Mississippi State Park Discounts for Veterans

The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks gives a 15 percent discount off the camping and lodging rate to veterans and active service members at Mississippi state parks. The same rate applies to visitors 62 and older and to disabled visitors. Holidays and special events are excluded. Two points of precision, because both are places a veteran gets a surprise at the gate. The discount is off camping and lodging rates, which covers campsites, cabins, and lodges, and it is a percentage rather than a fixed number of free nights, which is how some states in this catalog write theirs. And the holiday and special event exclusion is not a formality: the peak weekends a family is most likely to book are the ones most likely to be excluded. There is no rating requirement for the 15 percent discount. Any veteran, and any active service member, qualifies. Reduced park permit rates are a separate matter with a stricter test. State parks run disabled and age-exempt rates on their own fishing and boat launch permits, for example a $3.00 daily fishing rate and a $32.00 annual bank and pier rate, a $6.00 launch rate and a $72.00 annual boat rate. To claim the disabled rate a veteran must show proof of 100 percent disability, and the document the parks name is a Department of Veterans Affairs letter stating "100% Service Connected Disability." A Railroad Disability letter stating 100 percent disabled, or an updated Social Security TPQY form listing the person as a disabled individual, also work. Visitors 62 and older show proof of age. Note that these are reduced rates, not free access. The statewide hunting and fishing license exemption for total service-connected disability, covered in its own entry, is a different benefit: that one removes the license requirement altogether, while these park permits are park-specific and still carry a charge. Reservations go through the state park reservation system, must be made at least 48 hours ahead, and can be made up to 13 months in advance. Facilities not reserved in advance are available to walk-in and drive-up visitors. Claim the discount at booking rather than at check-in, and carry the proof. MDWFP also runs occasional promotional offers, such as a Veterans Day weekend rate reduction. Those are announced, time-limited, and separate from the standing 15 percent.