Shepard State Park, a Mississippi State Park located near Biloxi, Gautier and Grand Bay

SHEPARD STATE PARK

SHEPARD STATE PARK
1034 Graveline Road
Gautier, Mississippi 39553

(lat:30.3792 lon:-88.6358)

Phone: 228-497-2244
Reservations: 228-497-2244

Shepard State Park is nestled in the heart of Singing River (Pascagoula River) country, where legend has it that members of the Pascagoula Indian nation linked hands and walked into the Pascagoula River rather than be taken captive by hostile Indian tribes. The mournful death chant they sang as they walked earned the Pascagoula River the nickname "Singing River." Tales of the heroic exploits of French and Spanish settlers and romantic legends of the Pascagoula and Biloxi Indians are standard fare in the scenic coastal area surrounding Shepard State Park.

FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES OVERVIEW

Day-UseBike Trailsyes

CampingFull Hookup Sitesyes

WinterActivitiesyes

AccommodationsGolf Courseyes

Fishing

Enjoy fishing in freshwater lakes and rivers, home to species like bass, bream, catfish. Saltwater options offer red drum and speckled trout.

Location

Shepard State Park is located near Biloxi, Gautier and Grand Bay

Nearby Parks

Longfellow House National Historical Site

Horn Island National Wildlife Refuge

Gulf Islands National Seashore

Gulf Marine State Park

Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge

Picnicking

Shepard State Park offers numerous picnic spots with tables and grills. There are also three pavilions for larger gatherings.

Birding

The park offers diverse birding opportunities with over 200 species spotted, including migratory and resident birds. Birdwatchers can explore various habitats such as pine forests, hardwood swamps and tidal marshes. The park's nature trails provide excellent viewing spots for enthusiasts. It is also part of the Mississippi Coastal Birding Trail.

Visitor Comments, Memories and Reviews

June 4 Very peaceful by Cynthia Miller

The sites are huge,wooded,and well separated. You truly get the camping experience, not just parking your camper

December 25 Will not go back for camping

Upon arriving, we discovered this park has half of the sites, and most larger sites, filled with long-term guests that appear to have been there for a while. Long enough to accumulate junk strewn about, including an old fiberglass shower stall. Online at Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks we found a list of park rules for Mississippi State Parks. After all rules are listed, page 21, number 23 states a?oNote: All rules and regulations set forth above do not apply to Shepard State Park which is being operated and maintained by the City of Gautier for the State of Mississippi.a?? Wea?Tve been to a couple of Mississippi State Park Campgrounds in the past and were very pleased with them. We expected the same standards to be met at this park as we believed before arriving that it was a state park. On the website, www.shepardstatepark.com, we do not see stated anywhere that it is not. It would be helpful to travelers if their website would inform potential campers that their rules are not the same as state run Parks, so that they would know what atmosphere to expect. It is very misleading that it appears to be a State Park, when it is not. Also, we were woken up at 4:00am Saturday morning to the sound of a truck engine revving repeatedly as if it was trying to pull something and the next morning at 1:00am by the sounds of loud arguing and profanity. On the plus side, the trails are nice, and the bathroom/showers were well lighted outside and inside and had hot water and a separate changing area with a bench and hooks. The areas for disc golf and archery also appear to be great amenities for those that enjoy those sports. I guess we learned that we should always check ahead to see if where wea?Tre booking is a trailer park or a campground.

February 1 best place for frog legs by ellie Phont

we were able to gig for frogs and it was awesome. I ate so many frog lets kermit thought he was next! We were told that camping nude wasnt approved but i think the yogi ranger dude was jealous. we were able to go streaking and skinny dipping every night without issue though! going back in two weeks for some fun. Maybe that ranger in the nine west boots would like to swim?