Best Tent Camping near Okolona, MS

This is a GREAT campground. We camped in a tent on site 88. Right on the tombigbee.

This was our first camping trip as RV owners, we have been tent camping before. We loved Piney Grove! It was off season so definitely not crowded. It was so peaceful and quiet, we chose a waterfront spot and we literally had our own beach in front of our RV. So beautiful! We’ll be back in the summer.

This KOA is a decent place. We arrived after the office was closed. We had called ahead and they had a site saved for us. The only issue was, we could not find the site. It was a tent site and we could not find the assigned one. Being the off season and not crowded we just grabbed an empty site. The map they left only had the tent area not individual tent sites marked.

Bathrooms and showers were exceptionally clean. Grounds were clean. Very quiet place. I would stay here again. I looked like all the camper sites were clean and level.

Only reason for the 4 stars and not 5 is due to the site we were assigned to not being marked. Other than that it would be a 5.

Part 2: We had a mechanical issue with one of our motorcycles and the staff at the KOA went out of there way to assist us. They gave us a break on the 2nd night stay due to our situation. Changing this to a 5!!

This campground is in the middle of Holly Springs National Forest on Puskus Lake. The campground itself is quite small but the camping spaces have a good amount of room to them so you do not feel like you are on top of each other. Additionally, I have never seen more than 5 or 6 different sites being used anytime that I have been there. It is also relatively cheap to camp there which is always great! While you can boat or fish on the lake, you cannot swim in the lake so keep that in mind if you are going somewhere where you want to cool off. They do have nice docks over the water however to hang out on. There are 2 trails you can walk on around the campsite but they only equal about 5 miles and are not maintained very well in some areas although they are flat and easy to explore. Overall, this spot is great for a night or two when you just want to go out and tent camp for a great price.

Wow! In the middle off Mississippi just a few miles off Natchez Trace parkway is this lovely little campground on a lake. And super affordable. We planned on only staying 1 night but we like it so much we will make it two nights.

Stayed on a weekend in March. Campground was about 80% full. Bath and showers were clean. Concrete pad with adjacent gravel area for screen room, tent, etc. Laundry facilities were closed during our stay. Paved bike trail nearby. Limited walking trails within the campground. One dump station and trash collection area near the check-in. Good Verizon signal.

Quiet except for the sounds of nature. A river runs thru it. Well, next to it. Paved roads X throughout, with was huge for me on a motorcycle. But, the grassy area for my site was all red ants and bull ants. The "pad" was pea gravel, impossible to stake my tent. And, the super nice man running the place informed me I was to set up on the pad. @ The weather called for rain and I was worried about wind.

I camped here just one night in May 2021 on a Saturday, I got there at about 3pm and was the first there but by nightfall every site was full. People stayed quiet with the exception of a 12:30am arrival man who walked onto my site right up to my tent to I guess see if anyone was there?? I’m a solo camping woman so that was a little scary. Beautiful place that seemed to be primarily locals, bathrooms are what you can expect from a small campground, bring your own TP. The water spout did not work on my visit.

We took our 23 foot forest river TT on its maiden voyage here in mid June. It was easy to navigate even though it was dark. Nice level site. There is 30 and 50 amp electric and good water pressure.

We stayed in site 18 by the water, most lakeside sites are about 20 feet from shore, and are mostly grass besides the driveway and tent pad. While we loved the campground we probably wouldn’t go back to this site. There were 2 knockdown trees in front of the site, which made fishing hard. There was also a beehive in the tree close to the fire pit.

The sites away from the water looked to be uneven and on a slope so beware if you take an rv.

There is a swimming beach, a pier, and plenty of place to tie up a boat. We plan to return and explore some more!

Trace State Park near Tupelo, MS. Once you get into Tupelo the signage directing you to the park is easy to find and follow.

The road in is in terrible shape, the lake is missing, the levy being worked on. They have horse, ATV and mountain bike trails which are in okay shape but could use some TLC. There are rental cabins and the store is limited to souvenir type merchandise and disc’s.

The staff at the park were very helpful and the facilities, which included a showerhouse/multipurpose room and screened porch were very well taken care of. I definitely liked the large shower stalls!

The sites are spacious, including a fire area, picnic table, electric hookup, water and sewer hook up. You have some privacy and depending on your site sparse to full shade.

There is Disc golf, fishing, and currently limited water sports.We used the multipurpose room and a nearby site that had more then enough room for all of us to sit around the fire.

Tupelo, Mississippi is nearby with Elvis’s birthplace. In addition there are several recreation areas to visit on the Natchez Trace with historical information and trails to explore.

Piney Grove Campground was full of beautiful waterfront campsites. It was a delight to be able to put in my kayaks right at my campsite and not have to drive to a boat ramp. Each campsite has a ton of trees, which was great for our 7 hammocks. All campsites are close to bathrooms. The bathrooms were well-kept. 

The campground featured a lovely lake beach. The star of the camp is the beautiful lake. The only downside is that the lake had a lot of motor boat traffic. As a kayaker, I had to stay close to shore to be safe. The waves caused by the motor boats were annoying. 

The campsites were close together, and the borders weren't that clear. While the campsites are sizable, there are only small spaces clear enough for a tent. The camp was really busy while we were there, and it felt like we were sharing a site with our neighbors. 

Overall, it's a beautiful camp. It would probably be most enjoyable for anyone with a motorized boat.

Ranger review: RoM Outdoors RoM Pack at Trace State Park, Tupelo, Mississippi 

Campground Review: I took the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway from Tennessee down into Mississippi and exited near Tupelo to continue into Trace State Park for a camping event I was attending over the weekend. Once you get into Tupelo the signage directing you to the park is easy to find and follow. 

The park itself needs some work. Recent cuts from the state have left the park in need of road work and the levy repair is taking a while to complete according to locals. Where we camped the lake was dry and full of weeds. You could tell by the shoreline that it would be possible to anchor your water craft very near your campsite in several locations once it is refilled with water. 

That being said the staff at the park were very helpful and the facilities, which included a showerhouse/multipurpose room and screened porch were very well taken care of. I definitely liked the large shower stalls!

The sites are spacious, including a fire area, picnic table, electric hookup, water and sewer hook up. The spacing between sites is good too, you have some privacy and depending on your site sparse to full shade.

Disc golf, multi-use trails, fishing, currently limited water sports.

After set up our group met in the multipurpose room and then congregated to a nearby site that had more then enough room for all of us to sit around the fire. 

Tupelo, Mississippi is nearby and I visited Elvis’s birthplace , “Scarlet’s Donuts”(maple bacon donuts, and tamales) and an excellent BBQ place “Clays House of Pig”. So if you like to sneak to town while camping this is a nice area for it. There are thrift and antique stores close too.

Product Review: As a Dyrt Ranger I recently received a **RoM Outdoors ** RoM Pack https://romoutdoors.com/ to use , abuse and review while camping. I explored one of the three main trails in Trace SP. The trails are multi-use (ie. ATV, Horse, Dirt bike, Hikers) so pay attention to the signs and be aware of the area. We hiked 4.5 miles. The first thing you will notice about the RoM****Pack is that it has some weight to it (4.6 lbs)even empty. This is due to the outer water resistant material and the inner, soft, insulated material. There are two detachable bags, and a smaller inner pack to carry them in when you remove them to transform your pack into......a hooded poncho or ground cover , cool idea!

So obviously this is not an overnight type backpack or something a fast packer would use. It is however a versatile option for day hikes, visits to the park or sporting events and I used it to pack my Dachshund when he was done hiking ;)

I haven’t attempted to attach a hydration bladder and decided to just place my entire hydration pack into the main area of the RoM Pack. This works in two ways. First if I don’t need the poncho/blanket I have my hydration in easy reach. Second if I do use the poncho/blanket my hydration pack fits fine under the inner pack on my back with poncho over that. 

Definitely practice folding and unfolding the poncho/blanket . I had my usual dysfunction , just like with the hiking maps, I got it unfolded and user ready but then had issues putting it back into its original folded configuration. I eventually got it back together. There is a video on their site to make it easier. Just remember it will get faster with muscle memory over time.

Once again this is not a pack I would use for extended deep woods adventures. It’s great for your day hikes with the kids, concert in the park or hike into a picnic spot, would work for hunting too.

Pro’s: All in one (ie, carry pack, two secure bags, blanket/poncho, inner pack, Molle straps to add other accessories)

Water resistant outer shell

Soft warm inner lining

_Durable material _

Well made

Con’s: Heavy

Limited packing space( the large middle pocket is gone when you unfold it_)_

_Not for overnight/deep woods(_technically not a con, not the concept of the bag)

This will be my go to bag when adventuring with my grandkids. I would/will suggest this pack to friends with specific uses in mind. There are currently three color options and several other products to explore on the ROM Outdoors site

Small well maintained park . Swim area in the lake has a sandy bottom, and plenty of fishing. All sites have a good view of the lake and they are spaced out so you are not too close to each other. There is a great little Baptist church 1 mile from the park and the best Seafood buffet 10 miles north on Hwy 15 at Seafood Junction in Algoma. Your also 20 miles from Tupelo which has plenty of shopping.

As luck would have it, we spotted this place on our Natchez Trace Parkway map and decided we had enough driving for the day. Beautiful setting among the trees and right next to the lake. Level, fire pits, charcoal grills, picnic tables, water and electric all for 20.00 a night and we didn’t qualify for any discount. Already decided we’re staying another night!

Had been wanting to try this campground out for a year. We decided last minute to make the trip this weekend. Super nice park host! Bathrooms were A+++ clean! No showers due to covid. Loved that almost all spot were right at the water edge. Literally. All types of birds to watch. Squirrels too. The walking path is about a quarter mile down to a spot where people fish. Many people boating and fishing. Can’t wait to come back but some sites had already been booked for next week. Seems like this is a very popular place. I do see why!