Best Tent Camping near Ruston, LA

Old campground along pretty lake in a national forest. Clean; the grounds are well maintained. The campground is confusing. Campsites are not marked. Looks like it was initially developed as a tent campground. There are shared vehicle parking pads; sites are not actually next to these - need to walkin a little. RV campers can probably park on the parking pads and walk to nearby picnic tables. Some sites have metal fire rings and lantern poles near picnic tables. Otherwise, it appears that previous campers had open campfires. Hammock camping is possible in a few areas. Clean his/hers vault toilet with tp and hand sanitizer. Water pumps scattered throughout campground; water was turned on duirng my stay. Sites in the middle of the campground are level; others slope down a little toward the lake. Sites are grass surfaces. No tent pads. No RV driveways to individual sites. Quiet, peaceful. No fee. Day Use area with fishing pier nearby. Partial shade; solar charging and Starlink access may be a challenge. Sporadic AT&T and T-Mobile service. Overall, this is a nice campground. I was the only camper during the nights I camped hare. A local resident stopped by to check up on me.

FEE: FREE 

FCFS 

318-473-7160 

This is a primitive campground with NO AMENITIES. There is a very small turn around at the end. There is a fire ring and suppose to be a picnic table and lantern pole that we did not find. Along the way you will pass the trailhead for the Wild Azalea Trail. A beautiful spot that is rather wild with wonderful lake views. The track in becomes just that"a track." No trash, no pit toilet, no water. You can find trash and a toilet near the South Shore boat launch. There is a trashed travel trailer that is continues to take abuse. Gives this primitive site into a trash dump. Wish is that it be remove ASAP 

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Lake Bistineau is a great state park park near Shreveport, LA. We stayed 2 nights. The sites are very shady. The park streets and sites are asphalt. Some roads need repaving. The park was clean and quiet, and the staff was friendly. Unfortunately, the lake was drawn down to eradicate an invasive water plant. But, this presented a unique opportunity. We could walk on the dry lake bottom and see the parts of cypress trees that are normally under water. 

Stayed in back-in campsite#14 which was level side to side, but the front was higher. The site has a nice view of the lake and a large wooden deck. There was just enough parking for my 34 ft TT and truck. Neighbors are nearby, but not too close. The site included: picnic table on concrete, BBQ pit, trash pole, and fire ring. Utilities: 20/30/50A electric in back. Water in back, good pressure. No sewer, but a dump station is available. 

AT&T had 2 bars of LTE and Verizon 2 bars of LTE service. AT&T Speedtest: 5.1 Mbps down, 0.7 Mbps up. Verizon Speedtest: 7.4 Mbps down, 0.1 Mbps up. No WiFi. 

Would stay here again. We camped at Lake Bistineau State Park in a Travel Trailer.

Located inside Kisatchie National Forest, Winn district. We were not alone here, but felt very secluded. This campground has sites with picnic tables, lantern posts, and fire rings. The grounds are hilly and has great small trails throughout. The gum springs body of water has large trees across small parts of water allowing the boys to test their balance skills. They had so much fun running up and down the hills and through the trees. We really liked this place. There are bathrooms on one side of the loop.

The Winn Ranger Station is next to campground.

"The Gum Springs Campground is located in an area of hilly terrain and natural springs. Gum Springs Recreation Complex exhibits recreation design and construction from the Civilian Conservation Corps era of the 1930's. Gum Springs campground offers basic recreation opportunities of picnicking and camping and is close to Gum Springs Horse Camp and Trail."

see Gum Springs Campground

Located inside Kisatchie National Forest, Winn district. We were not alone here, but felt very secluded. This campground has sites with picnic tables, lantern posts, and fire rings. The grounds are hilly and has great small trails throughout. The gum springs body of water has large trees across small parts of water allowing the boys to test their balance skills. They had so much fun running up and down the hills and through the trees. We really liked this place. There are bathrooms on one side of the loop.

The Winn Ranger Station is next to campground.

The Gum Springs Campground is located in an area of hilly terrain and natural springs. Gum Springs Recreation Complex exhibits recreation design and construction from the Civilian Conservation Corps era of the 1930's. Gum Springs campground offers basic recreation opportunities of picnicking and camping and is close to Gum Springs Horse Camp and Trail.

Breston was an amazing host!!! DEFINITELY call or text him to reserve a site. The historic plantation is absolutely gorgeous. We got the grand tour of the land, and Breston’s impressive herb farm. The love and passion Breston has for horticulture really shines through his work here. I’m a house plant nerd, and I loved learning about the ins and outs(and scientific names!) of outdoor plants! He’s got some for sale as well. We were going to pick up a patchouli plant, but I am spacey and completely forgot to ask by the time we left. 

Breston made us drinks with mint fresh from his garden, and offered a local beer(both delicious! He makes a mean julep!) His homemade gumbo was*chef’s kiss*. We walked back to our tent in the clearing behind the house with full bellies and good spirits. 

There are lots of spots to pitch your tent on property. We chose the clearing in the back, surrounded by towering trees, next to the levee. We brought bare minimum sleeping pads(just Nemo switchbacks and bags) and it was like sleeping on a cloud. The ground was soft and cushy, perfect if you’re light car-campers like we are. Just gingerly drive over a 110 year old sidewalk to get there! Southern hospitality is abundant here. We can’t thank Breston enough for such a memorable experience!

Jimmie Davis State Park is wonderful, well maintained, and has a number of amenities.  Prettiest La. State Park I've stayed in so far. We had a great stay the days before Thanksgiving, and the weather was awesome. The fall leaf colors were spectacular. Caney Lake is clean and beautiful. I enjoyed walking and sitting along the lake in the mornings. Bathrooms were clean. 

Stayed in campsite#52. Back-in site with asphalt parking, picnic table and fire ring. 15A/30A/50A, and water. No deck, sewer, Wi-Fi, and cable TV hookups. It has a large area on door/awning side. Awning faced west but the trees provided ample shade from the evening sun shining underneath. The spot is well spaced from other sites. The site is located near the lake. I wish the site had a paved patio or deck like site 51 and 54 on either side. Nearest neighbor was at least 30-40 ft. Away. Roads in the park were asphalt/concrete/gravel. 

Both AT&T and Verizon had low signal(2 bars each). AT&T Speedtest= 16.8 Mbps down, 1.4 Mbps up. We camped in a Travel Trailer. Would definitely stay here again. We camped at Jimmie Davis State Park in a Travel Trailer.