The plan is to have the Davis Bayou Campground at the Gulf Islands National Seashore Park open for Crusin’ the Coast 2022. The improvements are expected to be completed Wednesday, September 28.
For several weeks, the campground has been shut down to visitors who come to enjoy the relaxing setting offered at Davis Bayou in Ocean Springs.
Expect new asphalt on all 50-plus camping sites. The needed improvements will provide level pads. Also, several of the campground roads have been newly asphalted for easy driving. Many years of use and natural deterioration, including protruding tree roots and eroding pavement, have made this maintenance necessary.
The campground construction has been ongoing for approximately three weeks, but the end is in sight. Bill Quik, Vice President of Bacopa Services llc, said, “The job is coming along. We needed to add several more inches of asphalt to some of the sites, but we wanted it done right.”
Quik and his team have worked hard to bring this section of the Davis Bayou improvement project to completion on-time. The new pavement will certainly be appreciated by the hundreds of campers that visit yearly.
After the campground improvements are completed, additional road work will continue across the park.
Improvements include the widening of Park Road, with five-foot wide multiple-use lanes for bikes and pedestrians. Park Road will go from 22 feet wide to 36 feet of pavement. Be advised, there is a scheduled shutdown to the road leading to the public Visitor Center. Contact Park Employees for more information on the schedule.
The main entrance to Park Road off Bienville Blvd. will remain closed. Entrance to the park is located at the VFW Road/Knapp Road intersection, and the entrance sign is currently located 150 feet south of the Park Road/U.S. Route 90.
The project is the culmination of years of planning. The work has involved backhoes, graders and asphalt pavers and more heavy equipment. Visitors are required to remain back from all areas under construction.
The Davis Bayou Area in Ocean Springs consists of three bayous which include Halstead, Stark (on Robert McGhee Rd), and East Stark Bayou (on Park Road). The campground consists of 50 plus sites for RV and tent campers. All sites offer water and electric hook-ups. There is a dump station and a central bathroom with showers available to campers. All campsite reservations must be made at www.recreation.gov, discounts are available.
