Enid Lake-George Payne Cossar State Park

This is one of my favorite places to camp.  It just has that "campground" feel.  I wish I had more pictures from our visits to this park.  Here is a picture of our site #12 in the Yocona Ridge Loop.

There are several different campgrounds surrounding Enid Lake in northwest MS.  Most are Army COE campgrounds along the north part of Enid Lake (Chickasaw Hill, Persimmon Hill, and Wallace Creek); however there is a state park at the south part named George Payne Cossar State Park.  While we have visited the Army COE campgrounds, we have yet to actually camp at one of them.

The state park at Enid has 2 loops (Jones Creek with 41 sites) and Yocona Ridge (with 35 sites).  The Jones Creek loop is first-come, first-serve; however, the last time we were there, that loop was closed off.  When we rode through there in 2011, it was apparent that the Jones Creek loop needed lots of repair work.  The Yocona Ridge loop has reservable sites with www.reserveamerica.com.

All of the sites in the Yocona Ridge loop are full hookup sites with elec/water/sewer and are $20 per night.  All but 2 of the sites have 50 amp service.  There is also a bathhouse with hot showers and laundry facilities.

Cossar state Park has a walking trail, fishing, putt-putt course, disc golf and plenty of area for bike riding.  One of the great "features" of this park is the deer.  There is no way you can stay here and not see deer.  They are so used to people that they hang around the campground.

This campground is very popular with families and is generally full during the weekends.  We like spot #12 (30 amp) but when we go back, we may try #11, #17, #22, #23 or #31.  Our Sprint internet worked surprisingly well here.

I would highly recommend this park to campers who enjoy the campground experience that you get from state parks.  It is very easy to find.  Just take exit 227 (Hwy 32) off Interstate 55 and go 4 miles to County Rd 170.  There will be a brown state park sign at the turn.  That road ends in the park (about 4 more miles).

Trace State Park-Belden, MS

Trace State Park in Belden, MS (9 miles west of Tupelo) is another great MS State Park.  The park has an RV campground with full hookups (elec/water/sewer), a primitive tent-only campground, cabins, 35 miles of trails for hiking, horse back riding and off road vehicles, a 565-acre lake, and disc golf.

We camped here November 9-12, 2012.  The RV campground is divided into 2 separated loops (Deer Run and Eagle Ridge).  Our spot was #4 in Deer Run.  It was a beautiful spot very near the water's edge.  It was great for our camper (around 25ft) but I would not recommend it for a larger set-up.  This site was only 30 amp but several in the Deer Run loop are 50 amp.  There are 2 other sites in this loop that we would consider on a return trip, #3 and #18.  Both have nice "yard" areas and are waterfront spots.

The Eagle Ridge campground is a newer loop and I believe all of the sites have 50 amp service.  When we go back to this campground for a future visit, we will probably stay at either #26 or #46 in this loop.  Sites #37, #38, and #39 are on a "point" that juts out in the lake.  Both loops have bathhouses.  The Eagle Ridge loop bathhouse also has laundry facilities.  The campsites can be reserved at www.reserveamerica.com.  The fees range from $20 to $24 per night.

Trace State Park has 35 miles of trails within the park boundaries.  Some are hiking only trails, but the majority are multi-use trails (hiking, mountain bike, equestrian, and off-road vehicle).







If you like to take your horses camping with you, this is a great place to go.  In addition to the miles of horseback riding trails, Trace State Park also has a separate campground (first-come, first-served) for horse riders as well as stables for your horses.




Trace State Park is a great destination campground for a vacation or just a relaxing weekend getaway.  We will definitely return again.

Arkabutla Lake-South Abutment Campground

Arkabutla Lake in northwest MS has 3 campgrounds suitable for RVs (Dub Patton, South Abutment, and Hernando Point).  There are several other campgrounds that are good for tent camping only.  All of the campgrounds are Army Corps of Engineer campgrounds.  The only campground we have stayed in is the South Abutment campground near the entrance from Arkabutla, MS.

The South Abutment campground has 80 campsites with electric/water; however, several of the loops are closed in the off season due to budget cuts.  The only site we have ever stayed in is #51.  (***edit:  This campground did a renumbering of all of the campsites.  This campsite is now #13***)  This is a great spot if you like a big "yard" area when you camp.  The water level has been very low the last year (2012).

There are lots of opportunities for walking and bike riding.  The last time we were here, we rode our bikes from our site across the top of the dam and over to the Dub Patton campground area which is on the other side of the dam.

Fees range from $18-$20 March-Oct. and $16-$18 Nov.-Feb.  It looks like all the sites in the South Abutment campground have 50 amp service and water.  There is also a central dump station.  Each loop also has a bath house with hot showers.  You can reserve sites on recreation.gov.  Our Sprint internet service works great here.

Wall Doxey State Park - Holly Springs, MS

Wall Doxey State Park is located about 7 miles south of Holly Springs, MS on Hwy 7 (between Holly Springs and Oxford).  There are 2 campgrounds in the park.  The older campground, near the front entrance, has 13 sites with electric/water.  We have not camped in that campground.  The sites are not very private.  It's more like a road with camping slips on each side.

The back campground is newer and has 49 sites with electric/water.  There is a

dump station in the park.  The back campground is heavily wooded with good privacy between the sites.  There is a bath house with hot showers and laundry facilities.  There is also a playground at the back campground.


We really like this campground and will continue to use it as a weekend getaway.  If TV reception is important, this park may not be for you.  We got a kick out of watching a couple in a big motor home backing in then leaving camping spots in search of a site that would get satellite tv reception.  But, our Sprint internet worked great here.  We even sat outside by the campfire and watched an episode of The Rockford Files on some internet site that Rick found.

There is a 60-acre spring fed lake in the park with 2 fishing piers.  We have been fishing several times here, but have only caught very small fish-not worth keeping.  Not sure if you would have better luck in a boat.  If you like to walk, there is a very nice 2.5 mile nature trail that circles around the lake and through some of the woods.  They also have 2 disc golf courses.  We didn't play, but we did walk one of the courses.  It was a great walk through the woods surrounding the campground.

If you would like to stay in the park but don't have a camper or tent, Wall Doxey also has 9 cabins that you can rent.  There is also a primitive camping loop for tent campers. We have seen Scout Troops camping in this area before.

We have stayed in sites #23 and #7.  We liked both of these sites.  Next time we go, we plan to stay at #8.  All of the sites in the back campground have 20/30/50 amp hookups.  The parking pads are concrete.  We were there in 2011 and again in 2012.  The fees were $18 per night.  All sites are reserveable at reserveamerica.com.

All-in-all, we think this is a great little campground for a relaxing weekend.