Best Cabin Camping near Holly Springs, MS

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!

We visited Bogue Chitto after torrential rains pummeled Louisiana and Mississippi causing the park to cancel our site we had reserved with a water view in the Bottomland Loop. This really ended up being a blessing in disguise. We were forced to just pick a site when we arrived at the park (not so great for this OCD-Teacher-Planner-Mom), but after only one drive around the Upland Loop, we decided on site 2 and were not disappointed! The site backed up to a trail, and the driver side of the trailer faced a wooded area (instead of a neighboring site) which afforded us much more privacy than any of the other sites would have. Sites 9, 14, and 46 also looked nice with their awnings facing trees instead of other campsites. All sites in this loop had sewer hook ups, so that was nice. There was a concrete pad underneath the fire ring with a lifting grill, a separate grill by the wooden picnic table, and a lantern post. There was a big tent pad close to the fire ring as well.

We thoroughly enjoyed all of the hiking and biking opportunities this campground afforded us. Although the Bottomland area was closed for camping, we still checked things out for future visits. Given the choice between the two loops in the future, I think I’d choose site 2 again. Camp hosts were visible and kept the campground very clean. During our visit, there was a Dutch Oven competition, so the campground was packed.

We only were able to stay here for two nights and left wishing we could have stayed much longer! We will definitely visit Bogue Chitto State Park again.

After this teacher/mom and her kids were sent home from school due to Covid-19, we decided that some time in nature was what we all needed as a family. Our friends and their family joined us, and we headed to Lake Lincoln State Park for a long weekend. Since it was a spur of the moment decision, there were no neighboring sites with a view of the lake to choose from. We ended up at sites 36 and 37 since access to the lake was nearby.

Our sites were very close to one another, so these would be ideal for two people traveling together. If I had not known my neighbors, I would definitely not want to stay on site 36 as its view was a direct view of our friends’ camper and their sewer connection. This did make for some great jokes later. Each site had a picnic table, a concrete pad, and a grill but no fire ring or lantern post. Sewer hook ups were a plus since the bathhouses were all shut down. We set up a tent for our college-aged son just behind the two campsites (an additional charge of $15 per night).

We all loved the amount of shade and seclusion these two sites provided. We felt like we were nestled snuggly into the pines and enjoyed a peekaboo view of the lake, a precious chapel in our “backyard,” and easy access to the lake and beach areas. We used the driver side of site 37 as our communal area for our two families and enjoyed cooking, playing games, sitting around the fire, and listening to music here. Our stay was extremely quiet even with day use visitors coming into the campground to fish and enjoy the beach area. We enjoyed several walks with our dogs touring the campground and hiking the trail. We did tour the campground but didn’t really note any specific sites that tickled our fancy. We did see several that had direct views of the lake we know we would have enjoyed. Our girls enjoyed lounging in the sun on the beach area until it was closed due to mitigation measures. We hung two hammocks easily with the multitude of trees on sites 36 and 37, and few naps were enjoyed in both during our stay. The guys did some fishing but not any catching worth speaking of, much to our dismay. More than anything, we ate well and laughed lots during our stay which is more than anyone can hope for in a vacation.

Overall, this trip cured our cabin fever during an unprecedented time in our world’s history, and we made more great memories with our dearest friends. We loved Lake Lincoln and hope to visit again in the future. Hopefully, we can do some fishing AND catching the next time around.

We have camped here in tents and in our travel trailer and this place is great for both! Spots are spread out for the most part and have picnic tables, grills and some have fire rings.

The lake is nice in the summer for fishing and swimming, but if you’re looking for a large boating area this ain’t it.

If you want to just get out and chill, then this is the spot. What we like about Paul B is that if you have a group of friends, you can probably get a bunch of spots in the same area and take over a section of the park and hang out all weekend nearby.

Our site was perfect for us. Plenty of shade at our particular site. Pad was wide enough without a slope coming out of either door. Fire pit was in a nice location and the picnic table was huge. Family was able to do plenty of bike riding around the park with only one monster hill. The park was full but spread out enough to enjoy our on space. The river area was crowded due to the day users but we found a area to keep our distance. There are some really nice sites in the upper portion of the park. The lower portion is not really ideal for our 36ft TT. But if you had a small unit it may be perfect for you. Staff was extremely friendly. We will definitely return to this park.