Paul B. Johnson State Park

By Sarah MitchellOutdoor Editor & Trail ExpertFebruary 5, 2026 · Updated April 18, 2026

🌿 Mississippi’s Pine Forest Playground — A lake built by German POWs, 805 acres of longleaf pine forest, 225-acre Geiger Lake with swimming beach and waterskiing, 125 RV sites, 16 cabins, splash pad, disc golf, and the Trail of the Southern Pines — all 12 minutes from Hattiesburg

Twelve miles south of Hattiesburg in the longleaf pine forests of Forrest County, Mississippi, Paul B. Johnson State Park wraps around a 225-acre lake with a story that most visitors never learn: Geiger Lake was built by German prisoners of war. In the mid-1940s, while the world was still at war, German POWs held at nearby Camp Shelby — the massive Army training installation that occupies much of this part of south Mississippi — were put to work constructing the dam and spillway that created the lake. The water filled a pine-forested valley, and what had been a CCC-era park called Shelby State Park (established in 1934) was transformed into a full-service recreation destination centered on this improbable body of water, originally known as “Lake POW” before being renamed Geiger Lake.

The park was later renamed for Paul B. Johnson Sr., Mississippi’s 46th governor (1940–1943), and today it is one of the most well-equipped state parks in the Deep South. With 125 full-hookup RV sites that can accommodate rigs up to 75 feet, 25 primitive tent-camping areas, 16 vacation cabins, a swimming beach, a boat ramp supporting motorized and non-motorized craft, waterskiing on the open lake, a splash pad, disc golf, and the Trail of the Southern Pines winding through one of Mississippi’s most beautiful forest landscapes — Paul B. Johnson delivers an extraordinary range of outdoor experiences in a subtropical setting where the growing season is measured in months, not weeks, and winter is a suggestion rather than a sentence.

Geiger Lake

Fishing

Geiger Lake supports a classic warm-water fishery typical of Mississippi’s piney woods region, with excellent bream (bluegill/shellcracker) action in spring and summer and solid bass fishing year-round.

A Mississippi fishing license is required. Bank fishing is available at multiple access points around the lake. A fishing pier provides additional access.

Camping

Reservation tip: Book at least 48 hours in advance, especially for holiday weekends and peak summer season when the park fills rapidly. Reservations open up to 2 years in advance. A 50% deposit is required at booking. Discounts available for seniors (62+), disabled visitors, veterans, and active military.

Cabins

Activities and Recreation

The Pine Forest

The park’s 805 acres sit within one of the most ecologically significant forest regions in the American South: the longleaf pine belt. Once covering 90 million acres across the southeastern United States, the longleaf pine ecosystem has been reduced to about 3% of its original range, making every remaining tract a conservation treasure. The park’s Trail of the Southern Pines winds through both longleaf and loblolly pine forest, offering an immersive walk through a landscape that would have been familiar to the Choctaw people who lived here for centuries before European settlement, and to the CCC workers and German prisoners who shaped the park’s physical infrastructure.

Camp Shelby and the POW Connection

The park’s proximity to Camp Shelby — one of the largest military training installations in the United States, active since 1917 — explains both the lake’s origin and the park’s ongoing relationship with the military community. During World War II, Camp Shelby held thousands of German and Italian prisoners of war, and the labor of these POWs built the dam that created Geiger Lake. The camp continues to serve as a major training facility for the Mississippi Army National Guard, and the Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby (free admission) tells the story of Mississippi’s military history from the Civil War through the present.

Essential Visitor Information

Getting There

• From Hattiesburg: 12 miles south via US-49 (~15 minutes)
• From Laurel: 30 miles southwest (~35 minutes)
• From Jackson: 95 miles south (~1 hour 30 minutes via US-49)
• From New Orleans: 120 miles northeast (~2 hours via I-59)
• From Mobile, AL: 110 miles north (~1 hour 45 minutes)

Best Time to Visit

Nearby Attractions

• Camp Shelby Armed Forces Museum: Adjacent — free admission, military history from Civil War to present
• Longleaf Trace: Rails-to-trails path — 44 miles from Hattiesburg to Prentiss, biking and hiking
• Hattiesburg: 12 miles — University of Southern Mississippi, Zoo, dining, craft breweries
• De Soto National Forest: Surrounding area — longleaf pine wilderness, Black Creek canoe trail
• Mississippi Gulf Coast: 75 miles south — beaches, seafood, casinos (~1 hour 15 minutes)

About the Author

Sarah Mitchell

Outdoor Editor & Trail Expert

Sarah Mitchell is an outdoor writer and trail researcher with over 8 years of experience exploring state parks across America. As the lead editor at AmericasStateParks.org, she has personally visited more than 200 parks in 42 states, logging thousands of trail miles and hundreds of campground nights. Sarah specializes in detailed park guides, accessibility information, and family-friendly outdoor planning. Her work focuses on helping first-time visitors feel confident and well-prepared for their state park adventures.

200+ state parks visited across 42 states | 8+ years of outdoor writing

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