Tishomingo State Park

The park has one campground area with 62 sites with power and water and 17 primitive sites. None of the primitive sites can accommodate a motor home. There is one dump station. While we were staying at the park, most of the sites with power and water were being used by campers with tents. Most, if not all, of the sites are surrounded by trees and have views of Haynes Lake.

We stayed at site #15 during our four night stay which was located across from the dump station. There were no issues with the proximity. The site included a fire pit, picnic table, 15, 30, and 50 amp power connections along with a water connection and was very spacious. The nearest campsite on either side was at least 50 feet away.

According to Reserve America, the driveway length was 52 feet and the maximum vehicle length was 40 feet. We were able to fit our 39 foot motor home and Ford Edge tip to tail into the site. Although Reserve America might say differently, I think there are only about three sites that can accommodate a motorhome of our size and a tow vehicle.

During our stay, the campground was 25% full on weekdays and 80% on the weekend.

I considered the days and nights to be very quiet with no loud music or campers. Quiet hours were from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM.

The campground has three restroom buildings of which only one, near site #22, was open while we were there in mid-May. The restroom and showers in that building were clean and in good condition. The showers were free. I didn't see any washers or dryers.

There are about 13 miles of hiking-only trails which I would classify as beginner level and are well marked. The lake allows fishing from the shore or a boat. Swimming in and water skiing on the lake are not permitted. The park does have a pool. There are three different disc golf course located throughout the park.

The park, but not the campground, is bisected by the Natchez Trace Parkway. The nearest town with the typical services (Walmart, gas, groceries, etc.) is Iuka and is about 20 minutes away.

The road that leads to the entrance to the park and all of the roads within the park are in good condition. The paved road to and from the dump station has numerous potholes but is still usable. Leaving the dump station and trying to turn left to access sites #14 and higher with a large motor home is a difficult endeavor.

There were numerous locations along the road through the campground area between sites 16 and 62 with low hanging tree branches that rubbed against the motor home as I drove to and from the turn around loop. The branches were small enough to flex when passing by but could possibly still scratch paint.

Stayed here in January, so obviously not too busy even thru the weekend. I think there were 4 RVs max and 2 of them seemed semi permanent. Sadly like many state parks, the infrastructure is dated and has not been maintained well. The roads are rutted and the turn into the campground road is a doozy. Also when arriving they will tell you to drive around and select a site and come back if you have no reservation, but there is no where to turn around back at the gate house, so keep that in mind for big rigs. All the sites around the lake are on the small side with steep drop offs. I chose site 30 because is had the least drop off. I got a chuckle out of one particular site which sits on a bend in the road that apparently had to be restructured due to drainage issues, leaving this site without any parking area but they left the site intact with power and all. Only one restroom was open and it was nice enough but had no power outlet, oddly the first time I used it, the cleaning person had just finished servicing it, but you couldn't tell. Nice trails around the lake and on the other side of the Natchez Trace. 3 different disc golf courses. If you walk across the dam you will come into the day use area and it is a sad site for sure. There is a bulletin board with only one small typewritten notice titled "What is wrong with the lake?". Apparently geologically wise, this was not a good place to build a lake and it is draining down, the lake level appears to be down at least a third of it's original size. This has made the boat ramp, boat docks and fishing pier unusable, so they just sit their like relics of another time. The last sentence said something like "At this time, economically there are no repairs possible in the near future". Very sad indeed.

Tishomingo SP has everything that other reviewers have said, hiking, biking and so forth. We did not see canoe rentals I'm guessing because the lake is 16' down and appears it will stay that way. We really enjoyed our stay here, it was very quite considering it was relatively busy on the weekend we stayed. The scenery was beautiful as well.
But....the whole park seems like it's in disrepair. Some of the sites had crumbling concrete, constant water seeping from the hillside and no one really cleaning up the area or the sites. We were guessing that the lake "was" the main attraction in it's original state. With a posted notice stating there were no funds or plans to upgrade the park it seems it is what it is.
We basically would not return because we had done all there was to do at the park. With many other stops along the Natchez Trace Pkwy. there are better places to stop. That being said I'm glad we stayed here and would recommend anyone passing through to do the same, just maybe not for a week.

We really liked this park! Stayed in October of 2018 and was a little worried about previous reviews that the park was decrepit but found quite the opposite. Beautiful new checkin House at the entrance of the park with a waterfall and everything. We stayed in site 14 which is the best even though it is across the street from the dump station. We stayed here in a 36 foot motorhome and had no problems EXCEPT there is a sharp, downhill turn to get into the campground. Our tow vehicle hitch scraped here so I would recommend disconnecting beforehand! We saw people disconnecting at the checkin house afterward and thought that was a much better idea. The lake level is low due to a crack in the lake structure but the real beauty is down the road in the state park where you can see Bear Creek (this is where the canoes are). If you want to go on a canoe tour book early as there are only so many spots and the tour leaves in the morning. We also hiked the Outcroppings Trail and it was awesome to go over the Swinging bridge. This may be one of the nicer state parks in Mississippi, I would definitely recommend. We came from the North via Highway 72 on the way in but much preferred taking the Natchez Trace to Tupelo and then utilizing I-22 back North. Highway 72 is very hilly and up-down and we were engine breaking constantly which got annoying really quick.

Life long resident of MS, but was not aware of the area around this park until recently. As if you are in the Smokies or Ozark mtns.
Park itself, like most parks, has seen better days and needs some upgrades, but understand the situation with funds. Most RV pads are short, hard to fit our 30 ft with truck inline, but has room to angle it in after disconnect.
Pads are built up high boardering the lake, no sitting under the awning! All tables, grills and fire rings are located behind the pads unless you are fortunate enough to get site #14 which is the most level and has plenty of room around it, most private site available here and highly recommend that one. Chose #11 this time because of bath house across, but it needs some updating, although clean, men’s was down to one toilet.
Don’t leave without hitting some trails! Absolute best part! Take the Outcroppings Trail, long, but you really enjoy the scenery and slightly challenging due to the fallen trees and creek crossings. You will start off on the Swinging bridge, unique on its own. There are plenty of others to experience, bring your best trail shoes/boots.
Loved the experience, will be coming back!

We arrived just before 5pm on a Sunday at the end of October and had no problem securing a site. If you are over 65, you pay the same for a site with water and electric as you would for a primitive site ($16). Compared to other states, this was a pleasant surprise. Many sites back up to the lake and have generous sized concrete pads. Most we saw appeared level. Our picnic table was down a hill by the water so it was a hike to it but very pleasant for eating. I would imagine that at other times of the year staying here might not be so pleasant (heat and humidity plus we saw the remains of some HUGE ant hills). No fire rings but it looks like previous visitors may have built fires in the sandy area near the beach. Bathrooms were reasonably clean but they don’t have soap. I also don’t understand why there was one across from site 12 and one more not far down the road but for the last half of the loop, there weren’t any (except for one that had a closed sign and appeared to be more “rustic”). I’m guessing that people in those sites have fully equipped RVs. Good cell service for Verizon in the campground. Nice hiking trails - we liked the Outcroppings Trail. Evidence of the work of the CCC in the Park, especially the swinging bridge. Overall, a pleasant stay.

Previous reviews appear to accurately describe this campground. We camped in site #13 and agree that along with sites #14 and #15 they are the best the campground has to offer. Long level sites with nearby bathhouse and free dump station. Very busy over the weekend with tent campers and was nearly empty when we left on a Tuesday morning in mid-March.

We visited this campground from 03/16/19 until 03/19/19.

The place could use some tidying up and be more maintained but it was still a nice stay. Be careful of the site you choose if you have a TT or MH.....some sites won’t accommodate slide-outs due to trees being in the way. The campground did have some nice hiking trails throughout the campground which was nice Overall nice place!

This is a older park that is well maintained. Lots of great hiking trails Pretty lake.
The pads were way to small for our 35 foot 5th wheel. If you are in something smaller or camping you will enjoy this park.

We were in site 15 with lots of privacy and a beautiful view of the pond. Our site was across the street from the dump station and while once or twice a day the wind would blow in our direction, it didn't last and would not deter us from staying in that site again. Along with site 15, in my opinion, site 14, 48 and 50 are the best sites on the pond. The only negative thing I can say about the park is the road. It appears they have just laid layers of asphalt down over time which has built up the road but didn't adjust the cement site pads. Therefore, there is a big dip at the end of your pad to the road which will cause some to drag on the way out. Also, there is 1 or 2 pads that are just a crumbled pile of cement. The bathhouses were closed due to the virus. The park is great, staff very courteous, and great trails. We loved our stay here and would stay again!