“A 13,476-acre state park”
Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park is a 13,476-acre hardwood bottomland area bordering the mighty Mississippi River 13 miles north of Memphis featuring mature Bald Cypress and Tupelo swamp. Most of the facilities are on top of the majestic Chickasaw Bluffs that rise from the bottomlands and are covered with large oaks, American beech, hickory and sweet gum. There are 10 state Champion Trees and two National Champion Trees as well as endangered and protected plants. Deer, turkey, otter, beaver, foxes and bobcats are plentiful throughout the forest. Over 200 species of songbirds, waterfowl, shorebirds and birds of prey, including the American Bald Eagle can be seen; the area is a favorite for bird-watchers. The park offers activities focused on the nature and beauty of the park. The Nature Center is open Friday-Sunday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and closed for an hour at lunch. Exhibits include live snakes, turtles, salamanders, fish aquariums, stuffed animal exhibit, indoor live butterfly garden (open seasonally), bone table, insect table and a Native American exhibit. Meeman-Shelby Forest offers more than 20 miles of hiking trails that wind throughout the park. Visitors with an interest in hiking will enjoy the approximately eight-mile, wooded Chickasaw Bluff Trail. It is open for horses and hikers and meanders along a bluff with the largest loop overlooking Poplar Tree Lake.
Reviews of Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park Campground
23 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G/5G
Confirmed by 11 users | Last reported on February 23, 2023AT&T 4G/5G
Confirmed by 10 users | Last reported on September 04, 2023T-Mobile 4G/5G
Confirmed by 6 users | Last reported on September 04, 2023The first thing that threw me was that the visitor's center had no sign saying it was in fact the visitor's center and campers should stop and register. It looks like a generic facilities building and I drove right past it looking for an office. The site I had (16) was paved and level. There is water and electricity at each site and a dump station available. There is no cell or internet service. I have a satellite GPS that worked so satellite internet might work. My visit was in February so there were no bugs, poison ivy or leaves. The restrooms and showers are very dated and somewhat grungy - but they work.
The park was approximately 30 minutes from the Memphis sites I wanted to visit - Graceland, the Civil Rights Museum, and Sun records - which made the stay very reasonable.
Nightly Rate: $28.00
Days Stayed: 4
Site Number: 16
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon
T-Mobile
All camp sites are under the forest canopy, which is amazing for temperature and is all-around beautiful. It is a very pretty area.
The site was mostly level and required very little adjusting.
The sites are narrow and many are also very short. In #43, I had a hard time getting my 23' trailer and my truck inside the boundaries of the site. There was not room to open my canopy, but it was also so shaded that it wasn't needed.
There was no cellular connectivity on T-Mobile or AT&T, even with a booster.
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 43
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T
T-Mobile
A beautiful park in the forest. Lots of cover. Didn’t use main washrooms or showers but visitor Center ones were dated but clean and functional. Sites on aging asphalt pads that are not level. Some look very level… some(ours) a challenge- site 24
Nightly Rate: $15.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 24
The campground is located in Memman Shelby State Park. The camp sites are paved and there is lots of space between sites, there are grills, fire rings and picnic tables at each site. There are no sewer hook ups but there is a dump station at the campground. The bathrooms are older but nice and clean. We enjoyed the view from our camp site and the quiet area. There is a nice playground in the campground and hiking, disc golf, a lake for fishing and bike paths nearby in the state park. There is a nice little nature center with owls and a hawk and an indoor Smithsonian exhibit about water. I would stay here again!
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 8
Site Number: 22
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T
Great State park near Memphis. This is a beautiful natural setting. 36 holes of disc golf, a beautiful lake, nice hiking trails, and great sites. Our site is in a small loop off the larger loop. Every site has a good bit of space with a picnic table, a fire pit and a charcoal grill. Water and 30 and 50 amp electrical hookups, no sewer hookups, though. There is a dump station on the way out. The facilities are a little outdated, but everything is functional and clean. The woods and scenery are nice and weekdays were very quiet. We enjoyed our time and would stay here again.
Nightly Rate: $25.00
Days Stayed: 8
Site Number: 22
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
Relatively few campers during the week, so reasonably quiet. Nearly full on the weekend. Electric and water hookups and a dump station. Showers/ restrooms cleaned daily, but these are getting pretty worn. Sites can be short, so check site lengths carefully on website. Some sites are decently level, though many will require effort.
Nightly Rate: $24.00
Days Stayed: 6
Site Number: 46
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Stayed here in November 2018. Really the only downside of this park is it's not great for big rigs. We were in one of the longest spots available, and it was still really tight for our 35' fifth wheel. Other than that, the park was beautiful, we had a huge area with a fire pit behind our campsite, it was quiet with lots of trees around, and the trails in the area are great. Would definitely stay here again.
Nightly Rate: $25.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 46
This state park is a jewel near Memphis, TN. We felt like we were in Middle Tennessee because there were so many trees and lots of hills. The sites are spread out, and they are asphalt. There is a hiking trail that starts behind Site #12. There’s a disc golf course that’s pretty challenging because it goes through the woods. There are 2 18-hole courses maintained by a local disc golf club. You must visit the General Store right outside the park. They serve breakfast and lunch. Friday night is Steak Night with live music. This park is outside Millington, so you are close to Memphis and great sight-seeing. The only drawback to this park are the insects after dark. They will carry you off and eat you alive!
Nightly Rate: $25.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 12; 11
Our GPS sent us the wrong way and we ended up not going in through the main entrance. This added over 30 minutes of narrow, curvy road onto our trip. Make sure you enter the park by the visitor's center. The building doesn't have any signage and looks kind of like a maintenance building, but that's where you check-in. Staff at the visitor's center confirmed GPS has sent others the wrong way, so make sure you check your route. We had no cell signal (even when boosted) on Verizon or AT&T. Our site was fairly level, but steep drop-offs on other side, so there wasn't a lot of room to walk by once we were parked. Other than that it's a decent campground. 30 minute drive from Memphis. Stayed here in mid-September.
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 28
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon
AT&T
We stopped for the night on our way back to FL. It is a nice wooded area just outside the large city of Memphis. Our site (10) was set off downhill from the rest of the sites which was nice. Only downfall for some may be the large decline from the parking spot to the picnic table. It didn't bother us but could be an issue for some. The area to put your tent was huge, one of the bigger ones in the campground. Our main concern was the May flies that were pretty non-stop until the sun went down. The bathroom had free shower and toilets. We didn't do much exploring since it was a quick stop, but would go back again.
Nightly Rate: $25.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 10
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Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park Campground
Hours
- Sun - Sat: 12:00 am - 11:59 pm
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Has RV parking changed? Let us know.
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Back In RV Sites Count
- 18
- Last Nightly Rate
- 15.0
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 39.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 15.0
- Max Stay
- 14
- Sites Count
- 49
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Swimming Pool
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Paved Sites
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Fifty Amp
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Full Hookup
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Rec Facilities
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Pull Through
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Tent Sites
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Dump Station
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Big Rigs
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Open Seasonally
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Age Restricted
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Back In RV Sites
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Boondock
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Cabin Sites
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Dispersed Sites
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Firewood
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Fulltime Residents
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Group Tent Sites
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Laundry
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Mobile Homes
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Permit Required
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Potable Water
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Propane
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Public Water
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Reservations
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Sewer Hookup
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Showers
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Sites
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Standard Tent Sites
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Vehicle Wash Permitted
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Water Hookup
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Outdoor Seating
Campground, Dining, Restrooms
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