Shepard State Park

We wanted to get off I-10 and take the more scenic coastal route through Biloxi and Gulfport to New Orleans, so this made for a convenient, affordable overnight stop en route from the Florida panhandle. We showed up after office hours but before dark, and they had a list of available sites for the night on the office window with self-pay envelopes. At $18/night it was a good value for electric, water and a dump station, and quieter than the truck stop or Wal-Mart alternatives. The park has only twenty-eight sites, with water and electricity, picnic tables and grills. There is a centrally located bath house and a dump station. Three sites are small pull-thrus, the rest back-in.

There are a lot of permanent residents here in pretty well cared for RVs, but the park hasn't been that well maintained and it's now under the city's control supposedly. The electrical boxes and water spigots are in pretty rough shape (definitely check the polarity before plugging in!), campsites are gravel, but most aren't very level.

The roads are also gravel and a bit rutted in places, and the back loops of the campground are a pretty tight squeeze with low hanging trees and narrow roads. Our site had a bag of trash left in the fire ring. The sites are pretty well spaced apart though, with lots of foliage between them and some had nice water views of a nearby wetland/marshy area. Site 12 in particular had a great view and lots of outdoor space. We chose an easier site (#18) to back into, as it was getting dark already and too cold to be outside.

Good cell service, pretty quiet, wooded, and cheap. We didn't get to use them, but there are 8 miles of nature trails, a disc golf course, and a boat launch. We'd return for a few days if we just wanted to be somewhere secluded to get some work done and take some walks/bike rides, if there were something we wanted to do in the Pascagoula area, and definitely as an overnight stop.

Small and cheap State Park great for an overnight to rest or to stay put in bad weather.
The park needs a lot of love. Roads are gravel and the sites are dirt, some unlevel and they gets very muddy when it rains. Bathrooms and showers are very old but they were clean.

Some of the hiking trails are overgrown and not well kept. You need boots, and long pants to hike the trails.

In overall we had a peaceful stay.
We stayed here in a Class B MH

This was our first experience camping in Mississippi, my home state. Easy to get in and out. Got a $5 discount for being a veteran. Enjoyed this little campground with easy access to nearby Biloxi, beaches, and restaurants.

We really enjoyed our stay here the staff was very friendly and caring. There are enough trees to feel private, but not isolated. There is a boat dock, a frisbee golf course and a good size dog park. Lots were level and made up of a sandy clay that drained water away very quickly. The dump station is a little primitive, but works fine.

Online reservations are fast and easy. At arrival the gate attendant had my paperwork ready to go with directions to my site. The site is huge and wooded with a nice sense of privacy. It had a grill, fire ring and new picnic table. Bath house is older, but clean. Host is set up at the bath house with firewood for sale. The 2 pm check out was nice.

The campsite at Shepard State Park (in the city of Gautier) is phenomenal. Site fifteen really is the best in the whole campsite if you want privacy. A nesting pair of Mississippi sandhill cranes was just beyond my site and greeted me every morning with their calls. The showers are as good as you have at home and are free. They’re cleaned well and are the best I’ve had in any campsite ever. I can't say enough about how pleasurable this was.

Very nice option! Well maintained, quiet, trail network, sites have privacy.

We approached from east - there’s a RR crossing and bridge you’ll want to take slow. Highly recommend coming in from west via Ladnier to Graveline.

2 bars Verizon LTE but it seemed to fluctuate. Sometimes we could stream and other times couldn’t get a webpage to load.

Stopped for a week as we were traveling west. Very wooded with lots a space between sites. Had a dog park, disc golf course and archery ranges. Office staff very friendly. New picnic tables and new stone fire pits. Warm showers.

If you are traveling through the Mississippi gulf area, we highly recommend a stay at Shepard State Park. The sites are very spacious, the administrative staff is very friendly and helpful, and the park itself is great. Every site had plenty of space between each and its very quiet overall. We loved having water and electric for only $18 a night!

The park and all trails throughout were very dog-friendly, and they even had a very spacious dog park. The park had numerous walking trails, archery, and even a frisbee golf course. We loved staying here!

Ps. After walking the campground numerous times, we think site 12 is the best! Super secluded site with your own front window to the bayou! Pick site 12!

We absolutely love this park! This was our first time staying her in early June and decided to continue our stay while helping our son with his home reno in Ocean Springs only 18 miles away! We stayed on sites 13, 4 & 27 during the 2 weeks in the area. Great park to stay while exploring the Gulf Coast of MS, as well. ❤️