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Best Tent Camping near Saltillo, MS

262 Reviews

Tent camping options around Saltillo, Mississippi include several secluded sites within Holly Springs National Forest. Puskus Lake offers primitive tent camping with basic amenities and access to a small lake for fishing. The Tupelo Bicycle Only Camp on the Natchez Trace Parkway provides dedicated tent-only sites specifically for cyclists traveling through the area.

Most tent sites near Saltillo have minimal facilities and require self-sufficiency. Puskus Lake campground features picnic tables, metal fire rings, and lantern poles at each site, though only one outhouse may be operational near the boat launch. Campers must bring their own toilet paper and drinking water, as the water spout is often non-functional. The $7 fee ($3.50 with an interagency pass) is collected through a self-check-in permit box. The Forest Service has posted notices about possible decommissioning due to low usage.

The walk-in tent sites around Puskus Lake offer considerable privacy and natural surroundings. Sites are positioned 50-100 feet from the water, providing scenic views particularly at sunset. One camper noted that "it's very well remote off of HWY 30 in the Holly Springs National Forest." Weekdays typically see very few visitors, though Saturday nights can become surprisingly busy with all sites occupied. The surrounding forest provides a peaceful setting despite the campground's somewhat neglected condition. Cox Lake, another option in Holly Springs National Forest, offers similar primitive tent camping experiences but visitors report issues with litter. Graham Lake near Sardis Lake provides free tent camping with approximately five spots suitable for small to medium tents, featuring basic restrooms but no hookups or other amenities.

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Best Tent Sites Near Saltillo, Mississippi (6)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Saltillo, MS

3 Photos of 6 Saltillo Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Saltillo, MS

262 Reviews of 6 Saltillo Campgrounds

  • Napunani
    Jun. 23, 2022

    J.P. Coleman State Park Campground

    Nice Lake View...but

    PROS 

    We were able to reserve 368 days prior to arrival 

    Very friendly and helpful check-in clerk 

    Fantastic view of the lake from site 45 

    Mostly quiet except for campground party animals until 3am! 

    Concrete parking pad 

    BBQ grill 

    Fire ring constructed of concrete pavers 

    Coin-operated washers/dryers in shower/toilet facility 

    Small playground, pool and mini-golf course 

    Good jumping off point for Shiloh Battlefield 

    CONS 

    Campsite 45 was full of litter…cigarettes butts, bones, bottle caps, pieces of chalk, straws, melted soda bottles…just nasty 

    Fire ring made of concrete pavers full of ash and trash upon arrival…again nasty Pedestal BBQ grill full of trash and ash upon arrival…more nastiness 

    Campers ignored basic rules/courtesy/respect such as keeping dogs on leash and walking through occupied campsites at anytime. One camper walking through our site complained to us our chairs on our site were in THEIR way. 

    No senior discount 

    Narrow site 

    Site 45 not level 

    Site 45 mostly fun sun 

    Basically we didn't experience any of the campground rules being enforced so obviously there is no management oversight at this State Park 

    Never saw a park ranger drive through the campground (Saturday-Monday) 

    Never saw a camp host or a campsite for a camp host

    Campground quiet hours not enforced 

    Posted "No Swimming” from campsites along lake, but that didn’t stop a sole and no one enforced it 

    Concrete picnic table at end of parking pad, so at the bumper of the camper 

    Sites very close to each other with no vegetation between sites, so no privacy what so ever 

    Street lights throughout campground, so not dark sky friendly 

    Small playground, pool and mini-golf course not walkable from campground 

    Trash dumpsters outside of campground…not walkable 

    Twisty, steep and narrow roadway into campsite...not for novice rig drivers

    Due to short campsites, tow vehicles had to be creative with parking, sometimes blocking most of the campground road, again no enforcement efforts

    No WiFi 

    1 bar Verizon

  • Daniel K.
    Oct. 29, 2021

    Tishomingo State Park Campground

    Quaint and quiet

    This is our first visit here. First impressions are that it is a small, quiet park. It turned out to be less than we expected but not total a let down. The drive in and area in and around the park are beautiful scenic areas. We have encountered several trails, a lake, basketball area, pool, and other typical campground facilities. The sites themselves are mostly spacious with rather small camper pads. The green areas around the pads are spacious but mostly in even. We had a hard time finding an area flat enough to put up out tent on level ground. There is a grill, fire ring, and picnic table on each site.

  • Napunani
    Dec. 13, 2022

    Trace State Park Campground

    Great Lake Views in Deer Run Campground

    PROS 

    No transaction fee assessed for making my own online reservation 

    Site 8 excellent view of lake 

    Asphalt parking pad 

    Pedestal BBQ, moveable wooden picnic table and rock campfire pit. 

    Eagle Ridge campground has 3 washers and 3 dryers $1.50 

    Heated toilet/shower blding. No AC tho - just a box fan.


    1 bar T-MOBILE but we’re able to live stream TV via T-MOBILE hot spot

    CONS 

    No senior discount 

    Site number is painted in the roadway and due to leaves on road difficult to find Numerous large road potholes from entrance gate to campground.  Guess this eliminates any need for speed bumps!

    Not dark sky friendly due to 2 street lights, at site 2 and 13, that light up most of the small campground loop 

    Deer Run campsites very close to each other 

    Site 8 unlevel side-to-side 

    Dirt and sand surrounded asphalt parking pad so during rains (for 2 days) it was a big mess 

    No privacy from any other campsite 

    Due to campsite water spigot being low to ground, insufficient space to add water filter 

    Deer Run campground toilet/shower building is not handicap accessible 

    Trash roll offs outside of camping loop. 15 minute walk one way. 

    No park WIFI

  • MickandKarla W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 13, 2024

    Whitten Park Campground

    One of Our Favs

    Our RV GPS and Waze brought us south from Tishomingo via MS-25 to MS-4 to John Rankin Hwy. It’s a more scenic and narrower road than just taking MS-25 south, but there were no issues. We had made online reservations earlier that day for this Army Corps of Engineers Campground (CG) where we get a 50% discount per night using the National Parks Access Pass. We arrived earlier than 2:00 PM when the check-in gate opens, but there was a sign to go ahead and set up and come back at 2:00 to check-in. As we had our site number, we headed directly to pull through site 9 with water and electric(50/30/20 AMP). This was our third time camping at Whitten and we were delighted to find that they had combined site 8 and 9 into one long site. This site still had the old site amenities, which meant that we had double electric pedestals, water spigots, patio areas with picnic table, standup bbq, and fire pit. We were able to adjust our 5th wheel to avoid the several unlevel areas in this very long pull through. As with most COEs, water pressure was good and the electric worked fine. Whitten CG has a lot of mature trees, so satellite is iffy. We had no north shot for our Starlink. However, we got 2 to 3 bars on Verizon and the Mifi worked well for our needs to include streaming. There’s no WiFi in the CG. Site 9 has water view and does not bump up to other sites, which we found highly desireable. During our first stay in 2019, each loop had a shower house with a washer and dryer that we had used. Our last stay was an overnighter and we didn’t need to do laundry, so we hadn't checked those facilities out. This time we were here for three nights and had planned on doing laundry only to find the doors locked. We asked the camp host about the washers and dryers. He stated that the washers and dryers had been closed during COVID and now they were no long functional and weren't going to be replaced. We again enjoyed the trail system through out the CG and recreation area to walk our dogs. The James L. Whitten Historical Center is interesting to go through. There are several fishing piers as well. We came on a Wednesday and were pretty much by ourselves. Both Thursday and Friday campers started coming in around 11:30 AM filling up the CG. The camp hosts didn’t seem to mind the early arrivals and even opened up the office around noon for a few minutes to accommodate check-ins.

  • Ryan S.
    May. 18, 2020

    Tombigbee State Park Campground

    Pleasantly surprised!!

    We have camped at several MS state parks near Memphis (Tishomingo, Wall Doxey) and have left feeling like MS didn’t have a lot to offer, but Tombigbee State Park is great. There is a video included in the post which includes the entire campground area. I hope you find it helpful. Additionally, here is a basic overview of pros and cons:

    Pros:

    1. All sites close to the bathhouse
    2. Most sites with full hook up including sewer and 30/50 amp plugs. (see pics)
    3. Multiple updated playgrounds
    4. Very affordable. $24 a night for a full hook up site.
    5. Very walkable. Small campground with access to amenities by foot.
    6. Disc golf course is very fun. It is has an interesting layout in the woods so it is much like a hike.
    7. The park is near Tupelo, MS and there is a Dollar General right at the entrance to the park.
    8. If you are primitive camping, the tent camping area is outstanding. (see pic) There are picnic tables, elevated tent platforms, places for hammocks, a porch swing and bench around a raised fire pit. If you are primitive camping, it is a great place.
    9. There are several docks for fishing and there were signs for the option of boating with a trolling motor, but no one was boating while we were there.
    10. The park office was not open while we were here, but it did look updated
    11. Great for young kids because the campground is small with a flat loop that is easy for bike riding, skating, or scooters. It is easy to see the kids from your campsite and not worry about them getting lost
    12. frequent monitoring by the park rangers. Appears that this park is very well taken care of.

    Cons:

    1. Absolutely no shade on the playground.
    2. Inside loop spots are mostly close together. very little privacy.
    3. We were not able to view the inside of the bathhouse.
    4. only 20 sites and only 4 tent camping areas and were without water or electric.
    5. No SP swag so no stickers, patches, shirts, etc.

    This is an A+ for the price, amenities and location to our home base of Memphis. We will definitely be back.

  • J
    May. 29, 2021

    Tombigbee State Park Campground

    Great for families! Trash location is an issue though

    The campsites were nice. They clouded full hookups, a picnic table and fire ring. The area was clean and surroundings wooded. Neighboring camping spots were adequately spaced. There were lots of areas for kids to play, including a large playground, a baseball/kickball field and hiking/biking trails.

    One big problem, however, was the location of trash dumpsters and cans. There were NO TRASH CANS in the camping area, and the few that were somewhat nearby had signs saying to take your trash to the end of the park road, which was a mile away. This was a problem because we had already hooked up our RV and couldn’t jump in and run the trash that far. Needless to say, whoever maintains the park is being a little lazy and doesn’t want to bother handling trash. Other than that, it was a fairly well maintained park.

  • Dexter I.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 21, 2021

    Puskus Lake

    Nice campground, but might soon be gone

    Puskus Lake campground is a nice campground and could be better but parts are starting to hurt from low use.  The forest service is looking at removing the campground due to low use.  On my visit I was the only one their with the exception of two others fishing out on the lake.  Only one of the three outhouses where open and that was the one by the boat launch.  All the campsites have picnic tables, metal fire rings and metal poles for hanging your lantern.  The campground sit in a nicely forested area just above the lake.  While this might be considered somewhat isolated in the area, if this campground was in Montana it would be packed.  This is a very nice campground in need of a little TLC and more visitors.  Get away from the crowds at those corp of engineer sites and come here for some solitude while you can.

  • Michael W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 19, 2021

    J.P. Coleman State Park Campground

    Narrow sites with killer views

    The sites are rather narrow with varying sizes and locations for outdoor living space. Pay close attention to the states website regarding vehicle size maximums. As I walk through the park, it appears that all spots are full hookup and paved. We are on site 43 and anything longer than 30 ft will be pushing it. As it is, our 25ft trailer fits nicely, but the truck is parallel parked across the end of my site in order to be off the road. The picnic table is behind the camper instead of on camp side, which isn’t my favorite setup but we are making due. Some sites have metal fire rings, while others (like ours) have rock circle pits. Some campsites on the hill side have no picnic table OR fire pits. They also have almost no room to walk around the RV without tumbling down the hill. Sites 62 and 64 aren’t terrible, but everything else from 59 and up is pretty bad. 25-34 and 51-54 are short and back up to a a hill. Would be great for Class B or smaller travel trailers. Sites 10-24 are in a separate area from the rest. 35-50 are down on a low flat area near the water and are the best if you like a view of the lake.

    Bath house in our loop is clean, not completely out of date, and heated for cold weather camping. There is a small area with 2 set of pay washers/dryers and a few vending machines.

    All in all, well worth the State’s $32/night charge.

  • Alex B.
    Jun. 1, 2022

    Puskus Lake

    Secluded beauty close to town

    Some sites are over grown and not maintained. One bathroom away from the sites in the "day use" area. Mostly fisherman. The lake has motor oil/ fuel running on the surface. The docks nice, wide with bench seating. Time has been alright to the paths and roads. Lantern poles are available at all the sites. Possibly ring worms in the water, not sure about all that, however there is a drainage site that turns into a stream with a nice little "hole" to swim or fish in. One site has a short cylinder fire ring with a height adjustable griddle. One site has a dock right in front of it, could park kayaks and or a boat, not sure how deep the water is in terms of what boats. Wonderful sunset, most sites are around 100-50 feet from the water.

    NF camp, so $7 for regular people, and $3.50 for those awesome folks with an interagency pass. Concrete boat launch.

    Enjoy, busy on the weekend/end of week...

Guide to Saltillo

Tent camping near Saltillo, Mississippi offers a chance to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying the tranquility of the outdoors. With several options available, you can find the perfect spot to pitch your tent and unwind.

Tent campers like these nearby activities

  • Enjoy a peaceful stay at Puskus Lake, where you can fish, hike, or simply relax by the water.
  • Experience the serene environment at Witch Dance Bicycle Only Camp, perfect for cyclists looking to combine biking with camping.
  • Explore the natural beauty surrounding Chickasawhay, where you can enjoy hiking and wildlife watching in a secluded setting.

Some prices for tent camping range from $1 to $7

  • At Puskus Lake, the fee for camping is $7, while day use costs just $1, making it an affordable getaway.
  • Camping at Cox Lake is free, but be prepared for a more rustic experience without amenities.
  • Graham Lake offers free camping, ideal for those looking to enjoy nature without breaking the bank.

Local activities to enhance your camping experience

  • Take advantage of the fishing opportunities at Graham Lake, where you can cast a line and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
  • Hike the trails near Puskus Lake for a chance to see local wildlife and stunning views of the lake.
  • Relax and unwind at Witch Dance Bicycle Only Camp, where the quiet atmosphere is perfect for stargazing after a day of biking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Saltillo, MS?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Saltillo, MS is Tupelo Bicycle Only Camp - Natchez Trace Parkway with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Saltillo, MS?

TheDyrt.com has all 6 tent camping locations near Saltillo, MS, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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