Davis Bayou Campground in Ocean Springs, Mississippi: Review and Photos
Stay at Davis Bayou Campground in the Gulf Islands National Seashore for a Mississippi vacation your family will never forget!
This campground in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, is one of the cleanest, quietest ones that we’ve visited so far.
With spacious lots, water and electric hook-ups, and easy access to fishing, picnicking, and local beaches, this campground is perfect for exploring the Gulf.
In the review below, I’m sharing campsite photos and a comprehensive review so you can see if this campground is the right stop for your family.
Camping in Ocean Springs, Mississippi: What to Consider
My husband swimming at Ocean Springs, about 20 minutes from the Davis Bayou campground
This quaint town is located just over the Biloxi Bay Bridge from Biloxi, Mississippi.
Ocean Springs has an adorable historic district near the foot of the bridge, where you can go shopping in the many locally run boutiques or eat at one of the restaurants.
While the western parts of Ocean Springs border the Gulf, much of the area doesn’t have direct water access.
In fact, while we were looking for a campsite in both Biloxi and Ocean Springs, I couldn’t find a single campground that offered direct access to the beaches there.
Considering that the beach is such a big draw here, it can be disappointing to have to stay further away than I would’ve liked.
We eventually settled on Davis Bayou Campground since it got us out of the hustle and bustle of Biloxi, and the campground had excellent reviews on RV Life.
Plus, I’d always wanted to stay in a National Parks Service campground, and Davis Bayou campground was one of the first NPS campgrounds I’d found that offered water and electric hookups.
It ended up being a great choice, and I’d go back again whenever we’re in the area next.
Other Campground Options Nearby
Since it’s a vacation destination, I would’ve expected more RV parks in this area. I ended up having a hard time finding—and then settling on—a campground for this part of our trip out to Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, and back.
Majestic Oaks RV Resort
We also considered staying at the Majestic Oaks RV Resort in Biloxi, Mississippi.
This campground got solid reviews on RV Life, but it was not in the best part of town. There is a large metal fence surrounding the campground, and the landscaping is gorgeous, which helps offset the location.
However, the beach—which for my family was the biggest draw for this area—was several blocks away and not really walkable.
Majestic Oaks campground does have a shuttle, but I’d much prefer a location that had more to do in the surrounding area.
Cajun RV Park
We also considered Cajun RV Park, which is much closer to the beach and located just off of Beach Boulevard in Biloxi.
I very nearly booked a site here, but I couldn’t get happy with the property.
The campground entrance is right across the beach, but getting there meant we’d have to walk 2 kids across a 4 lane highway without any dedicated crossing area.
We did drive through this campground while we were in town, and it doesn’t feel very secluded as it is surrounded by motels.
The lots were dirt without any concrete or rock padding. This campground is the most convenient of my final contenders, but Davis Bayou Campground is overall much cleaner and well manicured.
Davis Bayou Campground Review
Davis Bayou Campground is located inside the sprawling Gulf Islands National Seashore, and it is run by the National Park System.
Keep in mind that Gulf Islands National Seashore is huge, covering areas in both Florida and Mississippi.
The Davis Bayou section, which includes the campground, is one of the westernmost sections of the National Seashore. Only Cat Island, a ferry-accessible island off the coast of Pass Christian, Mississippi, is further west.
NOTE: There isn’t direct beach access from the campground or anywhere in Davis Bayou. You’ll need to go to Front Beach Drive in Ocean Springs or along beach Boulevard in Biloxi to swim in the Gulf.
We preferred the stretch of beach in Ocean Springs near the Chester McPhearson, Jr. Pier. This area is across Front Beach Drive from Fort Maurepas City Park, which has a splash pad and public restrooms.
Check-in Process
On the day that we arrived at Davis Bayou Campground, we were coming from New Orleans and the Bayou Segnette State Park campground.
We’d had an uneven experience in that campground, and were hoping that Davis Bayou would be an excellent respite before we headed towards Georgia for hiking in Providence Canyon State Park and the Florence Marina State Park campground.
Thankfully, the Davis Bayou campground exceed expectations and was a great base to explore Ocean Springs and Biloxi.
We checked in simply by rolling up next to the campground hosts and letting them know we were there.
The hosts were attentive and were often outside of their campers, watching for anyone who needed to check-in or ask a question.
When we went to check in, both the husband and wife were relaxing on their lawn, but quickly met us at the roadside.
They had everything ready to go for us, from entrance codes to parking tags, and we were on our way to our campsite in no time.
Individual Campsite Review
Our Winnebago Micro Minnie 1800BH in the campsite
We were in Site 13 on Loop B, which I preferred to the larger Loop A.
We had a back-in spot, as all of the campsite are at Davis Bayou campground.
However, ours was located just on the edge of the loop turnaround, which meant that my husband had to do a little maneuvering to get the trailer into the spot.
He managed, as he always does, and we were ready to start setting up.
The sites here have newly paved asphalt on them and they are level. We barely had to adjust our camper at all to get it fully level for our stay.
Each of the sites comes with a wooden picnic table, charcoal grill, and campfire ring.
Ours had several mature trees overhead, which helped to create a secluded feel. The entire campground felt private, thanks to the landscaping and overall layout.
Most of the sites also had some trees and grass, but everything was kept trimmed and neat.
The sites here don’t have sewer hook-up, but do offer both city water and 50 amp connections. (If you’re like us and have a camper that uses 30 amp, don’t forget a converter pigtail, one of my travel trailer must haves!)
There is a dumpsite at the back of the restrooms, and it got busy around check-out each day (11 AM).
Campground Layout
To get to the campground, you’ll have to enter Davis Bayou first, and follow Park Road to Robert McGhee Road. Follow Robert McGhee to its end for the campground entrance.
The campground does have signs leading to them along the way, but you need to be paying attention at the turns.
The campground is sectioned off by automatic gates, but these stay open during the day. You’ll get a code at check-in that will allow you to come and go once they’re locked at sundown.
The campground is composed of 2 loops, the main loop (A) and a smaller offshoot loop (B), which is located at about 2 o’clock if you look at the campground as a big circle.
The campsite hosts are the third or fourth site on the left as you come in, and they have a wooden sign clearly marking their site.
Near the intersection of the 2 loops is the bath house.
Campground Amenities
While there aren’t as many things to do here as the KOAs that we’ve stayed at, we still found some great things to do in and around the campground.
Our son heads out on his scooter
Paved roads
We loved the smooth pavement, which was great for biking, using the scooters, and rollerskating.
The campground didn’t have a playground, but the kids enjoyed some of the walking trails in the larger Davis Bayou area.
Bath houses
The bath houses were extremely well taken care of with separate entrances for the showers and the toilets.
The showers were contained in individual rooms, which was nice as I don’t like the showers with flimsy curtains.
However, the showers were each laid out in such a way that there wasn’t a place in the room that didn’t get sprayed. This meant that we had to be very careful not to drop our clothes in the water post-shower.
This also meant that we were still a little soggy while we were getting dressed, which I didn’t love, especially given how hard it was to dress my little kid.
The other side of the bath house with the toilets was kept extremely clean, which isn’t always the case in campgrounds.
There were multiple stalls on both the men and women’s sides which were regularly checked throughout the day.
The stalls and the overall bath house were spacious, too.
What to Do Elsewhere in Davis Bayou
While we used the campground mostly for relaxing afternoons and evenings, we explored all over Davis Bayou during our time in Ocean Springs.
Check out the William M. Colmer visitors center where you can learn about this part of the Gulf coast and get your National Seashore Junior Ranger badge.
There are multiple areas throughout the park where you can find overlooks into the bayou and possibly see herons, fish, alligators, snakes, and more.
Just don’t get too close if you see the latter two.
This area has large alligators who aren’t very afraid of humans. It also has water moccasins and copperheads, which are venomous. The snakes will typically let you alone, but both species will let you get uncomfortably close before moving. Copperheads, which are stealth hunters, will practically let you step on them before they will head on out.
With little kids on the nature trails, keep your eyes out and don’t walk through leaves or pine straw.
You can also see if you can catch dinner at the Davis Bayou fishing pier near the visitors center. This area also overlooks the Halstead Bayou as it empties into the larger Davis Bayou.
Final Thoughts on Davis Bayou Campground
This clean and quiet campground is excellent for anyone who’d like to explore the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.
Park Road leading into the Davis Bayou area
While it does lack in kid-centric activities, the entire family will enjoy getting away from it all (or, at least feeling like it).
The campground is less than 10 minutes from the closest grocery store, Rouses Market, where you can get local seafood, firewood, and general supplies.
The historic district of Ocean Springs is about 20 minutes away, and offers up the closest beach access.
It’s about 30 minutes into Biloxi if you’d like to see a show, do some gambling, or explore one of the museums there.
While the campground touts itself as “waterfront campsites,” that couldn’t be further from the truth as there is no direct water access from this part of the park. However, other areas of Davis Bayou do have boat ramps and fishing piers.
There isn’t a beach anywhere on the property, so keep that in mind when planning your itinerary.
Overall, I enjoyed our stay here, and I appreciated the level of care that the camp hosts and park employees use towards the campground’s upkeep. We will be back to see more of the Gulf Coast!
