Best Tent Camping near Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Very nice campground. With family gatherings discouraged due to covid we decided to camp. We used site 58. Site has 30 50 15 amp, water and sewer. Concrete pad with extra concrete vehicle parking. Bathroom is directly in front with toilets and showers. Very clean and warm (low Christmas eve and Christmas 23). Concete picnic table, grill and grill table. Fire ring. This site will be waterfront in summer but with the winter let down no water right now. All together a great, well maintained facility. Also the north mississippi fish hatchery is here but closed for the holidays.

We arrived just before sunset in late November (dang Daylight Savings time) so quickly got to our site and set up. Did not see anyone to check in but had reservations as now are required at all CoE campgrounds (a ranger drove through the next morning). The water level looked to be very low, but we still had a nice view at the end of the loop.

Sites are FHU and other amenities include a large concrete picnic table, lantern hook, fire pit, BBQ grill, and food prep table. Sites are paved, generous in size, and spaced a very decent distance apart from each other; even though all the leaves had fallen and there were other campers in our loop, I did not feel a lack of privacy.

The restrooms were clean and although there were paper towels, the soap dispensers were empty (my only beef with this campground)! The showers looked to be reasonable, but it was below freezing the next morning, so I didn’t try them out. There was also what appeared to be a utility sink in the bathroom but no shelves or other place to stage dishes. 

I can only assume that water sports are in-season and not sure about other recreational activities. Because the ground was frozen the next morning, I was able to walk down to the water and get some great photos of the sunrise and birds. 

This was just an overnight stay for us but for $12 (with the Golden Access Pass), it is a real bargain and the reason we often seek out Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds.

The campground is located in a beautiful spot on a peninsula with great views of Grenada lake at both sunrise and sunset. The tent pads are nice and each camp has a grill and a nice marble picnic table. Several camps have fire pits, trash cans, and water faucets. There is a nice public restroom just a short walk from any camp. The sounds of the water crashing on the shores around you and the birds singing at sunrise are utterly calming. The only problem is the occasional truck that passes through to sit listening to music or use the campground road as a turn around. This could be fixed if the gate at the entrance were kept closed and only opened for actual campers.

Puskus Lake campground is a nice campground and could be better but parts are starting to hurt from low use.  The forest service is looking at removing the campground due to low use.  On my visit I was the only one their with the exception of two others fishing out on the lake.  Only one of the three outhouses where open and that was the one by the boat launch.  All the campsites have picnic tables, metal fire rings and metal poles for hanging your lantern.  The campground sit in a nicely forested area just above the lake.  While this might be considered somewhat isolated in the area, if this campground was in Montana it would be packed.  This is a very nice campground in need of a little TLC and more visitors.  Get away from the crowds at those corp of engineer sites and come here for some solitude while you can.

Part of the day use area has been converted into a campground in 2018. There are eight campsites, each with a level gravel pad tent area, picnic table and grill. There is group fire pit area, with a picnic table. Unfortunately, the only place to have a fire at your campsite is in the grill. None of the sites have electricity. There is a central water spigot. The restroom has flush toilets, but no showers. You can go to one of the other many Corps of Engineers campgrounds nearby to shower. Both times we have stayed here, we were the only ones there. It's so new, almost no one knows of its existence. To either side of it, there is a swimming area in the day use area and at the boat launch / swimming beach. All sites have a water view.

Some sites are over grown and not maintained. One bathroom away from the sites in the "day use" area. Mostly fisherman. The lake has motor oil/ fuel running on the surface. The docks nice, wide with bench seating. Time has been alright to the paths and roads. Lantern poles are available at all the sites. Possibly ring worms in the water, not sure about all that, however there is a drainage site that turns into a stream with a nice little "hole" to swim or fish in. One site has a short cylinder fire ring with a height adjustable griddle. One site has a dock right in front of it, could park kayaks and or a boat, not sure how deep the water is in terms of what boats. Wonderful sunset, most sites are around 100-50 feet from the water.

NF camp, so $7 for regular people, and $3.50 for those awesome folks with an interagency pass. Concrete boat launch.

Enjoy, busy on the weekend/end of week...