Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park

Meeman-Shelby Forest is the closest thing Memphis has to a wilderness escape hatch — nearly 13,000 acres of oak, cypress, and tupelo forest on the Chickasaw Bluffs above the Mississippi, and it starts about twenty minutes from downtown. It's free, it's open 7am to 7pm every day, and two big things changed this year that are worth knowing before you drive up.

So here's the accurate 2026 version: what's genuinely great (a lot), what's closed (two big things), and what to check before you drive up. More close-to-home escapes live in our day trips from Memphis guide, the always-free list is in free things to do in Memphis, and if you'd rather sleep out there, we keep a camping near Memphis guide too. Staying in town instead? Start with the full things-to-do list.

What to do at Shelby Forest

Everything below is confirmed operating in 2026.

• Hike the bluff trails

  More than 20 miles across the park. The Woodland Trail (a 3.5-mile loop) is the crowd favorite; the Chickasaw Bluff Trail (8 miles) is the serious one, riding the bluffline over the Mississippi bottomlands. Summer note: bring bug spray — this is genuine swamp-adjacent forest.

• Paddle Poplar Tree Lake

  Canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, pedal boats, and jon boats rent by the hour at the lake (jon boats roughly March–November), with an ADA-accessible launch. Rates aren't published — call the park at (901) 876-5215. Bank and pier fishing for bass, bream, and catfish (bring your TWRA license, 13+).

• Play the 36-hole disc golf course

  Two full 18s in the woods — one beginner-friendly, one advanced — and free to play. Quietly one of the best disc golf setups in the region.

• Ride the 5-mile paved loop

  The paved park road loop is the cyclists' standby — rolling, shaded, and car-light on weekday mornings. There's also an 8.5-mile natural-surface multi-use trail open to horses (bring your own — no on-site rental confirmed).

• Watch for the wildlife

  Deer, wild turkey, beavers, otters, the occasional bobcat, and 200+ bird species — you might even spot a bald eagle over the bottomlands. The Meeman Museum and Nature Center runs ranger programs, including pontoon trips and deep-swamp canoe floats; check the park's Facebook for current dates.

• Stay in a lakeside cabin

  Six two-bedroom cabins on Poplar Tree Lake, open year-round (two-night minimum, pet fee) — and unaffected by the campground renovation. The easiest 'we left town' weekend that barely leaves town.

The 2026 reality check

The two big 2026 changes. The swimming pool is closed — shut down over repair costs, with talk of replacing it with a splash pad. And the campground closed in 2025 for a full renovation — new sewer hookups, a playground, rebuilt bathhouses — with reopening slated for fall 2026; check the park's reservation system for live dates before planning a tent weekend. The cabins are open all along, and T.O. Fuller State Park inside the city has reliable camping meanwhile (details in our day-trips guide).

The lake, trails, disc golf, rentals, and nature center are all unaffected. If a specific amenity is your whole reason for the drive, the park office at (901) 876-5215 is a 30-second insurance policy.

The honest answers