OT: camping locations in north MS

[JungRebel]

Pretty much had all my travel plans cancelled for the rest of the year as of now, so I've got some vacation to burn. Looking to take a trip within three hours or so of Oxford. Dont have much I want to do other than hike, but open to suggestions on what to do as well.

What say ye?

 

[xxxWalkTheDawg]

Pretty much had all my travel plans cancelled for the rest of the year as of now, so I've got some vacation to burn. Looking to take a trip within three hours or so of Oxford. Dont have much I want to do other than hike, but open to suggestions on what to do as well.

What say ye?

JP Coleman State Park in Tishomingo County would be a good choice. You could camp there and also hike at Tishomingo State Park just down Hwy 25. Another good hike would be to park at the visitors center at Shiloh and walk the battlefield. A bonus to that is Hagy’s is right north of the battlefield for awesome catfish.

You got Pickwick, Shiloh, Golf, boat rentals, etc there. You could make it a week there no prob.

 

[EngDawg]

If you’re into backpacking, you could try Sipsey Wilderness in North Alabama.

 

[Forever.Maroon.White]

Guntersville State Park near Huntsville. There's plenty to do, including a Cathedral Caverns cave tour nearby.

 

[Prediction? Pain.]

First place that popped into my head is Bankhead National Forest and Sipsey Wilderness Area about two hours due west of Oxford in Alabama. Great hiking and paddling options abound. It's like a little pocket of Appalachia randomly located in northwest Alabama. Awesome waterfalls, cascading streams, even hemlock groves. Fairly isolated, too. If you're unfamiliar, just google some pictures. It's pretty solid stuff.

If you're willing to extend your range to four hours, you'd open up a couple of other options, like Walls of Jericho, a natural area along the TN/AL border between Huntsville and Chattanooga, and Cheaha St. Park and Talladega National Forest just east of Birmingham. All three of those would offer stellar hiking opportunities, with Walls of Jericho being more like Sipsey (waterfalls, cove forests, funky rock formations, etc.) and Cheaha and Talladega offering mountain hiking with over 1,000' of prominence. (The elevations of the mountains range from 2,000' to 2,500'.)

Good luck with the trip.

 

[Digging dog]

Another vote for JP Coleman.

 

[Bcash2]

+1 for Sipsey Wilderness! Waterfalls, caves, Indian carvings/markings, the river. You can (primitive) car camp and do some awesome hikes if you're not into backpacking.

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

Guntersville is really nice. was up there for a wedding a couple years ago. wanted to go to Cathedral Caverns but didn't have time.

 

[My Bru]

Another vote for JP Coleman and Tishomingo State Park.

 

[57stratdawg]

Everything around Guntersville is nice. We spent all Memorial Day weekend on it.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

Go to Alabama or Arkansas.... Mississippi quit giving a crap about state parks 40 years ago.

 

[My Bru]

Go to Alabama or Arkansas.... Mississippi quit giving a crap about state parks 40 years ago.

So your solution is to tell people to abandon them?

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

All of the Corp of Engineers lakes have camping facilities, etc.

Not positive about Arkabutla,

but, Sardis, Enid and Grenada do.

You said in North Ms.

I like Pickwick, but it also tends to be a bit remote.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

So your solution is to tell people to abandon them?

All the State Employees At the State Parks gonna get paid regardless, and that bunch at Hugh White don’t give a flying flip if anyone comes.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Gonna say JP Coleman.... Because by the looks of downvoting in this thread, JP Coleman himself is a sixpacker.

 

[My Bru]

All the State Employees At the State Parks gonna get paid regardless, and that bunch at Hugh White don’t give a flying flip if anyone comes.

You just hate the government.

 

[JungRebel]

I am a bit confused about the downvoting. Lots of good suggestions in here for me to look into further, thank you sirs. JP Coleman was what kept coming up on Google searches.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

You just hate the government.

Not all parts of Government... I’m for Teachers, Auditors, Bank Examiners, Engineers getting paid more.... But they could cut a ton of School Admins, Superintendents, Program Directors etc and put their salaries toward actual classroom expenditures.... My issue with State Parks is that Mississippi and the employees of those parks don’t even try to have nice parks, facilities and cabins.

 

[Bcash2]

Do you have a pull-behind trailer/third wheel?

 

[My Bru]

Not all parts of Government... I’m for Teachers, Auditors, Bank Examiners, Engineers getting paid more.... But they could cut a ton of School Admins, Superintendents, Program Directors etc and put their salaries toward actual classroom expenditures.... My issue with State Parks is that Mississippi and the employees of those parks don’t even try to have nice parks, facilities and cabins.

Your problem is with the MDFW commission, not the employees of the park. The solution isn't to just cut cut cut cut. Alabama pulled the same bullcrap a few years ago when they threatened to cut the state park's budget in the name of politics.

Be a part of the solution rather than the problem. Go the parks, make a donation, attend commission meetings, etc.

 

[JungRebel]

Teardrop trailer.

 

[Bcash2]

FWIW, I was asking Leeshouldveflanked. It sounded to me like he was looking for the kinds of parks with facilities that trailer-campers like.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

Your problem is with the MDFW commission, not the employees of the park. The solution isn't to just cut cut cut cut. Alabama pulled the same bullcrap a few years ago when they threatened to cut the state park's budget in the name of politics.

Be a part of the solution rather than the problem. Go the parks, make a donation, attend commission meetings, etc.

My family has had their Family Reunion at Hugh White for almost 40 years....we usually rent approximately 10 cabins every year plus the meeting hall at the camp office... I have stayed in the cabins probably 30 of the 40 years...there used to be a nice swimming pool that they closed and filled up with dirt because of maintenance probably 15 years ago, the cabins haven’t been remodeled since they were built, this year the State Park cancelled our Reunion meeting hall reservation in August 2020 because of Covid...

 

[WrapItDog]

Canoe the Buffalo River in Waynesboro TN about 90 miles north of Tupelo on the Trace. Several campgrounds there with canoes and kayaks.

 

[PineGroveBully]

You gotta have a primitive car?

 

[PhredPhantom]

First place that popped into my head is Bankhead National Forest and Sipsey Wilderness Area about two hours due west of Oxford in Alabama. .........

I think it’ll be a shorter drive if you head EAST from Oxford (instead of west) to get to Alabama. That’s been my experience anyway.
Hope this helps.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Kind of a hijack... I'll bet camper/motor home sales are pretty good. Yes/No ?

 

[johnson86-1]

Your problem is with the MDFW commission, not the employees of the park. The solution isn't to just cut cut cut cut. Alabama pulled the same bullcrap a few years ago when they threatened to cut the state park's budget in the name of politics.

Be a part of the solution rather than the problem. Go the parks, make a donation, attend commission meetings, etc.

The solution would be to bid out the parks to private management companies. There are several parks that could make money under proper management. Sarids and Hugh White come to mind. Buccaneer State Park is another one, although I think it actually does make money and is the only park that does. Once you turn the good parks into a revenue producer rather than a revenue drain, you can look at the others and decide which ones to put money into and which ones to sell off. Might be that you keep all of them, but if there are some parks that private operators are telling you they would lose a lot of money on even if you let them management it for free, then that's a good sign people don't value the park very much, and maybe they should be let go unless it is just the only option in a geographic area or unless there is a reason other than community use that you want to pay for it (maybe conservation or historical significance).

 

[Go Budaw]

Everything around Guntersville is nice. We spent all Memorial Day weekend on it.

Its nice, but to get the full Guntersville experience, you have to walk there.

View attachment 16290

 

[o_LandDawg]

A little outside your zone, but look at Fall Creek Falls State Park north of Chattanooga. About 5.5 hrs from Stark. Tent camped the 1st part of May and it was the best ive ever had. 20 trails ranging from 0.25 mile to 13 miles. tons of waterfalls. A lake for fishing/kayaking.

Also as others have said, Sipsey wilderness in Bankhead is great.

 

[My Bru]

The solution would be to bid out the parks to private management companies. There are several parks that could make money under proper management. Sarids and Hugh White come to mind. Buccaneer State Park is another one, although I think it actually does make money and is the only park that does. Once you turn the good parks into a revenue producer rather than a revenue drain, you can look at the others and decide which ones to put money into and which ones to sell off. Might be that you keep all of them, but if there are some parks that private operators are telling you they would lose a lot of money on even if you let them management it for free, then that's a good sign people don't value the park very much, and maybe they should be let go unless it is just the only option in a geographic area or unless there is a reason other than community use that you want to pay for it (maybe conservation or historical significance).

Enforcing entry fees would be a step in the right direction. The honor system don't work.

 

[garddog]

I think it’ll be a shorter drive if you head EAST from Oxford (instead of west) to get to Alabama. That’s been my experience anyway.
Hope this helps.

Yep, those pterodactyl mosquitos live 2 hours west of Oxford.

 

[Prediction? Pain.]

I think it’ll be a shorter drive if you head EAST from Oxford (instead of west) to get to Alabama. That’s been my experience anyway.
Hope this helps.

I guess you haven't used that new bypass over in Quitman County. It's a doozie.

 

[xxxWalkTheDawg]

Yep, those pterodactyl mosquitos live 2 hours west of Oxford.

Ive been all over the south and the biggest mosquito I’ve ever seen in my life landed on my arm in Friars Point. And it hasn’t been close. That thing could have been picked up on Memphis Airport primary radar.

 

[PineGroveBully]

You’re not kidding, I spent a weekend bowhunting near the Coldwater River 4-5 years ago in early October as that was the only time I could go and even with a thermocell those suckers were like the military ospreys. I killed birds with my BB gun growing up that weren’t as big.

 

[garddog]

Ive been all over the south and the biggest mosquito I’ve ever seen in my life landed on my arm in Friars Point. And it hasn’t been close. That thing could have been picked up on Memphis Airport primary radar.

Yep, cousin got a job out of State with Arkansas as county agent back in the 80's. They lived just north of Elaine, which is about 5 miles as the crow flys from Friars Point. Huge, nasty, swarms. We visited once.