Best Cabin Camping near De Soto National Forest, MS

The RV’s are situated too close for our liking. They have lots of green space which is nice but they could of given more room between campers. Cabins look nice and theres a beautiful lake. The price is great for seniors.

We visited during quarantine so we could not rent canoes, kayaks, paddle boats or do the zip line but quiet little place. It kept up well. Beach area and a couple play areas. Lots of fishing going on (never saw anyone catch anything). Nice cabins to rent too. We found a hiking trail and rode bikes

A very huge manmade lake with beautiful scenary. Campsites overlooking lake and beach area. Cool breezes under the many shady trees. Lite area and clean rest areas. We have been enjoying this park for 40 years. The new owners have done a fantastic job and keep the park clean. There is a camp store, cabins for rent, zipline, canoes, disk golf, and golf carts for rent. I highly recommend this park and will continue to enjoy it for many more years.

Paul B Johnson State Park in Mississippi is a great place to get away and enjoy the outdoors! They have a splash pad for the kids and a disc golf course! Definitely recommend!

Been going to Paul B for more that 40 years. Love it’s wide open views and lake sites. Big lake with rental boats available. Beautiful beach & swimming behind the lodge & another swimming area to cool off. Disc golf course is fun. New water splash pad is tons of fun (extra $). Hattiesburg is about 8 miles away with lots to do - movies, dining, churches, etc.

Despite the appearance of an unglorified RV parking lot with basically zero privacy and not much space in between the individual RV’s, this spot is a decent stopover if you need to pull your mobile living room over for a short spell. Lakeview RV Resort has more than 100 individual parking lanes for residents and I found the community to be inviting and friendly  there’s even some social gatherings poolside (very nice feature) each night around sundown. 

Of course, the gem of this place is the 16 acre lake, which I was able to get my kayak into for a few quick handful of laps early in the morning. If you’re driving an RV or hauling a camper behind your SUV, then this concrete camping parking lot just off of Highway 15 (due north of Interstate 10) near Saucier may just be the perfect spot for you. But if you’re a diehard tent camper like I am, you’ll be out of luck. 

With ample slanted and elongated parking lanes for your parking pleasure, all of the sites come equipped with the typical 30 / 50 amp electrical hook-ups, waste disposal and water connections, picnic tables, garbage receptacles and even a community BBQ. Additionally, they’ve got a small boat launch, cement / asphalt pads, internet, laundr-O-mat, pavilion for large group events and propane for sale. The restrooms were pretty decent (but could use a serious power spraying).  You’ll discover that both RV’s as well as even a handful of cabins / cottages comingle here, but basically, this is a site designed for and around RV’s.

Insider’s Tip? Near this RV parking lot, you do have access to all of the nightlife and entertainment you would expect to find in nearby Biloxi, and of course, there’s the world-famous Gulf Shores beachheads that are just a short drive to. I’m a diehard foodie, so after a few days of cooking campside, I like to head into town for a nice local meal. There’s 2 great places I could recommend, right off RT. 10, due south of Lakeview RV Resort– either Puff Belly’s Brewery, Pizza& Grill(great live review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b55Vs2hnJk4&t=7s) or Fried Green Tomato, which lives up to its reputation as the Best Fried Green Tomatoes in the South(https://www.tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/souths-best-fried-green-tomatoes/). 

Overall, for the price, convenience and location, Lakeview RV Resort isn’t a bad spot for a night to take a break. 

Happy Camping!

When we took our kids camping when they were young, they were lucky if there was a small playground at the state parks where we camped; they would have loved this place which is exactly why we wouldn’t come near here during the summer months! (Funny how our perspective has changed now that our kids are grown!) For families, this could be a reasonably priced getaway: camping, playground, disc golf, pool, and waterpark - all in one place. Note, however, that there is an additional charge for both the pool and the waterpark. 

This is a very large campground with 276 sites. I’m not sure if we lucked out (or if I was advised by another reviewer) but we reserved in the Treasure Cove loop, farthest from the entrance. This loop appeared to be the only one with relative privacy/separation between the sites. All the others looked like they had RVs stacked up on top of each other. Sites include a bbq, fire pit, and picnic table. There is also a “premium” section by the waterpark overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. These are right on the road, but the road did not seem to be heavily trafficked (this might be different in the summer months). The cost for these sites is higher and they are not reservable. Beware that some of these sites are on pavement with no separation (and no view of the Gulf), while others are on the grassy area with a view of the Gulf. Since they are not reservable, you would be able to select one to your liking. There is, however, zero shade in these sites and there are no tables or grills and they may be unavailable during certain times of the year. There is also a primitive loop and it is exactly that. No restrooms or other facilities (although you could walk to one of the other loops) and no visible delineation of sites. 

The bathrooms are reasonable. We drove past miles and miles of white sandy beach before reaching this campground, so I was eagerly looking forward to a long walk on the beach but near the campground, I was disappointed that there was no beach; the water came right up to the road (although there was a concrete sidewalk of sorts). I am not sure if this is because of hurricane erosion or by design. 

Because we were not here with kids in the summer to enjoy the waterpark, there was not much for us to do so we were happy we had only reserved one night here.

We escaped an early winter cold spell in Michigan and made the thousand mile trip to the Mississippi coast. It was worth the drive. The campground includes 52 spaces most of which can accommodate an RV and a vehicle. The spaces are quite small and close to one another. Water and electric are included. There is a campground host on site. We saw a park Ranger just once during our visit. There is a railroad nearby and it is quite loud in the evening. There was no issue for us as we are accustomed to train noises. There is also a group campground nearby, which was very noisy late into the night. I got the sense that this was not customary. The campground is located in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, which is next to Biloxi. Outside the campground, the golf beaches are beautiful, white sand. The bathrooms and showers are adequate. There is a dump station in the campground. We definitely recommend and will come back.

We spent Christmas Holiday in this Beautiful Mississippi State Park,  we have family in the area so instead of Hotels we bring the motorhome down and spend the week here! The park is clean the lake is wonderful and the folks that manage the property are Great look forward to next year!!

Keith and Barbara

Magic river is a small quiet campground that has all the amenities. Full.hook ups, pool, large sites. It is a passport America campground which saves you a lot. Only.$12 a night. Everyone is kind and respectful. We are using it as home-base for visiting new Orleans, mississippi and louisanna. We will.def8nately be back!! Love the pond, campground fires and coffee in the morning!!

We have heard great things about Paul B. Johnson for years, even before we began our own camping adventures. It was definitely a campground we were excited to check out, so we booked a long weekend getaway with the promise of beautiful spring weather. Unfortunately, our trip here was cut short due to a family emergency, but we were able to scope things out for future adventures.

It was a bit of a trek from our home on a work night, so we arrived after dark at site 67. This campground does not lock up at night, so this was not a major issue. We entered the campground through what we later learned was a back entrance off of Geiger Lake Road, so we didn’t check in until the next morning at the visitor center. The sites were not well marked with numbers, so we had to drive around a time or two to locate our site (with me occasionally getting out of the truck to read the site numbers painted in yellow on the road). The main entrance to the park has a much “fancier” building than the back entrance and leads you to drive over a spillway (which is TOTALLY safe, so no worries). The roads in the campground are narrow, two-lane roads but are not conducive to two RVs passing one another. We had to get off of the road for others to pass.

Our site was lakeside on a hill leading down to a pier that jutted into the lake. It also had a grill and wooden picnic table that was movable. Having full hook up was nice! However, the connections were quite spread out with the water pretty far back from the other connections at this site (we needed two water hoses). There was no dedicated fire ring but there was evidence of camp fires, so we just cleared a space and set up our chairs. However, some sites had a metal fire ring and concrete picnic tables. Lower numbered sites are older with newer sites being those in the 100s. The newer sites are more level and have concrete pads instead of asphalt pavement. However, the views aren’t nearly as nice. Site 16 is next to a pier that leads to an island (super cool but everyone can access that, so you’d lose privacy). Many sites have decks, but that really sacrifices “yard space” if that’s an important factor for you. Some sites we were interested in for our next visit included 71 and 84, but we really loved site 67 and would give it another go for a future visit.

Camp Shelby is nearby, so you’ll hear various noises from that (not overly distracting but I wish I would have known before arriving). There is a splash pad, lake swimming, and several picnic areas near the visitor center that would be awesome for kids and families when the weather is warmer. There are so many species of birds if you enjoy bird watching like we do. We enjoyed watching geese and ducks on Geiger Lake in the morning. There’s also a nature trail that we didn’t get to check out. The views from our camper were beautiful at Paul B, and we would love to visit this campground again soon!

One of south Mississippi's best kept secrets. This is a small campground located in the National Seashore within the city limits of Ocean Springs. The diverse ecosystem of the Bayou is fascinating and chances are very high you'll be able to see at least one large gator while you tour this park. (No worries, they're not near the campsites). The campground itself has 50 reservable sites, all with 30/50 amp electric and water. Fire rings and picnic tables are at each site also. Most are well shaded and far enough apart to be comfortable. Terrific bath house and convenient dump station. Ranger programs are offered through the visitors center which is a must see. The 20 minute video about the park's history and importance is well worth your time. Make sure to save time to tour the downtown area of Ocean Springs. It's one of the USA's top rated seaside communities.

My girlfriend and I were super excited to camp here because of the name; National Seashore. We expected kind of beach camping and couldn't find too many pictures of the park that would indicate otherwise. When we got there we quickly realized that we were mistaken and it was more of a swampy marshland, which we should have expected given it is Mississippi. So it took some time to find a place to pitch our small tent where we felt safe. The hardest part was how miserably hot and humid it was. All in all though the camp ground was nice and well kept, the bathrooms and showers were great, the staff and fellow campers were nice, and I had an overall good experience. Also, the park had a nice welcome center and map that made it easy to find our way around. But I would not recommend tent camping in the summer months because of the heat.

This is a review for BUCCANEER STATE PARK Waveland Mississippi where we stay during  January 2023

Be sure to travel US 90 to Lake Shore Drive to avoid RR track bottom out. 

Lake Shore Drive deadheads into South Beach Drive.

PROS 

Site 109 level 

Site 109 shady 

Treasure Cove toilet/shower facility was heated and clean with ample TP 

Site pedestal grill 

Park roadways easily navigable 

Trash dumpster at campground loop entrance, which was walkable 

T-MOBILE 2-3 bars 

CONS 

Never saw park ranger drive thru campground in 3 days 

Never found a camp host nor were there any marked in campground map

LOTS of noise! Railroad Avenue runs right behind Treasure Cove campground which is heavily traveled Railroad track behind park has 2-3 trains passing by each night 

No privacy from neighboring campsites 

Non moveable concrete & wooden picnic table on concrete slab 

Leash rules ignored by pet owners 

No overnight security gate closure 

Park laundromat had machines out of service 

No park WiFi

This campground is operated by the NPS and is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. This is the smaller of the two campgrounds in the National Seashore, the other one being Fort Pickens in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Open year round, this spot has easy access to boating and fishing and provides a nice spot for visiting some of the outer islands of the park. However, the ferry service out to the islands does not operate year round. For more information on how to access the islands without your own boat, check out the NPS website.

This campground is nice and relatively quiet because generators are not allowed. Do note that the busy season is January through March (not the middle of the summer). So if you plan on visiting during this time of year, be sure to reserve your spot early. The campground has nice restrooms and clean showers.

Because this is a part of the NPS, there is a nice Visitor's Center on site and Ranger programs happen frequently. For more information regarding current events and programs, visit : https://www.nps.gov/guis/planyourvisit/upload/062817_MS_SummerRangerPrograms_Printable.pdf

If you're looking to spend time at the National Seashore, don't forget to check out the lesser known side here in Mississippi! We will be retuning to this campground this winter and I can't wait!

We have enjoyed our stay here and will return. There are a lot of shady sites. They only downfall is the restrooms. Luckily we have sewer and do not have to use them however if you do need to use them be aware of the bugs. Doesn't seem like they clean the bathrooms too often because there's bugs all over the floor. They also don't have Wi-Fi. I used to come here every year as a kid. They do have a water park however it closes the day after Labor Day and reopens for the summer.

Came here for two nights because our initial campground was too sketchy. Wayyyyyyyy overpriced but got the job done.