Tishomingo State Park
Quick Facts
Why Tishomingo & Bear Creek Canyon
Tishomingo State Park is Mississippi’s largest state park at over 1,500 acres, tucked into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains where massive sandstone rock formations create a landscape found nowhere else in the state. The park’s centerpiece, Bear Creek Canyon, features a photo-ready swinging bridge built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, with archaeological evidence of Paleo-Indian presence dating back to 7000 BC and a name honoring Chickasaw Chief Tishomingo.
This is a genuinely beautiful state park with real hiking, canoeing, and disc golf on offer, and some of the best campsites reviewers say they’ve found anywhere in a state park. One honest note: funding cuts have left some trails and older facilities showing wear — the newer RV sites fare much better than the pool and recreation areas.
What Makes It Special
- Location: Tishomingo, in the foothills of the Appalachians
- Setting: Genuinely beautiful, rare rock formations for Mississippi
- Site type: State park campground
- Amenities: Real hiking and canoeing trails, disc golf, spacious paved RV sites, lake views on select sites
- Recreation: Hiking and water activities
Pro Tips for Booking
Book the newer RV sites if amenities matter. Funding cuts have left some trails and older facilities showing wear — the newer sites fare much better than the pool and recreation areas.
Walk the CCC-built swinging bridge. It’s one of the park’s most photographed spots, crossing Bear Creek amid moss-covered sandstone.
Hike the Bear Creek Outcropping Trail. This 3.5-mile route passes several unique rock formations and a waterfall.
What to Do Around Here
- Hiking to the CCC-built swinging bridge over Bear Creek
- Canoeing Bear Creek’s calm, rapid-free waters
- Rock climbing by permit on the park’s sandstone outcroppings
- Playing one of three disc golf courses
- Fishing on Haynes Lake for bass, bream, and catfish
