Best Glamping near Port Gibson, MS

PRO

Senior discount- saved $10 for 2 nights

No prepayment required when phone reservations made 154 days prior to arriving 

7 miles off of US61 

Good jumping off spot for Natchez Trace and Vicksburg Battlefield 

Friendly and helpful staff 

Firewood delivered to campsite by staff for $5 

Very quiet 

Moveable metal frame wooden picnic table 

Metal fire ring (only in upper loop) without cooking grate 

Some shade 

Level site #12 

Entrance gate locked overnight 

Upper loop 3/4 occupied; lower loop no occupants Thursday or Friday night 

CONS 

Street lights in campground 

Campsite is selected from whatever is available upon your arrival, so you have to drive around and look for your site

Gate locked earlier than 5pm as we were told it would be locked at 5pm, but upon arriving at 445pm and it was locked! 

No campfires permitted in lower loop and that’s where the sites have the most shade Site#12 got covered with about 2 inches of mud upon a rain storm 

Tiny grocery store in Port Gibson; otherwise it’s a trip to Vicksburg for the closest Walmart 

Port Gibson had a McDonalds, Sonic and Pizza Hut(take out only) 

1 bar Verizon 

No WiFi

Clear Springs Recreation Area,located in the Homochitto National Forest near Roxie, Ms, is probably one of my favorite campgrounds within 3 hours from New Orleans. It's located in a beautiful section of the forest, complete with rolling hills and a lake.

The primitive tent only sites are located about half a mile up the road from the main campground, providing a substantial distance between you and the RVs. The dirt road to the tent only sites is lined with individual camp sites until you reach the back area. The back has a few small hilltops that have about 4 sites per hill. Each hill is about 50 yards from each other, again, providing needed space between you and other campers. All of the sites have fire pits with fold down cast iron grills. The ground was level enough for tents, and there's a good amount of trees for hammock camping.

The RV spots are located near the lake(pond), and have picnic tables and the fire pit. Some of the RV sites are more open air and without much privacy, yet some are nestled amongst the trees on the outer perimeter.

Adjacent to the RV sites are the restrooms, equipped with showers. On a very cold and frozen winter morning, I had decided to visit the facilities. To my great surprise, when I opened the door, I was hit with blast of warm air! So you can rest easy knowing that the restrooms are heated. There is a large pavilion that is open to air on three sides. the open sides have a railing with bench seats. There are also picnic tables located within. Most interesting was the oversized stone fireplace. It looks most welcoming, although I had no chance to use it.next to the pavilion is an open picnic area with charcoal grills and more tables. All of these picnic areas overlook the pond.

I understand that there is 17 miles of hiking trails surrounding the area. It looks like a large circuit with shorter trails interconnecting by the map.

I haven't experienced this campground outside of dead winter. I enjoyed the subfreezing temps next to a hot fire. I have been four times in the last couple of years, twice solo and twice with guests. I very much love this campground.

This park/campground is about 8 miles west of the town of Port Gibson, near a nuclear reactor (yes, you heard that right). This park is not on the way to anywhere (except the nuclear reactor) and we were apprehensive as we followed the GPS directions but upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised by a park filled with history. Unfortunately for us, the campground was full as the nearby reactor was being refueled and all the employees were either camped out along the road or in the park. Also, the Mississippi River had risen to the road, coming very close to flooding the park. For future reference, the camping fees are very reasonable ($25 or $23 for 62 and older) for a FHU site. There is also an area for tents, although I did not ask the fee for this. There are two camping areas – an upper and lower campground and one small bathhouse that is located in the Upper Campground (one toilet and sink and two shower stalls). I would think one night here would be enough, but if you are a history buff, this destination should be on your list. 

The town of Grand Gulf boasted nearly 1,000 residents by the mid-1800s but then yellow fever, a tornado, and massive floods reduced the population to 158 by the time the Civil War arrived in the area. Features include a church, mill, old cemetery, observation tower, gun emplacements, rifle pits.

Spent the weekend camping at one of the improved sites with water on site. Site had picnic table, fire pit, and plenty of room for tents and your camp set-up. Our site had a great view of the creek and was a little more tucked away but right by the bathrooms. Trails are throughout the area, couple of fishing spots, lots of picnic areas with grills and a playground. The place was not very crowded and the US Forest Service ranger (Virginia) was very kind and helpful. We hiked some of Richardson Creek Trail, but decided to turn around because it was overgrown at points and we found ticks on our dog. Otherwise, it was a beautiful walk through the woods. Several large banana spiders set up along the way so keep an eye out! Also, the county is supposed to be under a fire burn until the end of October.

Enjoyed my stay for 3 nights. the campgrounds are tucked back in the wooded areas. You drive in from main highway and feel like you’re in a tunnel of trees; temperature drops 5-10 degrees. I was in Campground “B”; nice area with some sites on the lake. Be careful selecting your site, some are uneven and the pad sets above ground level. Sites all have a grill and fire pit. Bathhouse was clean with a washer/dryer for $1.75. Men’s had 2 showers booths. Water pressure at my site was 40 psi no issues. Park is easy access to Natchez and surrounding historical sites.

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.