Best Tent Camping near New Orleans, LA

Decent spot about 45 minutes from New Orleans. Makes sure you purchase a permit. It's about 11 dollars. And it's for a year. Well worth it to get. There are porter potties. No hookups. Make sure to pack in and pack out.

The campground was nice. Plenty to do to keep us busy. Between the nature walk, fishing and time on the beach our days were packed. I do not recommend the “premium” tent sites. They are nothing more than a stop of grass next to a parking lot backed up to trees. The gnats were terrible, made worse by the wind screen provided by the tow of trees. Plan ahead as it seems this park stays full. Very good location for a day trip into New Orleans too!!

This is a really nice state park and campground. It's located right on Lake Pontchartrain, which is really beautiful and nice for swimming, fishing, canoeing. They have some really nice tent sites, nice bathrooms, pavilions, picnic tables. There are also cabins that you can rent if you want. The beaches are cool, there are some nice hiking and biking trails.

Of course, being right near New Orleans, there is plenty to do. Taking a boat tour through some of the swamps is really cool. Plus, you get to find out a little about the history of the city. Taking a bike tour around the city is really cool as well. I learned so much about the history of New Orleans when I did it! Just a really awesome city full of culture and weirdly awesome stuff.

We stayed at Fontainebleau State Park when traveling to NOLA for Mardi Gras in late February, wanting a quiet place to retreat after a day of festivities. Fontainebleau did not disappoint in quiet, although the wetlands definitely extended all the way into our campsite. 

As tent campers, we chose one of the unimproved sites (94) as we did not need water and electric, and during Mardi Gras most of the campground was full as it was. We arrived after dark and found...a completely flooded site! While in part due to recent rains, one of the rangers told me that the campground was extremely wet most of the year. As it was already dark we elected not to try and carry our tent and sleeping gear over the soggy grounds to the one semi-dry tent pad, and just set up our bed in the car. Most of the sites in this area were equally wet, and another set of campers had rigged a zip-line to get their gear from the car over the flooded grounds to their dry spot. A trade-off for quiet and privacy, and a place of exploration for our kids.

The improved area of the campground was still largely wet with flooded areas, although the main hookup sites had the driest ground, and paved roads throughout for bike riding and walks on dry land.

The primitive sites are very open and would work well for church or scouting groups, although due to wide grassy areas and ever so slightly lower elevations, they were very flooded when we were there. The premium sites along the edge of the "new campground" seemed to have the least amount of flooding. They have electric and water hookups and offer a little more privacy than the center sites, but are smaller by comparison to the unimproved sites.

Aside from the wet grounds, this is a beautiful park, with a lot of hiking through wetlands, Spanish moss draping gracefully throughout, and a gorgeous view of Lake Pontchartrain. There is a very small beach, multiple playgrounds, and large pavilions, and the campground had some of the cleanest bathrooms I have experienced. We are a homeschool family and really enjoyed the ruins of the sugar mill and the historic markers to include in our teaching curriculum for the weekend. 

In addition to being only a 30 minute drive from New Orleans, this would be a wonderful park to come to just for the enjoyment of the scenery--provided you are in a camper or a van. Tent campers should be prepared for wet grounds, or make sure to have hammocks or tree tents available just in case!

Friendly, kind and helpful owners offer a kid’s playground, swimming pool and large RV campsites. Full hookups at most sites. Tent camping accommodated as well.

Just completed our first non-tent camping experience with our new camper. Fontainebleau was the perfect spot. Easy to navigate, lots of really good campsites, clean, air-conditioned restrooms. Tons of wildlife and a great splash park for the kids. Nice nature trails. Can’t wait to go back.

I really expected more from them considering it’s all anyone can talk about. Bathrooms were usually clean but quickly dirtied. Showers didn’t drain but they have water fountains for you to fill bottles. It had poured a few days before we went and had to switch sites three times before getting one that was even remotely dry. Definitely way more an rv park than for tent camping. All of the tent spots were either not very maintained or close together. Out of the 100 something people camping there only a handful were friendly to us. Did not have that campground vibe.

My understanding is that this campground is currently closed due to the impacts of Hurricane Ida and efforts are being made to get it opened back up soon.

We tent camped on an rv site (May 2020) and set up our tent on natural ground beyond the asphalt pad.  The other campers in our area were quiet and kept to their campsites.  We enjoyed a bike ride on the Saint Tammany Trace and then made a short drive to Abita Springs for lunch.  There was high water at the time we went, so the beach area was shut down for recreation.  We did manage to get out to the pier on Sunday for a scenic view of the lake.  

We plan to return to the park soon and bring our kayaks.  There seems to be lots of good paddling opportunities around the park.

Enjoyed spending 3 nights in this large, family oriented state park campground. Camped in a camper van, but most sites appear to be big rig friendly. About a half-dozen freight trains pass close by the campground; noisy, especially where we camped in the Treaure Cove loop. There is also some vehicle noise on a nearby road as well. Didn't bother us, though. Stayed in site 106. Nicely wooded with some, but not much, privacy. Probably not a good spot if charging with solar panels. Restroom/shower houses appear to be we maintained. Sites have water, electric & sewer hookups. Sites are also suitable for tent camping. Can't say anything about the staff since I did not interact with them much. Long walk to the edge of the gulf; not much of a beach near the campground entrance, but nice beaches, with places to park, a short drive east & west of the park. Good AT&T & T-mobile data service. No Wifi.

This park is giant! There are probably over 200 sites for camping in this park with beachfront sites and even primitive drive up sites for tent camping back in the woods. The park has 2 shower areas and 4 bathrooms on site as well as multiple playgrounds for the kiddos and even a water park! It is located directly across the street from the Gulf of Mexico and has its own private beach. I stayed in the primitive camping sites for 2 nights because all other sites were reserved for the weekend and it was great. No electric hookup or water but the sites are privately tucked away in the woods and only cost 15$ per night. If you want, you can stay beachfront for 48$ and I believe the regular sites with hookups and water are around $30 per night. The park itself is very well maintained and has ice and drinks for sale in the front office. The employees are extremely nice and helpful and will even tell you about fun things to do in town while you’re there. Definitely the biggest and one of the nicest campgrounds/state parks I’ve stayed in. Worth the trip!

This family oriented campground was busy during the Easter weekend- pro analysis due to its proximity to New Orleans. The campsites can accommodate pretty much anything from tents to big rigs. Most sites are large with good spacing between sites, but not much privacy between sites. The campground, as we as the restroom/shower house, is well maintained. Electric & water hookups. Water actually tasted good. Heard sounds of ATVs riding in the distance. Very quiet at night.

Nice level site with W&E hookups. 20 to 30 minute drive to the French Quarter in New Orleans. Very clean campground.

RV park with full hookups, showers and laundry. 15 mins by bus to downtown New Orleans. We paid 60 dollars/night.

Friendly staff.

Quiet and 30 mins to New Orleans. Sites are roomy. Trail is long , can be wet if it rains so bring your waders.

Nice level grass area easy to get in and out. Near New Orleans and the airport. No hookups. Must register online.

really nice campground, showers, bathroom, mirrors, laundromats, garbage (&racoons), loud animals during the night, 20 minutes of drive to be in downtown new orleans