I discovered this Pearl River WMA (Wildlife Management Area) Campground through the trusty App on my phone called Campendium. In fact, if ever you need to find a spot to camp out for the evening while traveling spontaneously, I highly recommend Campendium. It's extremely easy to use and follow and it covers almost all campgrounds, sites, parks, RV parks, trailer parks and public venues that you can think of.
Now...I will say that this Pearl River Campground may also have another name to it as well...so I apologize for that...it may be called Crawford Landing WMA too.
Either way...both of these names are the same. They're both the same campground and they're located on Crawford Landing Road here in Slidell, Louisiana.
What I liked about this campsite is that it's conveniently located right off Interstate 10 heading east to west and vice versa. While driving along my cross country road trip from Louisiana heading towards Mississippi, it was late in the day and I needed a campground to pitch my tent for the evening.
Now...upon using Campendium, it said in order to sleep here for the evening it cost $0. Perfect! How convenient! But here's the catch and which threw me for a loop. It's only free to stay here if you possess a Hunting License or a Wild Louisiana Stamp. What??? Now...being during sunset late in the day...where in the world was I supposed to find a Louisiana Stamp???
According to a review someone posted on Campendium, the local Walmart sells Stamps. But for me...it was just too late in the day to backtrack about 5 miles to Walmart, buy the stamp and then return here to the campground. No way! By then it would have been pitch black dark outside and I never would have been able to set up my tent and get situated for the evening.
So...I just had to gamble. I spent the night here without having the pass/stamp. My goal was obviously to wake up early and leave right around sunlight which is what I did. Fortunately I got lucky without having my pass/stamp. Btw...according to other reviews on Campendium, it cost about $20 for this Louisiana Wildlife Stamp Pass at Walmart.
So, whatever...I survived my way through Louisiana while trekking towards Biloxi, Mississippi.
Some extra notes I'd like to add about this Pearl River/Crawford Landing Campground...
The entire camping area is very very spacious with loads of soft grass to put my tent down on. This was a terrific aspect as I had a great evenings sleep unlike most places where I set up camp on hard dirt ground.
Also here were a bunch of trees with beautiful Spanish Moss hanging off of them. It was pretty scenery. I am always a fan of Spanish Moss, lol.
There was only one other family camping beside me. I was surprised by that, being that it was summer time and so quiet. You'd figure for $0, to be able to camp in a nice little section right outside downtown Slidell would be busier with more campers. But I guess this review is from when I visited last year during the heart of the pandemic.
Also, I parked my car right on the grass when I found my little section to set up my tent. There was no need to park in a lot and have to carry my belongings onto the grass. Cool!
There was a little signage board posted with instructions on setting up your campsite and the rules about hunting because this section of Slidell accommodates hunters and you must display a permit for that.
The board also states you must possess that Wild Louisiana Stamp.
So...my recommendation would be that if you arrive here early enough in the day...head over to Walmart and get the stamp/pass just to be safe. Because if an authority figure does walk around and you're caught empty handed, the fine could be much more than the cost of the actual stamp/pass. Play it safe folks, lol.
Finally, the family that was camping next to me had a fire started so it looks like you can use open flames and charcoal grills rather than just being held exclusively to a gas grill. That was nice to know for future visits.
Right next to this campground was a landing dock where you can get your boat out onto the water. This wasn't bothersome at all during my stay. I just appreciated the unique campground location being relatively off the beaten path.
One last thing...cell phone reception worked wonderfully here. I had full access to my phone which I was able to use inside my tent before going to sleep.
Overall, this Pearl River/Crawford Landing WMA Campground is a really accessible outdoors area right off I-10 outside Slidell. The grass and open wilderness setting/surroundings was great for spending the night outdoors. I highly recommend staying here and for all you adventurers out there, definitely download Campendium. read more
