Best Tent Camping near Port Gibson, MS

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.

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

This is a US Forest Service campground in the Homochitto Forest. The campground host doesn’t want the secret getting out. S/he jokingly told me “now don’t you go posting on social media” how much you love this place. But I do love this place. It’s definitely off the beaten track but worth the drive. It’s a great campground nestled in the woods. Some of the campsites border part of the lake and more are wooded. We stayed in the wooded area. Our campsite had a pretty picnic area with a wooden rail all around it and wooden steps down from the campsite to the picnic/grill area. There is a loop hiking trail around the lake and a longer mountain bike/hiking trail. The nearest town is Natchez, Mississippi so make sure stock up before you go to the campground. The campsites are mixed use RV/tent sites with water and electricity. They also have a dump station for RVs. There are two bathhouses with hot showers and flush toilets. I have AT&T and had trouble getting a cell signal to make phone calls except when I was up by the bathhouse. They accept the America the Beautiful pass discounts.

This is a great campsite nestled in the Homochitto National Forest right outside Bude, Mississippi. The campsite has two loops with hookups for RVs and some tent campers mixed in. We stayed in primitive campsites right outside of the main entrance for no fee and used the park to fill our water. There are excellent hiking/biking trails in 20+ miles winding through the area. The spring itself was very chilly and refreshing after a long day of adventuring.

Went for a primitive campsite with some guys. Great sites with plenty of room between them. You can easily set two or three tents without having to worry about disturbing other campers.

Me and my family came here with our tent and had a blast. We explored the old church and what’s left of the city. There is a lot to do for such a small campground. First come first serve and no electricity or water. It had bathrooms but no bathhouse.

This is a secluded campground, has tent/RV camping with water and electric. It has bathrooms with showers and swimming area in the lake, one side shallow and sandy for smaller swimmers, one side deeper. It has pavilions and tables, and great hiking trails around the lake and longer trails through the woods.

This was a great location if wanting to camp near the Vicksburg National military park. We walked to the park. Very few tent spots and most were in disrepair. The bathrooms were ok, they tried to keep them clean. The staff was friendly. Lots of highway noise, lots of noise from the permanent residents and their dogs. No wifi, no water.

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.

We were here with a group and were assigned in sites together. Each site was spacious with FHU on concrete pads. There is one central Store, Laundry, Bathroom/Showers and swimming pool. Bath/Showers were a little worn but still waiting for a fresh seasonal coat of paint. Super walking path between sites and Mississippi River. You can watch barges making their way on the river.

This little campground is nestled along the Natchez Trace Parkway at mile marker 54.8 (https://www.nps.gov/natr/planyourvisit/upload/NATRmap_1_113_web.pdf).

This is a FREE first come, first serve campground that offers 22 sites. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring and flat real estate for setting up your tent. The campground is well shaded and can accommodate RVs but there are no hook ups available. There are a few bathrooms that have flush toilets and sinks but there are not showers available.

It's a small facility that gets moderate use but appears to be well maintained. While black bears aren't prolific in the area they have been spotted. Be sure to store all food and scented items in your vehicle if possible.

We spent a few days at River View RV Park in January, visiting Natchez and enjoying the view of the Mississippi River. The sites were pretty spacious and many have an unobstructed view of the river. There is even a nice paved trail on top of the levee.

The staff was super helpful with advice for what to see and where to eat. We will definitely return when the weather is warmer.

Select your campsite then pay your fee. We arrived Sunday morning in February and only two other campers were here. The sights are flat, well groomed, with access to the pond and trail around the pond. This place is such a hidden gem. New electric service at every site. There is also an extended 10 mile hike around the forest. If you are in an RV or trailer go for sites 13-22. If you are with kids and/or in a tent then sites 1-12 are perfect. Also… not every site can handle a large rig. First come/first serve. All sights have water and electric and there is a dump station. Bathrooms with showers at each loop.

We arrived around 8 pm. I am originally from the Crystal Springs area so expected bad roads, low hanging tree limbs ect... road wasn't great but also wasn't full of pot holes as I expected. There were no low hanging tree limbs, just keep your speed to about 35 and you'll be fine. This is quite possibly the hidden gem of my beloved State of Mississippi. Quiet, No WiFi, T-mobile worked in some locations. We had 35 OTA channels, not that we watched TV but it was available. Park has pull through and back in, level concrete pads with fire pit and table, 50/30/15 electric, water and sewer.

This is a lovely national forest (Homochitto), very peaceful and classical Mississippi beauty. The developed part of the park is simple with picnic tables and a basic campground. There’s a short little trail around the lake (where you can go swimming, boating, fishing) and a much longer one out through the forest. Simple and absolutely beautiful camping here.

Yay: The park is historic in that it has classic CCC style buildings, but the restrooms have been updated. We stayed at the camping loop up above the lake. Both loops have some sites close to the water, both are very wooded. They also have a site for groups that is far enough away from the normal sites to keep noise down.

Nay: dirt roads can be hard for some vehicles, but if you have a 4x4 or horses they would be great for exploring.

Surprise: love the trail around the lake, especially the boardwalks. Would be amazing in fall but we haven’t been back then yet!

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.

This place is wonderful beautiful place. I should keep it a secret but i can share. Their are two locations one in a valley it an awesome spot only draw back no campfire because the smoke does not leave the valley it just collect between the two hills. The second is on a hill top. I LOVE THIS SPOT . IT A TALL HILL BUT YOU CAN MAKE IT. You have call to make your reservation and pay when you get their. It cost 25 a day well worth it. Call if you going be later then 5pm they lock the gate. They will give you lock comb. The pmt is also the tour . The museum and display. It has a road on the park about a mile with a 6 teir lookout tower. Try it for a quiet open spot, you will love it