Harrison Bay State Park Campground

I was greatly deceived by the photos and descriptions online. We had site 40 and it was much much shorter than online said and the incline was insane. I would say 90% of the sites in loops B, C, and D should not be sites. Loop A has the most level sites with a lot not having shade though. Site 15 seemed to be the best in the whole park. Leveling our popup was miserable. Most campers we saw come in seemed to be the same as us. First time being there and not realizing the sites are significantly shorter than listed and shown in photos and extremely unlevel. I couldn’t even imagine a tent camper in most sites comfortably with how much of an incline and then slope you’re on. It’s a straight up hill and then it’s tilted to the side too. Sites are also extremely close together which is fine if you plan to be out or on the water a lot but it’s very cramped.

Bathrooms in loop B were the largest and cleaned daily. Bathrooms were great with the exception of the doors being super small but not an issue really. I’m 6ft and it was just funny seeing over everything.

Lake is BEAUTIFUL. So many areas to swim and great trails. Good place for pets.

One host in the entire park and we were lucky to be next to them and listen to their dog park and cry all day and night as they never let him in. Their site is right there when you go in and just trashed with all kinds of stuff. Feels more like a trailer park than state park. Never once saw the hosts and the camp store/office was closed every day we were there (we were there for a week Sunday to Sunday) Our site had quite a bit of trash when we got there. I’m shocked how the bathrooms were kept so clean but sites were not

They have check in listed at 4pm but every day new campers were there far before 4 which isn’t a problem but helps to know you can really get there anytime.

Overall the area is amazing with so much to do for everyone. Fishing, hiking, swimming, plenty to do all around. I would come back only for loop A and site 15. Maybe some others in loop A. Unless you have a camper van that you are fine being tilted, I would avoid all loops besides A. We saw a lot of people get there and then leave when they couldn’t park or level their site and there weren’t other options any better for them

Cell service was great. T-Mobile hotspot was amazing for me to work remote

If you like peaceful hikes, beautiful sunsets and a very comfortable campground surrounded by water Harrison bay state park is perfect. We stayed in d10 because it was what was available on our short notice trip and my only complaint was the bright flood lights that shine from the bathroom at night makes it less then desirable to sleep But, The website is easy to use to make reservations, and has an event page so you can attend events happening during your stay which is great, the bathrooms and showers get cleaned every afternoon and in campground D there isn’t many people using the bath houses so you have a clean bathroom with a hot shower every night or morning of your stay. Theres also a Restaurant at the docks close to the campsite but we didn’t try because theres a Mexican restaurant just down the road towards Harrison that was amazing. There is also a “beach” you can hangout and swim at which is beautiful and is great for kids. We had good cell service and there is great guest wifi as-well so we was able to stay in touch with everyone and watch movies on our phones. All in all great place to take the family for a weekend get away id recommend staying for 3 days because there is plenty to do and see.

This was our first outing with our new camper. I spent time on the reservation website looking for a level site and one close to the bathhouse and easy to get in and out of. B3 was perfect for us. It was right across from the bath house and the photograph showed that it was right next to a WiFi access point. Traveling with kids -- tablets and wifi are a must at night time. 

    The wifi would never connect anywhere in section B -- even outside. I tried troubleshooting it on my own and never could get any device to connect. Removed 1 star for poor wifi infrastructure.

    We were very excited to see the Dockside restaurant. It's website said it was open for dinner the first night we stayed. We got ready, loaded the kids up and drove over only to find it closed for the season. They really should publicize this more that it closes for the season. A handwritten note on the door is not sufficient. Removed 1 star for this because we felt tricked.

All in all, it was a fun first trip to try things out. Just wish the park had done a better job of communicating that things were closed or down and not working.  Glad this was a trial trip only 30 minutes from home.

Harrison Bay State Park had plenty of signage so finding the campground(CG) just needed to read the signs as you got in the state park area. We stopped at the office area and checked in then proceeded to C loop back-in site C23 with water and 50/30 AMP. We had read the reviews and were prepared for the tight turns and close sites on C loop. When we got to site C23 there were cars and a truck parked across the street making the turn even tighter. We backed in to this very unlevel site that was just long enough for our 39’ 5th wheel. When we booked on line the site was advertised as 51’. Fortunately, there was a parking spot across the road for our truck. We used most of our levelers on the door side to level. Water pressure was good and we got 3 bars on Verizon and 1 bar on AT&T. The CG has WiFi but it didn’t work very well. We got quite a few OTA channels but only one prime. As this loop has a lot of mature trees, satellite would be iffy. We had a nice water view and direct access to the water. We would not recommend anything over 35’ in this loop especial when the CG is full. B loop is for smaller trailers/rigs and D loop is for tents. We checked out A loop and immediately saw the difference as A is set up for larger rigs and looks newer. Area A also has premium sites with a patio. There’s a large grass area and ball field as you enter and we liked site A15, which is on the water enough you could park your kayak below you site plus plenty of area to walk the dogs. In the premium area we liked A38 that’s off a loop at the end where we could swing a 39’ rig around to back-in. Other good sites all in A loop for larger rigs with water view/access would be 30& 31. If your RV is more than 35 feet go to A Loop, especially if you are a beginner. Also recommend you call the park to verify if your rig size can fit in a site, as the dimensions online seem to be inaccurate. This state park has a lot to offer and overall we enjoyed the experience.

We booked our first few nights in our new travel trailer at spot A7. Being new RV owners, we were super excited to get out and learn the ropes. We have been tent camping at TN state parks for years and absolutely love the amenities that the state parks provide.

Harrison Bay is nice, but we probably won’t be back. There are four different loops (A-D), but most, if not all, sites are tightly packed. Luckily, we didn’t have neighbors directly next to us, but it would not have provided much space for our canopy and leashed dogs to walk if we did.

The waterfront sites seem to be nice, but you have to drive up a large hill and around a tight curve to get to them. Honestly, I’m not sure how anything over 25-ish foot would easily and comfortably park. We actually witnessed someone put the front of their 5th wheel into the back cab of their truck while trying to take a tight turn. 🤢

All in all, it’s nice for a quick getaway, and the park staff is very friendly. We didn’t use any of the amenities (restroom facilities, playgrounds, etc) so I cannot comment on them.

We will probably stick with other parks.