Best Tent Camping near Iuka, MS

We tent camped at Tishomingo and it was beautiful. Not only did it have nice campgrounds but the trails along the river were awesome!

We had one of the primitive tent sites. It was great and hardly anyone else was at the park. Too cold for the water when we went. Bathrooms could have been nicer but better than nothing.

The Shiloh Military Park nearby kept us busy for a whole day and we spent the evening swimming (real pool, not just a lake) and grilling and campfire at this campground. We loved this tent site among the trees along the lake (I think it was site # teen-something). It wasn’t crowded in June which was a nice surprise.

Shaded, private showers, water and electric hookups, tent friendly, and wildlife-fanatic friendly. Though it is his and gets sweaty at night so bring a fan and appropriate sleeping gear if you'll be tent camping. The grounds are well shaded and comfortable so you don't cook during the day. At night you can indulge in the rich atmosphere of southern cicadas and crickets backdropping owls and coyotes (don't worry! Coyotes are scared of people, they just sound a little jarring when you first hear them yipping). Really nice playground next to the bathrooms.

My two kids tent camped while my parents had their pop up! It was a nice site. There were enough trees that my brother in law was able to set up his hammock system. The site was well kept. There were hardly any blood sucking bugs and no wildlife for protect our stuff from. I think part of that is this site had flooded and rebuilt recently. The staff was very friendly and the area near the dam was really neat. The site is also very close to Pickwick State Park.

We stayed at two cabins at Elliot Branch in August with some friends.  It is a short drive to Bear Creek if you want to kayak or canoe, but the cabins are on lakefront property and you can just jump in!  

The cabins are clean and quiet.  They have a full kitchen, bathroom, and ours slept two in a double bed, but there is room in the living area for cots or sleeping on the couch if you wanted.  The couches are huge, and the cabins have cable.  WiFi is also available, though it is slow.

The campsites are also nice.  We drove through the area, scouting out where we want to tent camp in the future.

This park is smack in the middle of Memphis, Huntsville, and Nashville so it can get pretty crowded. It is very large though, with a full golf course, hotels, cabins, RV/tent camping, sports, kids programs, swimming, fishing, boating, etc. We went here for a family reunion, which was a great venue for that. There is good birding but the trails are very short, so if you are looking for hiking this is not the best place to go, though it is very pretty.

Yay: Campground is wooded and shady, clean but bustling.

Nay: There’s a conference center, so if there’s an event going on then, it will be extremely busy.

Surprise: There are a lot of roads in the park that would be great for biking.

We brought our small Aliner camper here to primitive camp for the first time and we couldn’t have picked a better place! The campsites have been redone in the last couple of years. Fresh gravel and wooden railing. The bathhouse is clean and easy access from all campsites.

There is a small playground close to the entrance. Lots of hiking trails and a fire tower that you can climb! We love the boardwalk trail! Unfortunately, this is our second time to visit the park and the visitors center has been closed both times. Kayaks and fishing boats available for rent.

You can’t go wrong tent camping or bringing a small RV here!

Bonus tip: This is a dark sky area, so come during the new moon phase for views of the Milky Way!

There is a lot of history here and a lot ot learn about Native Americans, geology, plants, animals, etc. Great park for a weekend or a whole week. We mostly did hiking and canoeing, also lots of fishing. Great hiking trails for kids since there are a lot of neat geologic features, bridges, etc. to keep their attention during a hike.

Yay: This park has a lot of extras like playing fields, kayak rentals, ranger programs, educational signage (history and nature), etc. We stayed at a tent site near the little lake and it was just lovely. There are also adorable cabins to rent.

**Nay: some campsites are a little crowded but nothing unusual.  **

Surprise: absolutely beautiful old stonework, bridge, buildings, etc. add so much to the natural scenery!

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.

This campground is a nice quiet campground. They have about 90 spots for you to camp which includes primitive spots. The campground is very shaded with tall pine trees, for most of the day depending on what site you are on. Most sites have very nice views of the water also. Most sites a spacious and have plenty of room behind them. There’s several RV sites right on the water and all tent sites are on the water. The tent sites didn’t look to level to me but there were some places that I saw that wasn’t bad. All the approved sites had water and electric hook ups, concrete picnic tables that were on a slab so that didn’t move. One downside was no grills or fire rings at the sites. However previous campers had makeshift rings out of rocks that were at several sites and you can make your own so fires are permitted. They did have a couple of bathhouses which had only one shower for each gender. They did not have doors going into them. Water was hot but no pressure. There was a huge open grass area were all the kids would gather and play. To use the lake or go to the beach area that was down the road you had to purchase a BCDA permit for ages 16-65. $3 a day or $10 for 3 day for each individual. There is a play ground at the entrance that has a pavilion, and a basketball court. There’s a boat ramp at the entrance as well. The dump station and garbage dumpsters are at least a 1/4 mile from any of the sites. There is no store to purchase things but there is a Dollar General about a mile from the campground if you need something. This campground is a first come first serve and do not take reservations, but if you call the day of you can pay over the phone to ensure you have a spot. The attendant was very friendly and helpful. Overall we enjoyed our stay and will definitely be back.

I have camped here twice so far and it is a nice, basic campground. We tent camped but there were a couple of RV's there, so I know there are places for them. It is on a nice stretch of the Tennessee River, and you can swim, fish, and boat there. Plenty of camp sites and very spacious. Popular with the locals and fairly secluded. Pretty woodland all around. There is a bathhouse with toilets, sinks, and cold showers. The bathhouse is pretty centrally located and there are electric lights around it. Usually not crowded. Plenty of dead wood to collect for firewood. There is a covered area with picnic tables near the bathhouse. Also a few picnic tables around the grounds. There are also plenty of trash cans and fire pits. You can park right next to your site. Very good for family camping. Within a few miles there are a couple of gas stations/convenience stores. Some cell service works out there, some not so much.

I had never really heard about this wonderful place until it was suggested to me on a comment asking about finding the elusive Hellbender salamander. Tucked in the northeast corner of Mississippi are the foothills of the Appalachian Mountain Range. You all know how much I love mountains. So we had to go check it out. And I'm so glad we did.

The landscape is like no other you'll find in MS. The various rock formations, trails and creeks that make up the park provide numerous opportunities for exploring all aspects of this well kept secret. The park is also steeped in a rich history of the Native Americans who once walked the lands and the Civilian Conservation Corps who constructed the park. If you're into geology, the rock formations are pretty fascinating.

Whether you're a small kid or a kid trapped in an adult's body like myself, you'll find something to do here. The pictures in the link will give you an idea of what to look forward to along with a few nearby spots. My only minimal complaint was that the standard campsites were a little too close together, in my opinion. Otherwise, I was uber impressed.

Things to do:

Tent camp - Standard & Primitive

RV or Car/Truck camping

Hammock camping

Group camping & Family Cabins

Fishing, Hiking, Kayaking, Canoeing, Rock Climbing (with permit), Bike Riding, Herping, Birding, Disc Golf or just plain Relaxing

Amenities:

Power connections at all camping slots with the exception of the primitive sites

Bathroom and Shower facilities

Pavillions

Picnic tables & grills

Park office

(You can view my photos via FB on Crazy Camping Chick.)

Tishomingo State park is one of the beautiful places Mississippi has to offer. So many hiking trails, cliffs and sites to see. Also you can visit Mississippi’s highest point only a few short miles away in the neighboring town of Iuka.

Camped & Hiked Tishomingo State Park last weekend. Beautiful fall colors and the hike was gorgeous! This place seems so out of place for Mississippi! With that being said…The campground was a disappointment. There was a handful of decent sites, but overall, it is in disrepair. The bathroom towards the back of the loop was already closed for the season. The middle bathroom only had one toilet working in the women’s and men’s restroom (we don’t have a bathroom in our Aliner popup and there were also lots of tent campers). I literally had to wait in line a couple of times to use the bathroom. Many sites were washing out under the pads and had steep drop offs on the sides (especially the single digit site #’s). The tables and fire pits (some sites didn’t even have a real pit, just a spot on the ground where there was signs of a fire) were really far away and some sites appeared to be in a soggy bottom area. We got semi lucky and had a decent spot. (Site 33). The sites that back up to the woods instead of the pond are flatter for those who find that more important. Maybe we are just spoiled to nicer state parks where they take more pride in the upkeep? Just the little details that don’t cost extra money, but instead just needs someone to do it (blowing leaves off the major roads and parking areas - we couldn't see the road to turn into the campground!!!, cleaning graffiti, clearing massive mounds of debris, etc…) I don’t know if they are suffering from budget cuts, if someone is robbing the place blind or if the staff just works there because it’s a job but doesn’t really care about the park itself. It’s sad because this should be a premier destination spot in Mississippi! I don’t want to deter anyone from going here because the landscape is really nice. I just got worked up because I don’t understand how other parks are able to maintain, but this one seems to really be struggling with how to keep this place nice.

Totally recommend seeing the canyon, but the campsites are in rough shape. Totally eroded with no level spot for a tent. Not an enjoyable camping experience for a really cool place.

Another great camp

Had great camping trip at Tish again. The levee is fixed and Haynes Lake is full so bring your rod and reel. A hidden gem in Northeast Mississippi.

I stayed here on a Thursday evening and I literally had the whole place to myself. It was nice. I couldn't get a for going and my tent poles were broken but I still had a great evening with the river just yards away. There are flush toilets and showers, but no potable water, so plan ahead!

This place has been totally rebuilt by the TVA after flooding in 2019. I don't know what it was like before, but wow it's really nice. All the sites are level, plenty of room for a tent and RV on all 92 sites. Close to some great golf & BBQ, fishing,& Shiloh Battlefield.

The perimeter sites are roomier, offer more privacy than the interior ones. Bathrooms and shower houses spotless.

I’m so glad I’ve finally checked this campsite off the list! It is a beautiful CCC camp that was built in the 1930s. It has primitive site, hookups, cabins and wall tents. There are lots of activities to do as well. It was sad to see some of the buildings in disrepair and I wish the bathrooms could get an upgrade. Be sure to check out the swinging bridge! There’s also disk golf!

We stayed at the group campsite which was located a bit of a climb up a steep hill. The view was great but finding level ground for tents was a bit interesting. The bathhouse was close, clean and stocked with tp. There were toilets and hot showers. The hiking was great with numerous trails nearby. The hikes were mostly easy terrain. Overall, this is a beautiful campground with security and gated at night.