Fall Creek Falls State Park September 2017

After spending a couple of days at Cedars of Lebanon State Park near Nashville to see family, we moved on to Fall Creek Falls State Park in Spencer, TN.  




This post will be a review of the campground and directions to get there.  I will have another post on some of the things to see and do while there.

This was the 3rd time we have visited this park.  The first time was back in 1997 or 98 when we tent camped.  The second time was in 2010 when we stayed at Piney Creek Cabins (outside of the park).  This time, we were pulling our fifth wheel.  

From Cookeville, TN on I-40, take the Hwy 111 S exit towards Sparta.  There is a Walmart right off Hwy 111 in Sparta, so if you need to stop for groceries you might want to stop there.  Stay on Hwy 111 S when you get to the split for McMinville.  After the split, you will encounter 2 hills, one with a 9% grade and the other with an 8% grade.  You will be going up on the way to the park and down on the way back.  The first Fall Creek Falls sign is to turn left on Hwy 30.  If you are pulling a camper or are in a motorhome, you probably will want to stay on Hwy 111 like we did.   Take the 2nd Fall Creek Falls exit which is Hwy 284.  This is actually an exit and not a left turn like it used to be.  This road will dog-leg once but it is a decent road, even when towing.  When you get in the park, veer left at the fork.  This route will take you to the camper check-in.

There is room to pull over at the camper-check in.  From here, you will be pointed in the right direction to get to the campground loops.





There are 5 campground loops (A-E).  We were in Campground B, site #86.  Most sites in campground B are full hookup with elec, water and sewer.  The reservation system at the park website has detailed information about the amenities at each site, the length, width, level or incline, as well as a picture.

The campground B road is a little narrow with lots of trees but we saw a huge

motorhome maneuver the tight spots just fine.  We loved our spot and would definitely camp here again but would also consider sites #92, #94 or #120.  Each campsite has a trash can, picnic table, fire ring, grill and lamp hanger.  There was a bath house in each of the 3 loops of campground B.  I did not use it but Rick did and said it was ok.  

They ask that you only burn heat treated firewood here which they sell at the camper check-in and the general store.  Buy it at the camper check-in, if possible as it is .50 cheaper per bundle and the bundles look a little bigger.  The general store has food, camping supplies, cleaning supplies and some toys and some souvenir items.  There is also an "outfitter" store with clothing and souvenirs.  In addition, there is a laundry mat building, but it is hit or miss finding machines that work.

I had no cell service (voice, text, or data) at this park.  But, apparently some TN State Parks have started offering wifi.  When we checked in, they gave us a code for wifi which was good for 4 days (or 200 MB).  Rick used it to check emails and check Fbook a couple of times.  We could pick up the local PBS stations out of Cookeville, TN on our antenna.  

Fall Creek Falls State Park is a very popular park and the campground can be booked up way in advance.  I imagine we will come back because it has so much of the stuff we like to do when we go camping. 

Cedars of Lebanon State Park September 2017

I finally accumulated enough vacation time to take a week off.  Rick and I decided to stop near Nashville, TN for a couple of days to see family on our way to Fall Creek Falls State Park.  

When I made reservations 5 months ago, I first tried to get them for Seven Points COE campground near Nashville, but they would not let me reserve for a Saturday without reserving Friday, as well.  We didn't want to rush and try to get there Friday after work so I looked for another campground.  I found Cedars of Lebanon State Park.

We camped at site 43 in Campground 1.  All of the sites in Campground 1 are pull-throughs.  Some have 20/30 amp and some have 20/50 amp.  All sites have water.  

Most of the sites are very close together with little living area space.  

The sites along the outer edges have much more privacy with their living areas towards the woods.  Sites 1 & 2 in Campground 1 are occupied by camphosts.  The other outer sites are #3, 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45.  Our site (#43) had a large living area with plenty of area on both sides for our slideouts.  

There are two other campground areas in Cedars of Lebanon State Park.  Area 2 are back-in sites with 20/30 amp and water.  Most of these sites offer more privacy as they are further apart.  Area 3 has 20 amp service only with water and is suitable for some pop-ups or tent camping.  These sites are great with lots of room and privacy if you don't need 30 or 50 amp service.  

Each campground area has a bathhouse.  I used the one in our area and found it to be okay, not the cleanest but not the grossest either.  There is a laundry in Area 1 right behind the Camper Check-In.  None of the sites have sewer hookups and there is only 1 dump station for the entire campground which can make for a traffic jam at check-out time. 

This park has a lot to offer.  Lots of trails, disc golf, a seasonal swimming pool, seasonal horse stables, playground and lots of bike riding opportunities.  As this was just a stopping point on our way to another destination and to see family that lived in Nashville, we did not explore that much.  We would like to come back and spend more time here.

Since this campground is so close to Nashville, our over-the air antenna picked up lots of network TV stations.  My Sprint phone had good cell and data service.

Persimmon Hill Campground at Enid Lake MS May 2017

My husband's company held their picnic this year at Enid Lake.  We took this opportunity to stay at one of the COE campgrounds for the weekend.  Persimmon Hill campground is a very nice COE campground that recently got upgraded with sewer hookups.  It has been a couple of years since we have been here.  For my first review, see Persimmon Hill Campground - Enid Lake MS.

On this trip, we stayed at site #16.  Like most of the sites here, there is ample room between the sites.  

Enid Lake is known for its crappie fishing and since we got a new boat this year, we scouted out some of the boat ramps around the lake.  McCurdy Point is the

boat ramp behind the ranger station.  It has a large fish cleaning station and a floating dock.

The company picnic was held at one of the group shelters below the dam.  It was a great picnic with a live band, bouncies for the kids, corn hole games, bingo, homemade ice cream, a cake walk and a petting zoo.

Regular price is $20 per night for full hookups (elec, water, sewer).  There is a dump station and 2 bath house buildings.  Some of the sites are reserveable and some are first-come, first-served.  There is an information island in the campground that is updated with available sites for campers without a reservation.

We really like this campground and will most certainly be back in the future.

Oak Grove Campground at Sardis Lake Revisited

Our first camping trip of 2017 was Easter weekend at Oak Grove campground at Sardis Lake in Mississippi.  We have stayed at this campground several times and I have written about it before here and here 

This is an Army COE first-come, first-serve only campground, for now anyway.  It looks like they are making some improvements like sewer hookups.  It makes me wonder if they will start taking reservations like the other COE campgrounds in the North MS area.  

As schools were out for Good Friday, this was a busy camping weekend at Sardis Lake.  We arrived Thursday afternoon and by Friday, the campground was near capacity.

This time we stayed at site #21.  It was a nice spacious site but had little shade on the "living room" side in the afternoon.


In addition to the sewer improvements that are underway, a boat dock with benches was added for Oak Grove campers only.

The weather was near perfect and we really enjoyed getting away for the weekend.

Tanglefoot Trail from Pontotoc, MS

Tanglefoot Trail is a Rails-to-Trails bike/walk trail in north MS.  At 43.6 miles, Tanglefoot Trail is the longest Rails-to-Trails bikeway in Mississippi.  

We found out about this bike trail when we were planning a camping trip to Trace State Park.  We biked along Tanglefoot Trail from the trailhead in

Pontotoc, MS.  The trailhead in Pontotoc is a nice rest stop if you started at some other point along the trail.  There are restrooms, water fountains and a place for bike repairs.

We parked at Reeder Farm Supply which is across from the trailhead.  This is a rural area and a farming community, so when the feed store is open, please ask

if you can use their parking.  They were very nice and thanked us for asking.





The first day we rode north 5 miles towards New Albany.  This route will take you through part of Pontotoc.  There are quite a few road crossings in town so please pay attention to traffic.

The next day we rode a little over 5 miles from the Pontotoc trailhead north to the Algoma trailhead.  In my opinion, this was a more scenic portion.

There was a nice little rest area between Pontotoc and Algoma with a picnic table and fix-it station.

Tanglefoot Trail is a tremendous asset to the communities through which it passes.  If I lived closer, I would be biking on this trail as much as possible.  We enjoyed it so much that we plan on biking a few miles at a time so we can see all of it.

Trace State Park (2016)

We were able to take a few days to do an extended camping trip so we decided to go back to Trace State Park between Tupelo and Pontotoc, MS.  We were here 4 years ago when we had our bumper-pull camper.  I wrote about our stay in the Deer Run Loop. The last mile of road before you get to the campground is VERY rough.  There are lots of potholes to dodge.  

This time, we stayed in space 26 in the Eagle Ridge Loop.  These campsites have water, electricity and sewer hookups.  

The bathhouse in Eagle Ridge loop has to be the cleanest and nicest one I have seen in a state campground.  In addition to the bathrooms and

showers, there is also a laundry ($1.00 each for wash and dry) and a meeting room.

They had to draw down the water to repair the levee plus we have been experiencing a drought in north MS so the water level is way down.  The boat ramps were closed because the water was so low.

This campground has what I call "good grills".  These are the kind of grills with a cut-out in the front slot so the top flips up.  It allows for easier charcoal pouring and cleaning out.  I wish all campgrounds had this type of grill instead of the kind where you can't flip the top up.

Trace State Park is known for its trails.  We walked the 1 mile loop known as the Jason M. Stewart Trail. 


They also have many miles of multi-use trails called Warrior Trails.  These trails are mainly used by motorcycle and ORV enthusiasts but are shared with hikers, trail bikers and horseback riders.

Since the last time were were here in 2012, Trace State Park has added a new campground loop.  This loop is named the Warrior Trail campground loop and is situated close to the trails.  These sites have concrete pads where the other loops are asphalt.  Most of the sites are unshaded but some are backed up to woods.  

There are stables close to this loop and the bathhouse has a hitching post.

Trace State Park is in close proximity to a fantastic Rails-To-Trails bike/walk trail called Tanglefoot Trail.

 We started out in Pontotoc and rode 5 miles to the north one day, then 5 miles to the south another day for a total of 20 round-trip miles.  I wrote about Tanglefoot Trail here.  This is a great bike trail and I highly recommend it.

Trace State Park has a lot to offer and we look forward to staying here again.

We camped here Nov. 10-14, 2016.  Both my Sprint phone & hubby's CSpire had good reception and data coverage.  We were able to pick up a number of over the air TV stations from the Tupelo, Columbus, West Point area.