Shepard State Park

This is a cozy little park, tucked into a forested area with a marsh full of wildlife. We've enjoyed our month long stay here. The sites are a decent distance from each other, which offers a small amount of privacy. It hasn't been loud at all. Everyone has been friendly. Dixie at the office is extremely friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable of the area. There's a very nice walkway to explore the marsh. If you're lucky, you may spot alligators, turtles, crabs, otters, and multiple species of birds. There's also a disc golf course, kayak launches, a boat launch, playground, dog park, primitive camping, and an archery course. This place has a lot to offer for everyone.

We were camped in #8. It was a good site but would have rather had a water front/marsh site. They were all taken. You could just see some Lagoon type water- not really the gulf. Sure that it is connected though. Nice big sites with alot of distance between each. Lots of shrubbery in between for privacy. The showers were wonderful!! We saw armadillo on site. Everyone so friendly.

Update 9/2023: this park we just visited was a totally different one from what was on this location in 2017. The rv sites are now clean, and site 15 was large and private. The trails are now clear and wide, and all the broken bridges and walkways have been replaced. The entire park was clean and upgraded. The Marshwalk Pier is an attribute to the entire community. In 2017 I swore I'd never come back here, but I will definitely be back now. A great place for a stay or just a day. Definitely 5 ⭐

I hesitate to post all the great things about this place. It’s so very nice and clean that it would be a shame for all of the trashy people t come here and ruin it. If I could have- I would have just stayed here forever! What a nice place full of friendly people. I’ll be back and hope that all of the nice, clean and friendly people go here to support this place! It is like a peaceful paradise!

Pros: lots of trails, boardwalk over marsh was exquisite-it was plastic and had cool solar lights on the walkway, most of the trails are shortcuts to the campgrounds, bark park, site markers were highly visible, there are cameras placed throughout the park I assume for safety, the bath houses have key codes so only campers are using them, the bath houses were very nice-clean showers, decent water pressure, the bathrooms by the park looked recently renovated-the doors were very nice, it looked like they were making upgrades to seating using downed trees to make benches. The road is gravel which added to the primitive feel. The sites were very large, most appeared level enough to make it work. The site we had could easily accomodate our 35ft camper, a tent, rug, seating, it was very spacious. There was tons of shade and a great breeze. We have Verizon and had 3-4 bars while there so internet wasn't an issue. Dump station is located for use when leaving the park which is convenient. The water spigot had 2 water hook ups. The electrical panels looked recently upgraded and allowed for your plugs to stay covered from the elements while hooked up-it was a nice box. The roads were pretty wide. The sites are pretty deep, we stayed hooked up to our truck since we only stayed 1 night. Many of the sites appeared long enough you could stay connected. There is very clear signage for navigating through the camp. There are multiple pull through sites
Cons: there is no wifi, sites are not full hook up, some sites are not big rig accessible
Toss up: the bark park was nice and there was shaded seating for humans but no trees really, the agility ramp had some rough looking boards and there was no other interactive activities for dogs, there was no water bowl/trough to use which I've seen at most parks, but it was a large area. There isn't a dual door entrance so if the gate is open there isn't a second gate to stop dogs. You would have to watch for other dogs if they were in the park when entering. There are lights on the roadway but they didn't seem to be working at night. There is a large playground but there are 2 areas that are broken and they have it rigged up with a stop sign and working sign. That could be problematic because of sharp edges. I imagine replacement plastic or a metal bar could be purchased to repair it more safely. It's probably the only thing that wasn't maintained to the other standards of the park. Check in is at 4 and they close at 5 but there are clear instructions for late check in. There are a lot of amenities such as archery and disc golf that we didn't use.

Overall we absolutely loved our stay here and I wish we had been there more than 1 night. It was quiet, calm, relaxing. There appeared to be some long termers, there were tons of dogs with fenced in yards to play. The camp ground itself was very well maintained and quiet. It was just a really nice camp ground, probably one of if not the best we've been to. I would love to come back here and would encourage anyone to add this to your must see parks list.

Great campground for the price. Close to nearby cities and attractions, but still feels like you're in a remote area. Staff is very friendly and welcoming. They have such an easy, streamlined checkin process. Felt very safe here: security cameras, gated entrance, access codes to bathrooms. Campsites are spacious, with the picnic table and fire area set back from the pull-in space. Some are quieter or larger than others (site 16 pictured). Bathrooms are clean and had hot showers. Firewood and wifi at the gift shop.

Oh and there's a stray cat there! He is black and very friendly, but will steal food you leave out!

Great folks helped me out changing dates
Dixie was very pleasant and helpful

Stayed at the campground for the night. Very well kept park. Took a walk in the morning on the Marshwalk. Very nice and quiet.

This place is a hidden gem. By hidden, I mean off the beaten path,hidden. Paved roads to get there, and boom its there. Inexpensive rates to stay, nice shady lots for RV's. We camped in a tent in the RV area, gravel lots, but we were far enough that it didn't affect our tent. Manager was super nice, I never did get her name. Park is huge!! If you don't want full hookups, (water, electric) rates are cheaper, and they have those sites too. We didn't explore the park, but what I seen was enough to have me visit again! Bathhouse was clean, you need a code to get in. I liked that! Made me feel safe that they care about safety and security of their guests. Great job Shepard State Park!

Plenty of trees and space between campsites. We will definitely come back to camp again. Well maintained bathrooms and really fun disc golf course. So many park amenities! We tent camped and had to listen to some rambunctious raccoons incredibly close to our tent all night, so they must have a home near site 15, beware! Overall, a wonderful experience.

We live a mile from here and we truly appreciate such a wonderful outdoor experience so close to our home. The hiking trails are easy to light intermediate (Yankee trail). Friendly people in the park and our dogs think they're on vacation when we take them. Looking forward to the disc golf and canoeing in the park this year.

Dixie at the office is just wonderful and the campground is stellar! I got the senior discount, thanks. Made notes of my favorite sites for next time. Loved the many trails and magnificent trees.

Beautiful Park ! 🏞 They recently added a wonderful welcome center with general store (made out of an old log cabin) and a walking pier over the marsh. The park is well maintained and peaceful. Enjoy hiking, disk golf, bring your dog to the dog park or enjoy camping. They have an archery range, playground and picnic pavilions, also.

Camped for 2 weeks, would easily and without reservations, recommend this park for anyone.
The bark park was especially loved by Jasper, my black lab. Bathrooms were clean, water was hot, and I appreciated the new lock out gates that allow only those that are welcome.

Awesome choice for a quiet, very secure camping location. The park has an electronic gate which is only opened by a code provided when the campsite is reserved. Which means there is absolutly no drive through public traffic. all the sites are RV centric but can also accommodate tent camping as well. Although in our instance a place to pitch a tent was a mere happy accident as rain started the next morning and continued throughout our stay. However we still managed to bring back a cooler of wild gulf coast blue crab back to Arkansas.

this park is such a little gem nestled up near the coastline. wooded and secluded camper sites, lots of walking trails, and amazing new bridge out over the picturesque marsh. we really enjoyed our 8 day stay. bathrooms were decent, as of march 2021 men’s had been totally renovated while women’s had not (outdated but perfectly functional). disc golf course is great, heavily wooded in areas and if there’s been any rain you will encounter mud and standing water. but wear some good boots and go anyway, it’s a really fun course. and best feature of all — the dozen or so archery lanes. really loved being able to bring our bows down and do some target practice.
gautier isn’t a great town, but oceans springs is super quaint, great restaurants and pubs, and down the street from good beaches. only about a 25 min drive from the campsite.

We stay here often. This was a state park but the City of Gautier now owns and manages it. Lovely place. Well kept. Spacious camp sites. Gate and bathhouse codes with your reservation confirmation. Discounts for Seniors and disabled.

Please make reservations well in advance. This park is no longer a well kept secret. It is often booked solid a couple months in advance.

Check out sites 3, 19 and 21. These are our favorites.

This place is AMAZING 🤩
Disc golf, nature trails, an archery range.
Both primitive and upgraded camp sites. Which are huge and fairly secluded. The staff is awesome, helpful, and friendly.

What a beautiful park with a ton of activities available. The RV campground was big enough for my 37’ 5th wheel. Spaces are gravel and fairly level. The park offers a 18 hole frisbee golf course, 14 station archery course, boat launch, fishing. The have a brand new elevated board walk through the salt marsh. Looking forward to my next visit

Great campsites with new connections. Great trails, disc golf, and dog park, and playground with new equipment. Above average, clean restrooms at campsites.