Mammoth Pursues Spring Migration, Day 6

Mon Apr 15
Review: Reelfoot Lake SP

site 7  Paid $130/3
All about the location

There were a lot of people camping here on a weekday in April, and I can only guess it was all about the location. It's not all that close to any major interstates--the nearest on is probably the I-155 cut-over at Dyersburg. And it's not really on the way to or from anywhere interesting.  But still, it's Reelfoot Lake! And that's interesting all on its own.

We had an asphalt surface that was mostly level but crumbling on the sides and back.  It backed up to the lake, and some of the others on the "Lake Loop" were even worse than ours--the cypress roots had attacked the backstop and crumbled the edges. On ours, the picnic table was so close to the swamp that if you tripped you'd fall in. But I'm not complaining--it wasn't all that deep there, and it was absolutely beautiful.

The water pressure was a little low but it worked fine. Electricity fine, too. They were keeping the part maintained pretty well; we saw workers removing the heat wires from the water pipes and mowing.

The other campers were quiet and most kept their outdoor lighting to a minimum. It was beautifully dark at night. The sites were about 1/4 to 1/3 full at the time (weekday in mid-April). The only strange thing I have to report is that Google Maps couldn't seem to find it. Google navigated us to the visitor center which was a couple of miles away. But signage got us to the campground.

The boat ramp at the campground was unusable for all but the smallest of motorboats--don't try. There was only little trail--the Broad Slough trail--over to the cabins. It was hard to find the trailhead--you go to the sign at the tent camping area, then walk along the mowed grass mound (floodwall?) beside the road. Then you see a second sign where the trail actually begins.

The restaurant "Down home family" was closed despite google saying it was open.

The park Visitor Center has a lovely boardwalk out back.  And the Wildlife Refuge visitor center is very nice. This is at the south unit--the north unit in Kentucky was pretty much empty of wildlife or birds at the time of year. Maybe in the winter when the marshes are full of it would be okay.

Don't miss seeing the nesting Bald Eagle pair at the main boat ramp, around the lake halfway between the campground and the visitor center. And check out the nesting ospreys out on a dead tree in the lake near our camp site.

From the boardwalk: