Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Sam Rayburn Reservoir

My stay won't likely be like yours. First, I drove in while Mississippi was under a blanket of snow. All the roads in Holly Springs and the rest of the state were treacherous with packed snow and ice following a week of unseasonably frigid weather across the southern midwest.

That said, the 2 rangers working at Wall Doxey went out of their way to set me up with a parking place in the practically empty campground, putting me in the youth camp, finding me an extension cord to hook up to power and allowing me access to the group camp for a bathroom and shower.

This was necessary because many areas were either in the middle of renovation, inaccessible or out of service due to frozen pipes. To say these ladies went out of their way to get me situated is an understatement. They were heroines!

The camp has loads of retro charm. A big mid-century lodge, picnic area, swimming lake, frisbee golf and a 2 mile hiking trail around the lake. I enjoyed a walk thru the snow and the comfort of having a safe and caring place to stay during my trip through Mississippi.

I suspect it will be the same for you even if your visit is under far different circumstances.

I had a horrible experience at this campsite. Rolled up to find one (miserable) couple there. They were blasting music out of their car which is whatever and I waved hello and they just stared. Multiple cars came thru the campsite at night, shining their headlights every which way. Even though it says don’t enter past a certain point unless you are camping, this is clearly a spot for locals to do what they cannot do at home. At 2am I hear barking and one of my dogs busts through my tent. I go out there and there is a pack of wild dogs scouring the campsite. They weren’t terrifying or coming at us, but it was still scary. No more than 10 mins later two cars surround my tent with headlights, which is really scary for anyone, but I am a young woman traveling alone. Apparently the couple called the cops saying my dogs had been barking all night. There was brief barking and it was the wild dogs who were actually eating the trash the evil couple left out. Even if my dogs were barking, why is surrounding my tent with only headlights at 2am appropriate? I couldn’t see anything. Never saw a ranger, immediately left in the morning. Sorry for the essay, just hope to spare someone a similar experience. It is beautiful tho.

It’s really hard for me to give 1 star for anything, but this place is a dump. This is the 3rd MS State Park (North MS) we have been to and it is clear that MS does not take care of its state parks. Only half of the park is open, the grass was overgrown, trash/garbage is littered every where (especially near the open dumpsters that are randomly placed throughout camp), the ranger only came around to collect fees and then disappeared. The bathroom does not have AC or a fan, so it was a total sweat box. The toilet paper was not replenished, there is no hand soap, there was broken glass on the ground in one of the stalls. The shower portion wasn’t that bad, but again, no AC. The water hook ups are at least 100 foot away from most camp sites, so bring lots of extra hose if you do end up staying here. The site #’s are not clearly marked and they do not post if a site is reserved. No designated fire pits, so people have been just burning where ever they want. The fee is $22 a night, but they will charge you another $16 if you put up a tent. Overall, I paid $39 to stay in the worst campground we have ever gone to. Get it together Mississippi!

This is another great Corps of Engineers parks where you find really nice campsites set on great waterfront setting. The campground sits on Enid Lake which is recognized as one of “One of America’s Top 10 Fishing Spots.” And since the park is just shy of 100 sites you don’t feel like it is not too big. Plan on staying here for a couple of days and relaxing in the outdoors. Stock up on supplies because there is not much around. Sites are really nice and spacious with paved driveways and patios. 

They just added sewer with makes a full hookup at $20/night a total bargain. Each site has a fire pit, picnic table, bbq grill, small concrete stand next to bbq, and lantern crook. The bathhouse was modern with flush toilets with clean showers. Not all sites are level in fact we had to pass up a couple because of that reason. If you come in the off-season, there are plenty of sites not reserved so you can drive around and pick on using the self-pay system. Some sites have amazing water views if you are able to snag one of those you are in for a great stay. The campground is pretty hilly but the roads were easy enough for us to navigate in our 45’ RV and tow car . 

The lake is very popular for fishing and there is a boat launch/fish cleaning station. We didn’t have fishing licenses but loved paddling around the lake. The North Mississippi Fish Hatchery(by the Enid Dam) is a fun place to visit and tour for very small fee. If you go into the town of Pope, the restaurant "The Place" offers good food set in a refurbishing an historic building.