When we left Mobile, we were also saying goodbye to our old friend, I-10, as we made our way towards Jackson. The drive was a manageable 3.5-hour trip along state highways and through the Mississippi countryside, ultimately terminating at the Mississippi Farmers Market in downtown Jackson where we filled up our freezer with some local meats ahead of our stay.
Our campground was the LeFleurs Bluff State Park, located in the heart of Jackson right along the Pearl River. This was a decent state park, but our site was better than most as it backed right up to the pond in the center of the park (see banner). We tried to enjoy the park’s trail system, however, we could only go so far due to deep water across the path in many places. The pics don’t look great, but in their defense, not many places are at their prettiest in March.
Our site was also right across from the bath house, which was located on 8-foot stilts, something we found to be quite odd – at first. That was until we got the notice that we had 24 hours to evacuate and vacate the premises ahead of flooding from the nearby Pearl River! Although this made for quite an inconvenience, thankfully we got a refund for the remainder of our booked stay and we were able to get into our next campground (in Texarkana) a few days early.
On our way out of town, Google Maps took us on a detour through a nearby neighborhood and I can confidently say that these were the worst roads that we have experienced in all our travels – and this was a “nice” part of town! And even when we made it back onto the highway, the potholes were still some of the worst that we have ever seen. After getting a sense for the infrastructure quality within Jackson, I can see why they have trouble with their drinking water – they seem to struggle with everything.
All in all, Jackson: 1 star. We will not be back.