Trace State Park

The park consists of three different campgrounds, Deer Run, Eagle Ridge, and Warrior Trails. Warrior Trails allows motorcycles, ATVs, and mountain biking.

Our site, located in Eagle Ridge, was considered premium because it backed up to the lake. The site included a fire pit, picnic table, 15, 30, and 50 amp power connections along with a sewer connection and water connection. According to Reserve America, the driveway length was 68 feet and the maximum vehicle length was 40 feet. We had no issues fitting our 39' motor home and Ford Edge tip to tail. Sites 37 and 38 located just to the west had even longer driveways.

I considered the days and nights to be very quiet with no loud music or campers. We didn't hear any motorcycles or ATVs. The noise from the occasional fishing boat was brief and acceptable. No one was water skiing when we were there. Quiet hours were from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM.

The restroom, showers, meeting room, and laundry building within Eagle Ridge were clean and in good condition. The showers are located inside the restrooms. The showers were free. There were three washers and three dryers. The rate was $1.00 per load.

The extent of the hiking-only trails is limited and beginner level with only minor changes in elevation. The 565 acre lake allows water skiing, fishing from the shore, pier, or boat. Swimming is not permitted. The lake was partially drained during our stay (May 2016) for repairs to be made to the dam. There is a disc golf course near the entrance to the park. Park guests can enjoy a 18-hole golf course without paying green fees at the Pontotoc Country Club which is located nearby. Firewood is available for purchase in the park. Other than the hiking trails, we didn't partake in any other activities.

During our stay, the campground was 50% full on weekdays and 100% on the weekend.

The park is conveniently located about 10 minutes from the Natchez Trace Parkway and about 20 minutes from Tupelo which has a Sam's Club, Lowe's, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, CVS, Walgreen's and multiple Walmart locations. There is no Costco or Camping World.

Faulkner Road, which leads to the entrance to the park, is paved but the last mile is pretty rough with a few potholes and a number of uneven spots. Inside the park, the roads were in good condition.

We stopped for one night while traveling south on the Natchez Trace. There wasn't any water in the lake because the levees are being worked on. It is still a nice place. Bathrooms are clean and it's very quiet, but it is a Sunday.
Our rate is with a senior discount.

Mid week in November we pretty much had our loop to ourselves. The lake has been drained for the season and the lakebed has become a meadow paradise for the small deer herd we enjoyed watching. Site 24 is one of 3 pull through sites in the deer run loop. Easy to get into, paved and fairly level. If the campground was busier our view of the lakebed meadow would have been obstructed by campers in the back in sites on the outer ring of the loop, but as it was we had great views. If we stay again we'll get site 3 or 18, both back in sites but with great views and a little set off from the other sites.

Our impression of this park doesn't seem to match everyone else's, but perhaps it's because it was the 10th state park in a row we visited, and the others were much nicer in our opinion. The road to the campground, and some of the roads inside the campground, are in horrible condition, with broken pavement, huge potholes, and poorly patched areas. The person who checked us in at the entrance was surprisingly unhelpful, didn't give us any information about the park or even instructions on how to get to the campground and our site. We stayed in the new Warrior campground which had large, level concrete sites and full hookups, which was great for the price. Unfortunately both AT&T and Verizon were extremely slow, with AT&T usually not working at all. During the week it was like a ghost town... there were a bunch of RVs in the campground, but we never saw any people, and on the weekend, locals camp here and bring their ATVs to ride around all the trails. It's just a different state park campground experience than we're used to. We walked the trails with our dog during the week until some rain turned them all to mud, and we were advised not to use the trails on the weekend due to the ATVs. The lake is still drained, so that's not available either. It's a good 15-20 minute drive to get to stores or restaurants. Perhaps under different conditions we'd have enjoyed the park more, but next time in the area we'll try a different location.

The review that complains about the pavement is spot on you will need to take it slow from the first sign announcing the park boundary all the way in. Some of the worst spots are right as you come in so take it slow, don't believe the 35 mph. The rest of the park is nice the lake is drained but it just looks like a nice prairie so not a big minus unless you boat or fish. There are also 3 pretty nice mountain bike trails maintained by the local IMBA chapter 3,4 and 6 miles. The restrooms are nice. 28 for full hookup site, I think $2 more for premium which gets you 50 amp instead of 30A

We are staying on our way to New Orleans. The rate is a +60 rate. The roads in here could stood to be repaved & the roads into here --- o, my gosh, bumpy! The site numbers are painted on the pavement & a bit difficult to see. Our site is right at the lake & would be wonderful in the spring or fall. It did have a street light next to it. I imagine it would be a wee bit warm in the summer. The bath house is very clean & warm on this cold January day. There is only one shower. It too is clean. There is no ventilation & no operable windows. The thermostat states that it is for heat & not AC. The cell service - AT&T - has been great. I was very surprised given the location. The fire ring ia
circle of rocks. Tupelo is about 8 miles from here. We went in to look around & have lunch. We also stocked up on provisions at the local Walmart. It is unlikely we will be in this neck of the woods again but I would not mind staying again, if needed.

Stayed five nights. Did not use the facilities. Quiet and enjoyable. All staff we interacted with with friendly. Road is repaired for entry from 278. We had good coverage for both data and cell service. "C-Spire"

Excellent walking and biking trails. Did not go on the ORV trails, but they looked like they could provide lots of entertaiment for MTB riders.

Only stayed for one night, August 21, 2020 traveling through. Site 24 was pull through with electric and water. Enough room for 30 ft TT and 20 ft Tow Vehicle. There is a dump station in campground. Staff was very friendly and ready for our arrival. AT&T service was good. Streamed TV with ToGo equipment.

Road from entrance to campground was rough with a few extremely large potholes.

Would have been nice to spend more time there. Would definitely stay again.

We stayed For two nights site 11 is a full hook up site and sits right on the lake. The pad is concrete and quite sizable and has a picnic table and barbecue as well as a fire pit down near the lake. The only real knock on this park is the access road the state really needs to come in and repave as there are potholes everywhere.

First visit, stayed 5 nights.

Bad:
Road leading in needs to be resurfaced, plenty of patches and need to take it slow.
Found that all sites are not clearly marked, paint on pavement has worn down on several and got help finding my site by a maintenance worker nearby.
Grill wasn’t useable, rusted out and needed replacement.
Fire pit wasn’t well established, no border to identify permanent position, was a pile of ashes but too close to pad.
Site had little grass, mostly hard packed dirt, but many sites are more open and have excellent grassy areas, our site has a lot of shade.
Very windy in daytime hours, had to strap down awnings during our stay, probably due to seasonal changes.

Good:
Found many good sites with good spacing. Our site (7) is a pie shaped site with good water frontage but little room for two vehicles up front. Site 18 is a huge site for those with pets.
Several sites are actually designed for two campers paired up.
All water connections have 2 hookups.
Clean and quiet, crew was quick to respond to a broken water line across from us. Grass was cut low and pads blown off.
Beautiful scenery on the lake and easy access to fish off bank.

Good week, good park that seems to be a little behind, like many state parks, on some repairs but will visit again.