Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park

Beautiful place; definitely a hidden gym. The park rangers need to keep up with the park better.

The cabins are a nice way to take a break from the city without breaking the bank. The employees at the Park are friendly and accommodating.

Took my boyfriend here for his birthday, he loves the outdoors. We stopped at the visitors center bathrooms to change into our swim/kayak clothes. The bathrooms were as clean as partial outdoor bathrooms can get. We then headed to the lake to find the kayak/canoe/ paddle boat/pontoon boat rental place. We thought we checked in at the building but then saw to the right a circular wooden structure. This is where you pay and get all your things. Fairly cheap prices! We came during late August and were 2 of maybe 6 people there that day. Would be way more fun with a group, picnic, and boat license. Recommend if you are looking for a quite, short, fun getaway. There's way more to do than what we did. Check out the website and the corner store on the way out! Super nice people in there!!

Decent fishing spot, bugs are the worst I ever seen, went twice lasted an hour both times due to the amount of bugs, however that doesn't detract from the beauty and natural beauty of this park, it has an old school family picnic feel to it, I grew up swimming and waddling in Akabutla lake and while this lake doesn't have a beachhead it's still a good place to have a cheap fun outing by the water in nature.

This place was a surprise! It goes on forever. I am not sure how long I spent driving toward the camping area through winding roads in thick, green woods, but it felt like ages. I stayed in the "primitive" camping area, and it was gorgeous: deep in the woods, serene and private. My site even featured raised gravel beds for tents. Yes, the bugs are brutal in the summer, as one would expect from being deep in the woods. If you've never spent a summer in the Southeast or Midwest, you are in for a rude awakening. They are even more brutal when one is showering with them in the park bathrooms; I'll probably find bites in very unpleasant places. None of this was the park's fault: the bathrooms were perfectly well-maintained, just full of clouds of mosquitos. Your showers will be brief, or else be achieved via Wet Wipe.The other reviews are correct: there is no signal in this park. They are also correct that you are camping and should just relax and unplug. What my silly, Millennial brain didn't put together was that no signal anywhere in this vast park also meant no help from navigation on my way back out of the park if I decided to try a different route than the way I came in. I got turned around for quite a while. Moral of the story: unplug and relax but don't stray from the path, Red Riding Hood. I enjoyed my time here and would definitely come back (but maybe in the fall when I would need less Caladryl).

First... Please go to the Shelby Forrest General Store for a burger while you are in the area!!! Actually getting out to the trail areas can be a bit confusing if you are not familiar with the park already or have a map. We drove around looking at the not-so-great signage and final settled on an empty lot that was marked "trail parking". It was the Chickasaw trail entrance, but we did not know this at first because we passed the trail entrance! We walked along the pavement and found something absolutely eerie and amazing! It was an abandoned summer camp-like area with a pool the cafeteria and surrounded by about 12 cabins, give or take a few. It was creepy! There were no cars parked at the trail parking to begin with, there were no sounds of birds or anything! It was like being dropped in the middle of a horror script or even worse, a Chernobyl-like town. There were still mattresses, beds, other furniture, cleaner and canned goods on the shelves. I cannot explain how spooky it was and the feeling that I was not supposed to be there kept surfacing. On our way out of "Chernobyl" we stopped at a small storage cabin and while we were peeping in, we heard a loud bang behind us and we took off running towards the car in fear of our lives! Alright, now that I have given you all a scare, the site turned out to be harmless and we could tell that at least the park was aware of this area because the grass had been recently mowed; however, every other aspect of the site has been untouched for years. We finally searched and found an article by the Memphis Flyer saying it was built by the CCC as part of the New Deal and was closed in early 2000s to campers and the area has just deteriorated since. If you can find this area, it is great to explore. This area of the park could be so great if they would restore the cabins and rent them out with the big pool there and plenty of room to barbeque and play sports. You can tell there was a very long zip line over a ridge that would be great as well. If anyone is interested in leading a restoration campaign for this site, I would be interested.Oh by the way, the actual Chickasaw trail was pretty cool.

We packed a picnic, fishing poles, bikes, loaded the canoe and headed out on an "it's gonna rain soon" afternoon. (We push the envelope...what can I say!)The general store enroute to park was very rustic and cool. You can get snacks, something hot from the grill, bait or a fishing license. NOTE: SS# is required for all who want to purchase a fishing license, even children (which is a bummer because I never travel with that info and have too many kids to memorize all their socials). Needless to say none of the kids could fish!!! (Kids will now start learning their own socials) The drive through the forest to the lake was nice but not extraordinary. We noticed lots of trails, covered picnic areas and places to fish or put your boat in. There were hikers, joggers and even some bike riders.The picnic areas were clean. There were BBQ pits, tables and restrooms. The lake is beautiful and on the other side of the park is the Mississippi River. We spent a few good hours enjoying ourselves but eventually got slammed with a major rain storm and gusty winds. Trees were down on the road that had to be removed. The forecast is something to consider before we head thy way again but it was fun in spite of getting soaked.Definitely a revisit next time we're in town.

A beautiful park close to the city of Memphis. Some of the reviews worried me but we enjoyed our stay. Bugs not bad and yes no phone service but this is camping. Showers gross and there were 2 centipedes in the shower and they were long. I know it goes with the territory but yuk!

Beautiful and peaceful. I definitely recommend camping here. It was also very quiet at night, which was nice.

This park is one of my favorite things about Memphis. Although Overton Park and Shelby Farms are great outdoor spaces, I don't consider a "walk in the park" a "hike." I'm a California transplant who misses real mountains and real hiking. Shelby Forest is the closest thing I've found to fill that void.The WoodlandTrail #2 is my favorite starting point. It is a 3-mile loop with enough hilly inclines to make it challenging if you pick up the pace. The scenery is woodsy and beautiful with small streams and log walks. The rest of the trails in the park seem fairly flat. Trail #4 is paved for bicycle, but is nonetheless surprisingly pretty. In some sections, the trees form beautiful archways over the asphalt, and there are a number of rustic stone picnic tables in secluded wooded areas off the main path.The Chickasaw Bluff Trail #1 towards Poplar Tree Lake is a long hike (about 5 miles from the Woodland Trail Shelter). Again, its mostly flat, but as it nears Poplar Tree Lake the terrain and scenery get a little more interesting. There is a Cypress tree forest about 1/2 mile in from the lake. It was dry when I hiked it during the summer, but last January the trees sat in pools of water evoking a haunting beauty that only Cypress trees can.