Best Tent Camping near Jackson, MS

Giving the pros and cons

I tent camped on site 2. The BBQ pit was not there on this site. The tent pad was rocky (not sand) so bring a sleeping bad or air mattress if you’re tent camping. Also bring a long extension cord.

Was nice being in front of the water and saw quite a bit of birds. The campground was quiet and relaxing despite being in the middle of the city. The bathrooms were ehhh. Not sure of the men’s, but the women’s only had one useable stall. Three stalls total - on without a door and one was out of order. I didn’t use the showers but definitely weren’t the greatest looking showers I’ve seen at a state park.

I saw a ton of deer, birds, and squirrels and the walking trails were nice and led up to the natural science museum.

The primitive area looked nice for tent camping but basically the same amount of privacy as the spots with electricity and water. Just depends what you’re wanting out of the camping trip.

We stayed here over Easter and had a great time. Trail was flooded out less than .5 miles in, which I heard can be typical of this time of year bc of reservoir they drain near there. Plenty of kayak access to all the lakes around. Gnats were so bad we had to stay in the tent to stay sane in the afternoon and most of the evening. They was one other group that tent camped for one night but otherwise everyone had RVs. If you go to tent camp call ahead before booking because some sites have the fire ring on the tent pad. I remember site 10 definitely does. It was packed but pretty much quiet the whole time except a lot of traffic. At night you hear the highway sometimes. Bathrooms are okay, washer and dryer work great.

Grew up coming here for the summer to fish, swim, ski and use the water park. It is an older park but with that being said it has many years left of good camping. The bathrooms are always clean. Many things were closed when we went due to covid but are normally up and running. Love the area. The trails are an addition to the park. We love to get out and walk the woods. The old campground is where we like to stay. Mostly quiet and this is the side with the primitive tent camping. This side also has a good bit of shaded spots that are on the water.

We spent a weekend in October here and absolutely loved it. We had a tent site and my only complaint about that was a leaking spicket that drained onto campsites. The trick or treating is the best. Start right when you can because there are so many sites offering candy or haunted areas. The spook trail is top tier! And there were plenty of activities throughout the day for the kids. Water park is heated which I didn’t know and wished we brought swim suits. Had tons of laughs and memories with my family. So much so we already booked for next October and have more family coming!!

This is one of three free campgrounds that can be found along the Natchez Trace. Located near Port Gibson, MS it is the first campground after leaving Natchez, MS. The lower section of this park is very wet. If possible, try to get one of the campsites on higher ground if you’ll be tent camping. When I was there the bathroom in the campground was open, but I couldn’t get the lights or water to turn on. It was like the restrooms were still winterized, but I don’t know why they would have been unlocked. I heard lots of wildlife while here, coyotes, owls, frogs, and many other little critters. Be sure to check out the old town site and church of Rocky Springs.