Tickfaw State Park

As we were driving into the Springfield, LA area from the east, our GPS wanted to take us a different route than the website directions that follow the signage to the state park. This would have had us end up on dirt roads, so definitely follow the website directions and follow the signs. Check in was quick and easy. When we booked the reservation we used the 20% military discount but found out upon arrival that LA State Parks give a 50% discount for seniors 62+ and you don’t have to be a state resident. The ranger processed a refund for us as he checked us in. You cannot beat $10 a night for this park even though its still recovering from hurricane Ida and the boardwalk trails and canoe rentals were still closed. You can also still see massive tree damage throughout the park but the campground (CG) area has been cleaned up. After check in, we proceeded to back-in site 17 with water (very good pressure) and 50/30 electric. The pad was plenty long enough for our 39’ fifth wheel and our F-450 truck as are most sites in the park. Site 17 pretty much sits off by itself and it's one of the most spacious sites in the CG. Most of the sites are pretty much a 90 degree angle to back-in but there’s enough room to swing your vehicle. If you are worried about backing, site 15 is probably the easiest back-in site the way it sits off a curve. We got 2 bars on Verizon. They actually have a laundry room with 3 washers and dryers costing both $1.75 to wash & dry. However, there was not a change machine in the laundry area. There’s a small fishing lake behind the CG down a short road between sites 15 and 17. The lake has a cool boardwalk fishing pier that was in good shape. There’s a dirt trail that goes around the lake but be aware there are some pretty good sized gators lounging about. We enjoyed our 2 nights stay and would not hesitate coming back.

I came anticipating some of the classic swamp and bayou scenery I've come to enjoy in this part of the country, but the prior review was unfortunately rather accurate. But before arriving at the park, the drive coming from the west off of I-12 was completely unsigned (Firetower Road, etc.). I knew there was essentially only one way into the park and one way out, but until we actually found ourselves at the front gate, I was rather skeptical we were headed the right way.

Check-in was a breeze and my America the Beautiful card was accepted for the full discount which is a great deal. We camped in the improved (water, electric) section which had long paved mostly level asphalt pads with water and electric hookups which worked fine. Upon check-in, we were advised all the trails were closed, except one small one at the far end of the road. But as the weather was raining on and off we didn't really explore much. Overall this improved loop looked pretty good with several other campers in bigger rigs.

Upon leaving the next morning we looped through the unimproved section and wow, was it torn up. I've posted a few more photos of that area, but it is intended for small units and tents. The improved area was in pretty good shape comparatively. But with no trails and soaked earth from all the rain, there wasn't much to do. It was very quiet at night with a chorus of insects and amphibians making for a pleasant evening. As for cell coverage, there was little to no T-Mobile and with a booster, the AT&T hotspot did better - 7 down and 1 up though it may have been better in the evening as we were able to stream until all signals dropped for nearly half an hour before coming back. And those speeds were with a nearly empty park.

Heads up for potential campers: Tickfaw was hit hard by Hurricane Ida on August 30, 2021. The roads and camp sites have been cleared, but the storm’s devastation is evident with many large trees toppled or sheared off. Local residents within a 1/2 mile of our camp were shooting night and day. We saw our first state park ranger carrying a sidearm. Left after one night. Louisiana State Parks have the worst cancellation policy we’ve encountered: once you’ve checked in, no refunds no matter how many nights early you leave. Don’t like to kick a park when it’s down, but I sure would have appreciated knowing this in advance.

Now I will preface this with; we've spent a lot of our time in NOLA consuming as much ocean life as we could. So this review isn't the most comprehensive, but I'll do the best I can.

It's amazing how much of the US population is located just a few minutes off the I-10. Once you exit I-10 into Springfield you're greeted with a quintessential American community, and about 15 minutes into that drive through raised manufactured homes that look like they've seen a hurricane or two. You pull into a circular driveway that will easily fit most rigs, so accessing the park for even the biggest rigs is pretty simple.

You'll be instructed to make your first right after the bridge and find the spot you were designated when you register at the front booth. All the spots are level, paved, and accessible for the big boys. I believe all sites come with 50 amp service which was handling all our gadgets being on even while the AC pumped out the humidity.

Now I mentioned in the beginning, this location is about an hour away from the French quarter, and all those famous spots on and around Bourbon St! Now, we might get in fights about this but Cafe Beignet is better than Cafe Du Monde. Don't forget to grab your to-go drink at what felt like 100's of cafe counter Bars scattered about. It's paradise if you're into that sort of thing.

The only issue we had with this location was the amount of humidity, was overwhelming. Now, I realize that that's completely subjected as we grew up in two of the driest climates in the country, CA, and CO. However that lovely 50 amp service was able to keep the AC going and pumping out the humidity day and night with no problem. We even thought about getting a dehumidifier and seeing how much free Louisianan water we could get with all that electricity!

Also, it gets quite muddy on the grassy areas during the winter, wear those mucks or stay on the gravel. Especially the puppies (mopping nightmare!)

We were in site 17 and it was a bit challenging getting in. The road in is narrow and doesn't give you much maneuverability for a big rig but it can be done. The sites are narrow but most are very long. We had a nice raised, wood patio with picnic table. There are some great places to hike around the park, right off the campground. Keep your eyes peeled when it's warmer because the alligators come out to sun themselves. When we were there, there were no mosquitoes, yes it was cool but still not very many bugs. We would definitely stay here again. We had water and electricity and everything was in working order.

Our first visit to this park and it did not disappoint!! Like others have said, windy back roads to get here but worth it. Check in was super easy, sites are spacious! Only 4 full hook up sites and we were lucky to get one! Site 14 is easy to back into and set on the curve; slightly unlevel side to side but easy to correct. Lots of sites have built on “decks” along the paved sites. Highly recommend the trails as several have boardwalks! The nature center is small but neat exhibit. Laundry on site between the rv and tent area, and dump station is easy to navigate on your way out of the rv area. Signs warn of snakes and alligators, but we didn’t see any! All in all a fantastic park!!

Was a long winding route (10 miles) in the dark to get here. The ground is super soft so stay on pavement. Sites are spaced pretty far apart which provides lots of privacy. Nice fire pits & grills, level sites, wood decks. Great walking trails and huge network of boardwalk thru park. Bring water filter ... water looks really bad. Had TV reception & cell service. Canoe rentals.