Choctaw Lake Recreation Area Campground-part 8 of Natchez Trace Parkway Series

Choctaw Lake campground is located near Ackerman, MS about 13 miles from the Natchez Trace Parkway.  It is in the U.S. Forest Service Choctaw Lake Recreation Area.


What a gem of a park.  There is a large lake (actually 2 lakes) and  a trail that goes all around the campground and both lakes.  

This park has a small swim beach, a playground, and boat dock.There is also a large day use area with a group pavillion

that would be great for parties or family reunions.

We arrived on a Wednesday and there was no one else camping there except the camp host.  He said that Thursday afternoons the bottom loop (lakeside) starts to fill up.  All of the bottom loop sites (2-11) are walk-up, first come first serve only.  The upper loop sites are a bit on the small side.  The campground has 1 bathhouse which is adequate but is dimly lit and could stand a good cleaning.  

We pulled into site #9, a very spacious site, well shaded with the living area facing the water.  The site was a straight back-in. The only problem we had was the site was not level side-to-side, but the view and serenity made up for any inconvenience.  The bull frogs gave us a serenade at night.

I really wish we had more time to spend at this campground as we only got to stay one night.  I would love to go back; however, the first-come, first-serve policy on the prime spots will discourage us from using this as a weekend camping spot.  I am guessing these spots are gobbled up by people who live nearby.  I believe this campground closes sometime in December and reopens in March.  We camped here on Wednesday, May 8, 2013.

We really enjoyed this park and hated to leave so early.  This picture just about says it all: