Paul B Johnson State Park — Attraction in Mississippi

Have been here since August 15th.... it's a beautiful area. The lake is big enough for all sorts of activities. The park is maintained to the best of their ability (they are currently short staffed). I have read where some people have complained about knee high grass within the last 3wks, false... they mow weekly and do the best they can for the number of campsites, campers, rugged terrain and tree roots. I'd suggest making the trip to check out camp sites before booking as there are some very small spots along with some very sketchy slopes but if you prepare properly you shouldn't have an issue. Loop #1 & New Campground have really nice level pads just so you know. Loop #2 is where it gets sketchy. Bring your grill as several are missing or just plain dirty.... Loop #1 has a horseshoe pit so bring yours and enjoy a friendly game while BBQing. Bathrooms. I have only seen them swept, not actually wiped or disinfected so bring your cleaning supplies and help the staff out by cleaning up after your shower/potty. Laundry facilities are nice, $1.75 to wash and $1.50 to dry. With wash basins for those really dirty items. The golf carts are definitely out of control on the weekends, I have seen more children (7-15) driving at high speeds then adults driving at all.... this should definitely be monitored more as it is dangerous for those walking their dogs and younger children playing. Premium spots.... you get a little closer to the lake (10ft maybe) but are deteriorating and the rails look as though they would fall if you were to lean on it, in my opinion not worth the extra $$. Yes the park could use some new and improved sites but all in all it's a great place to stay. Remember its not your home so dont expect perfection, but for a weekend away or for a hurrican evacuation spot it's perfect. I will be back as I love how friendly, helpful and understanding the staff is. Good people with good hearts 💜💙 The A-Team...

Here on day 5 of 7. Beautiful lake! We are in cabins 5, 6, and 7. Cabin 7 has the best view of the lake. Cabin 6 has a steep hill out the back, so we have to keep eyes on the babies. Cabin 5 has the shade tree over the picnic table. The cabins are what you expect when staying at a state park. The beds are, of course, not the best. Things I'll remember for next time: bring your pillow and blanket from home, the splash pad isn't included with the cost of the cabin, and bring trash bags, toilet paper, eating utensils, and paper plates. The kitchen has full size fridge, stove, microwave, and drip coffee pot. Each of the 3 cabins has random utensils...maybe left by previous visitors, tiny coffee cups, 4 plates, and 4 spoons/forks. We ended up buying a can opener and a sharp knife. They have towels, washcloths, and bed linens that you can exchange at the office. They dont have pot holders or dish rags. There are 2 washers and 2 dryers outside the bathrooms in the campground, coin operated. Two dollars to wash and 1.50 to dry I believe. You have to drive over there from the cabins but it's like 2 minutes away, unless you want to carry your laundry back and forth. The splash pad is free for 2 and under, ages 3 to 15 is $6, and over 15 is $8. It's open from 10 til 6pm and your wrist band is good for the day. They have pool tables and games at the office, but it closes at 5pm. Wish it was open later, but the office staff wanna go home, so I get it. We really are having a great time. The cabins share a dock/pier and the kids are loving the lake. The water is very shallow for a good long way so the babies are able to play in a large area of the water safely. We have 3 ducks that run up to us every morning looking for breakfast, which the kids are fascinated with. We'll definitely be back, so laid back and worry-free. I hope this review inspires families to visit and enjoy this...

We loved our stay at Paul B. Johnson State Park Campground in Hattiesburg, MS.

Very peaceful and quiet location except for the geese at night. 😆

We had great cellphone service. (Verizon)

We camped during the winter months when bad weather was moving through to the East Coast. Had a bit of rain. Cold and windy. We were unable to go on any trails and too cold to do anything at the water.

We had views of the beautiful lake from almost every window in our 5th wheel.

We didn’t use the facilities or see any of the rangers/hosts.

The site we had was a back in site long enough for our 34’ 5th wheel and GMC 2500 diesel truck. It was partially paved and almost level. Had a slight incline. The site was equipped with 20/30/50 amp full hookup w/h2o and sewage.

The campground was relatively clean and well maintained. It had a charcoal grill and picnic table. There is no fire pit at the site. Someone had burned directly on the grass and pine straw. Which was stupid because it obviously burned way out of hand since about 12’ of grass/straw had been burned. So dangerous. They left their firewood remnants. (No host/ranger removed the debris.) We only stayed one night, so we didn’t care because we didn’t really use that area. However, it was quite unsightly.

This location is very convenient to just about everything. Downtown Hattiesburg restaurants and shopping are within 25 minutes. It’s less than 2 hours away from New Orleans, LA and Jackson, MS.

We were surprised at how quiet and peaceful this location was considering that they were at about 75% capacity. Very surprised at how many people were there during winter months with overcast weather. We got a good nights sleep. Very pleased with our stay.

Would love to visit again. ❤️

#mississippistateparks #wintercamping #rvlife #lakesidecamping #beautifuldestinations...