By:
Submission
Stopped because it was free, let's be honest. But was not disappointed, nicer than a few pay campgrounds I've been to. Nice sized sites, grill and fire pits, picnic table. Bathroom was cold water only, decent pressure, clean. Water fountain outside, and an outdoor spicket. Friendly staff, and the view up the hill is worth checking out.
Nice quiet campground with primitive camping. Can stay up to 14 days for free. I stayed 11 nights recently in a tent with my dog. When it wasn’t raining there was nighttime construction noise nearby, but not enough to keep me awake.
There are a few sites with gravel tent pads. The tent pads are level but the sites are on a hill, downhill from where you park. That made it kind of a pain to bring my gear down, but the site I was at (site 9) the grill and fire pit were up by the parking along with a picnic table, so all I really had to bring down was my tent and any gear I keep in it. I wound up not grilling or making a fire, so I brought my camp stove down to the other picnic table near the tent.
Bathroom was kept clean. Flush toilets and running water. There was also a water spigot outside the bathroom and water fountains throughout the campground. Water was potable but I recommend filtering it for drinking. There are also trash cans at each site and some bear-safe cans. Site 9 had a bear-safe can by it and a water fountain just across from it.
Parking was level. Several pull-through spots, though it looks like some sites share a pull-through which might be problematic for RVs. During the time I was there a few tent campers and people with travel trailers came through for a night or two. Overall it was quiet, not many people camping.
All sites looked to have a decent amount of shade and trees. I did hear some tree limbs falling. Looking over my tent pad it looks like they might keep up with trimming dangerous limbs at least above the tent pads.
We didn’t hike far down the trail but it looks well maintained. The trail goes up to a big hill, one of the highest points in MS. That’s not saying much if you’ve been in any mountainous areas but when I first visited it a few years ago when I lived in MS I thought it was really pretty. It is pretty, just not comparable to other areas that aren’t as flat as MS.
Overall I’d recommend camping here. For a primitive campground it was really nice! I’m impressed with how The Natchez Trace keeps everything well maintained. I paid for a primitive site at a state park in AL recently and it felt like a waste of money after staying on the Natchez Trace for free. Wasn’t nearly as nice as Jeff Busby or Rocky Springs.
