And best of all $12/ night!!
ScoutVery simple park with few trees but great for an overnight or short stay if you need to be near Lake Charles. I was warmly greeted during check-in. Sites are full hookup and wifi actually worked with reasonable speeds of about 5 mbps. They are also accommodating to overnighters and provided me an easy access pull through for when I left in the morning. I just gave it a 3 because I found nothing bad nor exceptional to swing a rating either way.
LegendIf you like Louisiana Wildlife this is the place for you! I saw a couple of lounging alligators, egrets, snapping turtles, deer, and a chipmunk!!! I was kind of scared when I saw a sign on the trails warning of the gators! As far as RV camping, it wasn't a really nice area. The site we were in was 56, I don't reccomend it. Pretty unlevel and very close to other campers. When it rained, the water pooled on the backside and where the picnic table was. There was a shower house. It was old, but really clean.
ScoutHas a white sand spring fed swim area with a large slide and a trolley. Golf cart and pet friendly. Trails to walk on in the woods around several ponds. Has 30 and 50 amp connection's, sewer and water hook up. Tent and cabin camping also. Canoe rentals for catch and release fishing in ponds. No wifi. Ice and snow cones available from office.
GuideThis park is old and needs some work, but we enjoyed the stay. We were there mid-February 2019 and stayed for a week. It rained almost the entire time we were there so didn’t get to explore as much as we would have liked. However, one day we were able to walk the trail beside the river which was very nice and well-maintained. The campground is small and for the weekend it was full. During the week there were very few campers. We were in spot #53 and I would highly recommend that spot. We only had one neighbor to one side, and it felt a bit more isolated than the others. When things are full on the weekends, it can seem a bit crowded with spots being close together. It never felt like to cramped for us because we had (IMO) one of the best spots in the campground. Some spots have full hook-up, while others are electricity and water only. Ours was electricity and water only. The dump station is nearby and if you need to dump with a tote you could easily do so. Most of the campground is not level, but nothing bad enough that you can’t get level with blocks. There is a very nice laundry room that is free. That was a great perk. There are 3 washers and 3 dryers. Several of the units seemed brand new. We took advantage of that and did some laundry during our stay. Like I said, it rained the entire time, so the site was muddy, but not as bad as we thought it would get. Internet access was good. We had 3-4 bars of AT&T and Verizon. Lake Charles and Sulphur are not far away and have anything you need while visiting. The park has some nice scenery and the trail provided some good wildlife. The main things they need to do to improve it would be fix some of the roads/camping spots that have significant potholes. Also, the camping spots could benefit from some grading to make them a bit more level. It is my understanding that the park has made vast improvements recently and it shows. Give it a bit more time and it will be a great place to stay. Overall, we would probably camp there again. Cost is $20/night during the week and $28/night on the weekend. These price are for off-peak season.
Tent camping near Lake Charles, Louisiana, offers a chance to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying the serene surroundings of the region. With a variety of campgrounds available, you can find the perfect spot to pitch your tent and unwind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Lake Charles, LA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Lake Charles, LA is Longville Lake Park with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Lake Charles, LA?
TheDyrt.com has all 3 tent camping locations near Lake Charles, LA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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