DAVIS BAYOU CAMPGROUND, GULF ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE, OCEAN SPRINGS, MS

Our Opinion: Recommend.  Nothing exceptional about the campground, but an excellent location for visiting Mississippi’s gulf coast.

Date of Stay: March 3 through 7, 2010

Weather During Stay:  Mostly sunny, cool days with lows in the 30’s or 40’s.

Site Description:  The 51 first-come, first-served sites in the Davis Bayou Campground all have water and 30/50 amp electric, no FHU sites.  Many of the sites (mostly in the main loop) are suitable for large rigs, though the slope on some sites is a bit of a challenge.  All sites are paved, and each has a campfire ring and a picnic table on a concrete slab.  Privacy between sites is limited or non-existent.

The bathhouse has restrooms and hot showers.  The access road and the roads in the campground are paved but narrow, with the occasional encroaching tree.  Dump station on-site, but inconveniently located. Overnight stays are limited to a maximum of 30 nights per calendar year; no more than 14 of these nights may fall between January 1 and March 31.

Rate: Standard rate is $16/night.  We paid half price with Odel’s Golden Age pass.  $8/night is an incredible bargain for this campground.

Phone/radio/TV: Excellent Verizon service for aircard and phones.  Our roof-mounted TV satellite worked, but large trees in the campground mean you need to choose your site carefully.  Several TV stations (including PBS) on the antenna.  NPR on 90.3.

Elevation/landscape/Terrain: This is a flat campground not much above sea level adjacent to Davis Bayou.  Lots of large evergreens, oaks and deciduous trees in the campground.  Views are of  neighboring rigs, large trees, and dense surrounding jungle.

Lighting/noise: Lights on campground buildings only.  No road noise. 

Favorite Sites: We were in site 9, which worked well for our 40’ motor home AND had a bit of privacy on the patio side.  Site 8, close to us, was unappealing to most campers, so it was empty each of the 5 days we stayed - nice for us!  Site 38 looked like the overall winner to us, and was occupied the entire time we stayed.

Hiking/Walking: Lots of walking on the miles of roads in this national park, and on a few trails.  We walked to the beach several days, leaving the park via an old entrance (now a bike path entrance) and walking ½ a mile or so to the gulf.  Lots of bikers and joggers use the park’s roads.

Comments:  We definitely would return here on future visits.  Though you don’t have much privacy, the location is great, and the rangers and campers friendly.  For the discounted price, it can’t be beat - and looked as good as any RV park we saw in the area.  The only potential problem: no reservations… but the park was never full while we were visiting.