Need help finding good campground for TT

[rsalkeld]

Hello camper types, I will be renting a TT next month to take from Knoxville to Huntsville, TX. First time pulling anything substantial with my Tundra. Huntsville is just north of Houston. I plan to take two days to get there. That means an overnight stay in the TT on the road, both going and coming back.

On the way there I would like to stop somewhere between Meridian, MS on the 59 and Baton Rouge, LA on the 10.

On the way home I am planning on stopping somewhere near Meridian.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a good place to camp out? Any state parks that are good? Any other options?

My wife works at a Wal-Mart and says they always have a trailer/5th wheel in the parking lot in the morning. I just do not feel that would be a safe Idea. Does anyone have experiences with Wal-Mart lots? Are they safe?

Thanks for any help.

[droolingmess]

There is something like 350 Walmarts that do not allow staying overnight. I saw the list online but can't remember the site. You might try a google search and find it. Also have read some posts from folks who tried staying at a Walmart and got run off by the cops. Go to Woodall's online and you can get an idea of what is available for RV parks in the area you are thinking of stopping.

[jdubh]

WalMart's official policy created by Sam Walton himself is to allow RVers to park on their lots for up to 3 days. All WalMarts permit overnight camping. However, some cities have created ordinances to ban camping at WalMart. Most of these towns are either RV unfriendly or close to something like a NASCAR track where the walmart would get overrun with campers. There is an ettiquite to camping at walmart. You can find a list of WalMarts and even a downloadable GPS file that contains all the camper-friendly walmarts at the walmart RVing group: walmartrving | Yahoo! Groups

Safe is a relative question, I have pulled into Walmarts and said no way, drove somewhere else such as a Flying J which usually has RV parking away from the trucks. If it doesn't seem well lit or scary then move on, if not then spend the night and save yourself $30-50 on a campsite.

[funfinder4]

Personally I would avoid I10 between Baton Rouge La & Houston, Tx. unless you will be traveling through the Houston area over a weekend day. I live in Bryan/College Station about 30-40 mins from Huntsville. We've taken the trip North East several times towards the Winchester, Va area. I prefer to pick up I20 in Meridian, Ms. If you do that it will take you right through the Bienville National Forest. Nice area.

Here's the route I'd suggest (it's less miles too):
from:meridian, Ms to:I-20 W to:US-79 N to:30.719407,-94.952087 to:Huntsville, tx - Google Maps

Been this way many times.

[rsalkeld]

Originally Posted by funfinder4

Here's the route I'd suggest (it's less miles too):
from:meridian, Ms to:I-20 W to:US-79 N to:30.719407,-94.952087 to:Huntsville, tx - Google Maps

Been this way many times.

I took this route the last time I visited my son. I could not tell how much faster it was because we had to stop more then usual due to a sick family member. It was much nicer in terms of "views out the windows."

Thanks for the info.