$28 - $27 / night

Camper submitted image from Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park - 1

Camper submitted image from Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park - 3

Roads

Camper submitted image from Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park - 4

Activities

Camper submitted image from Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park - 5

People

Established Camping

Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park

39 Reviews

About

State Park

Suggest an Edit

Location

Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park is located in Tennessee

Directions

From I-240 (exit 2A): Go 3 mi N on US 51, then 8 mi N on Watkins N, then 1 mi W on Locke-Cuba, then 1 mi N on Bluff Rd.

Address

910 Riddick Rd
Millington, TN 38053

Coordinates

35.34742803 N
90.04433067 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.
Boat-In
Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Available
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group
Cabins

Features

For Campers

Market
ADA Access
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
Showers
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Sewer Hookups
Water Hookups
Big Rig Friendly

$28 - $27

/ night

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

Taylor T.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 18, 2024

Loved it here!

Just so beautiful. Trails were well marked but not for faint of heart. Campsites were pretty close together and bathrooms not too great. Little black bugs swarmed on warm nights right a dusk for an hour. There’s an airport nearby and planes were constantly flying over one of the nights. We were the only tent there. Tent pads aren’t clearly marked but plenty of level ground to set up. Lake was gorgeous too, I was literally the only one out there.

Site17

Month of VisitMay

(16) View All

Steve H.

Guide

Reviewed Feb. 10, 2024

Meeman Shelby state park

Stayed a couple nights here. Ranger at the office was very friendly and when asked recommended places to go and see in Memphis. Bathrooms are dated. WiFi available at the headquarters office with pw. Site had some debris (old wet rugs).

Site11

Month of VisitMarch

Nikki R.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 21, 2023

Perfect for a weekend hideout ♥️

We live close and love being able to break away and isolate ourselves from the world. There is no cell reception really at campsites and that just makes it better. Quiet and clean spot for a weekend away.

Month of VisitSeptember

Andy H.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 2, 2023

Love this State park

We love this state park. We frequent it regularly. The sites are all mostly level (front to back and side to side), the facilities are well maintained and the rangers patrol regularly.

This is a very wooded campground, offering lots of privacy. There's a nice playground that my youngest is a big fan of. The campground is also a short drive from Poplar Tree Lake which offers boating and fishing (kayak rentals are available, or you can bring your own); no swimming area though.

Some of our favorite sites are 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 25, and 26. These are in all in the two smaller loops, though the main loop sites are quite nice as well, they just don't feel quite as secluded.

Also, make sure to check out the Shelby Forest General Store. They sell little bit of everything, including great food if you don't feel like cooking at the campsite!

Site7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 26

Tim P.

Guide

Reviewed May. 11, 2023

Nice Campground

Ample spaces in some campgrounds while some have small area, still larger than most of other camping locations. It can still be better if they can make camp bed with gravel for tent camping

Site35

Month of VisitMay

Joy W.

Ranger

Reviewed Jan. 24, 2023

Great location for walking, hiking, biking

Campsites are mostly spacious and hosts are friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed the trails and roads for walking/biking.

Not crowded and pretty quiet. August in Tennessee is hot and muggy!

Month of VisitSeptember

matthew G.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 29, 2022

Love this app

I found merman Shelby Forrest on the Dyrt app stayed there a week really enjoyed it there the bathrooms and showers were clean the park workers were helpful and friendly I would highly recommend camping here

Sitesite 03

Month of VisitOctober

Patrick W.

Ranger

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2022

Really big state park

Good enough campground for one night stay. A bit of a walk to the bathrooms, but they were clean—flushing toilets and showers. At least 20 minutes to nearest grocery store.

Site25

Month of VisitJuly

Paul C.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 1, 2022

Hot, Remote, Bugs

Ok - so this campground is a few things. Will detail the good/bad below as we saw it:

Good

1. This campground is super remote. Like 20 minutes from downtown Memphis, but 0 bars of cell service. Really nice for an escape, but hard if trying to work out of here.

2. This campground is part of a HUUUUUUGE state park. Like 10000 acres.

3. Tons of outdoors activities in this state park.

Bad

1. No cell service. Or Internet. Or anything. There is very small service for WIFI available at the visitor center, which is a 5min drive from the park.

2. Bugs from April - October are pretty bad. This is in a forest, so they are constantly around.

3. Bath areas are old. And full of mosquitos. Would make sure you understand this before camping.

4. No Full Hookups (state park).

Dru O.

Guide

Reviewed Nov. 24, 2021

Nice quiet campground

Some nice shady spots and quiet. Was there in October and it was nice and quiet. Dogs are allowed. I did not have wifi or cell service (TMobile). But visitors with another service had wifi. There is wifi at the camp store/check in building.

Site49

Month of VisitNovember

The Wandering B.

Guide

Reviewed Nov. 21, 2021

Great Fall spot!

This is a great place to check out. Staff and Rangers are great! Come in the Fall when the humidity and mosquitoes are at bay!

Site27

Month of VisitDecember

(5) View All

marie

Scout

Reviewed Nov. 8, 2021

Great family campsite

I recently just stayed for a Friday-Sunday stay, we had 11 children and 6 adults. It was very accommodating for all three families. We have two tents and a camper. The workers were very friendly. Overall it was a great stay with lots of things to do.

Site38

Month of VisitDecember

Jaime W.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 18, 2021

Peaceful and eerie…

Place was beautiful but the mold in the bathroom was worse then expected for a state park.

Site14

Month of VisitOctober

Kurt D.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 6, 2021

Meeman Shelby campground

Decent spot. Lots of sites with water and power hookups. Water at site 9 where we were was very cloudy. Atleast 3 drive into primitive sites. Decent bathrooms with showers. A bit pricey $28 per night. Very friendly staff. The ranger mentioned that they will be closing for renovations soon, including trying to get a "portajohn" out by the primitive sites and developing sites on the water. Very helpful on the phone. Call if you have any questions.

Site9

Month of VisitSeptember

Jason J.

Ranger

Reviewed Jul. 9, 2021

Primitive sites available

The primitive sites (there are three) are on a separate and I maintained road off of the campsite loop. Spacious sites, but if the weather is wet, it can be a bit iffy getting to them in a low clearance vehicle. That said, facilities and staff were nice.

SiteP3

Month of VisitJuly

Randy B.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 9, 2021

Beautiful park but...

The road into the campground is a little narrow when meeting someone so keep that in mind. Zero and I mean zero cell signal lol. Not a deal breaker for us but may be for some. Roads inside the campground are adequate. We stayed in site #2 which in the description says it's 46 ft but our 38 ft 5th wheel filled it up completely. Had to pull my truck to the side. No biggie. Unfortunately we couldn't tell from the picture of the website there was a large oak tree to the left of the site so close we couldn't even use our awning. Plugged into the 50 amp and thankfully had a surge protector because it faulted. Finally got that squared away. Once we started setting everything up we noticed them...mosquitoes swarming everywhere. Literally hundreds. Almost to where it wasn't enjoyable to be outside. All in all we enjoyed our stay even with the issues but our next time will be cooler weather and a different site. Park ranger did tell us before we left the park has received a grant to make major renovations to the campground starting 2022 and finishing in 2023.

Site2

Month of VisitAugust

Wayne F.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 4, 2021

Merman-Shelby

Stayed for one night on the way through. Sites are pretty level. Water and electric fine. Bathroom clean but dated.

Site13

Month of VisitJuly

Drucilla

Scout

Reviewed May. 24, 2021

Nice Family oriented

My friend and I camped for the weekend and it was great. Nice grounds. Showers, bathrooms were clean.

Siteacross from bathroom

Month of VisitNovember

Meagan L.

Scout

Reviewed May. 24, 2021

Easter Weekend

We stayed here Easter weekend. It was full but the sites are far enough apart that you have plenty of privacy and quiet. There’s great hiking near the campground. The playground is centrally located. If you have smaller kids, you may want to supervise as the equipment is more for the older elementary aged kids. Bring plenty of bug spray.

Month of VisitMay

Michael W.

Guide

Reviewed May. 21, 2021

Decent older campground

Took our brand new RV here for its shakedown trip the very day I picked up as it is so close to home. Was pleasantly surprised by the overall atmosphere of the campground. The entire place is completely shaded, as it seems they too the effort to not cut down many trees when putting the sites in. There is a playground for the kids. Bath houses are passable but need to be remodeled badly.

Sites are all over the place on size, so pay attention to site length on the website as you are booking if you are an RV camper. Tent campers will be happy with almost any site in the place. Another thing to prepare for is picnic are location on your site. While a lot of COE and private campgrounds tend to have the picnic are directly beside the parking spot for RV’s, only a few seem set up this way at Meeman-Shelby. Many sites have their picnic area and fire ring directly behind or even on the off-side of any RV that would use the site. I wish they would post pictures of the site for those wishing to book.

Outside of the campground is a great state park for those looking for a good hike. Tons of good trails. There is also a bike trail with another really nice playground at its trail head. Even if all you want is a scenic drive, there are some pretty good ones inside the park, and just along the parks northern edge is a road that will take you all the way down to the banks of the Mississippi River.

One more thing to prepare for is mosquitoes. This campground is immediately adjacent to low wetlands along the River. This means that mosquitoes are terrible in the summer around dusk. Some bug spray, citronella, and a campfire seemed to ward them off.

Site14

Month of VisitSeptember

Richard

Ranger

Reviewed Apr. 12, 2021

Straight up in the forest

This park has tons of trees. Every site feels like it was cut right out of the trees. They are all RV sites with electric and water but I pitched a tent with no problem. I wasn’t able to stay and explore but if you’re looking for somewhere quite this is the place.

Site33

Month of VisitNovember

(4) View All

Thomas W.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 8, 2021

Old Forest

The campground is located in an old hardwood forest. The park goes to the Mississippi River but no camping there. There are also some nice fishing lakes on the ridge and interesting swamp hiking below. Facilities are outdated and could use some improvements. I haven't been in a couple of years but probably will. Not all sites will accommodate a large RV so plan ahead.

Erin

Traveler

Reviewed Feb. 1, 2021

Quite and Rustic

We were in RV site 25, which had a huge amount of space to roam. Weather wasn’t great for our 5 night visit in late January but we really enjoyed our stay. Windy roads, hills and GPS took us the “scenic” route into the campground. It’s just a few miles from the Mississippi River which this time of year had huge beach front to explore and watch the barges go back and forth. The bath houses need some work, there is NO cell service (which I kind of enjoyed) but other than that a beautiful park with plenty to do.

Ellie B.

Scout

Reviewed Feb. 1, 2021

Good for a night

It’s good, not great. Proximity to Memphis was a plus, however, we had 0 service anywhere near our campsite. Nice to disconnect for a night, but plan accordingly. The park was nice, the staff were very kind, but the bathrooms needed some attention. Paid $28 for a tent spot, so for that price I would probably try somewhere else next time.

Never Sitting S.

Ranger

Reviewed Jan. 16, 2021

Great Stay!

Reading through the reviews, they are all spot on. We stayed here in a 40' class A for 28 days. There are few spots that we would fit, but it worked out. The staff is great and the camp host is very knowledgeable. Under "new management", they are trying to clean the deadwood and control the mosquitos. Will stay here again!

Site19

Month of VisitJanuary

Daniel L.

Guide

Reviewed Nov. 12, 2020

Forest Campground 20mins from Downtown Memphis

You really can't go wrong with Meeman-Shelby. It is so damn close to Memphis that while you won't feel like you are near an urban center, you benefit from its proximity. I very much appreciated being able to site see and camp during our brief overnight here.

The campground itself is tucked away deep into the Meeman Shelby State Forest and offers a pleasant amount solitude even though the sites are fairly close together. We watched an super long RV struggle to back into their site, so I wouldn't recommend this campground to RVs that require pull through sites.

Not all sites are suitable for tent campers. I would call ahead to ask what sites to consider if booking online, or just show up. There are a lot of sites here and you'll find something.

The campground is not terrible even, so be prepared for that.

Site8

Month of VisitDecember

Sami H.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 28, 2020

Plenty to see and do

This is my neighborhood campground, so i might be a little biased. A great spot to spend the weekend with lots of good trails, a big lake for paddling and fishing, and quaint camp sites. The bathrooms are clean but have strong serial killer vibes. There used to be a pool here. I’d love to see that open again!

Kate O.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 21, 2020

Out of the Way Serene Forest

Meeman-Shelby, north of Memphis, is a nice addition for your camping travels. Very quiet with decent, if old, shower and toilet facilities. Lots of mosquitoes due to the forest surrounds so be prepared. Some sites have dual levels so be prepared there, too. Not much privacy between sites.

Month of VisitJuly

Wild Sage F.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 18, 2020

Nice hiking and camping

The campground is generally more expensive than the other surrounding camping spots in the area. However, the camp is very nice. It didn’t feel crowded, the restrooms are clean, and the views are nice, especially camps 36-45. There is also good amount of hiking around. There is a longer 12 mile hike close by, and other shorter more challenging and less challenging trails. There is also a lake near by.

Michael P.

Traveler

Reviewed Feb. 11, 2020

Nice campground

We had a great time at this campsite. Large camping areas with fire ring, grill and picnic table.

This campsite is right by a hiking trail so it was pretty easy to get firewood. The bathrooms/ showers area are well maintained and easy to get too. All in all a great trip and will be going again real soon.

Site12

Month of VisitSeptember