RV arrival guide

Tennessee

Arriving in Memphis, TN with a rented RV

Memphis sits on the bluffs above the Mississippi River with three RV-specific factors that drive planning. Memphis City Code Chapter 21 (Vehicles and Traffic) caps continuous on-street parking at 72 hours and §21-9-1 prohibits human habitation of vehicles on public streets and parks.

Sourced to municipal code, park-service and operator pages · last reviewed 2026-06-04

Rent a rig in Memphis See the arrival briefing

TN city guideLive · open to hosts

Memphis

Planning an RV, boat, or 4x4 trip around Memphis? This guide walks you through the local terrain and seasons, where to find dump stations and propane, and the parking rules and campgrounds that matter most before you arrive.

Arrival briefing · TN

Your Memphis arrival, on one dashboard

Every figure below is counted straight from this guide's sourced entries — parking rules that bite, where to dump and refill, and the campgrounds that actually take a rig. Nothing invented; a dash means we haven't sourced one yet.

RV campgrounds

Dump stations

Propane / diesel

Parking rules

14 field-sourced facts · last reviewed 2026-06-04

The downtown Beale Street and Tom Lee Park corridor has no oversize parking — even day-use Class C drivers must use peripheral lots. The closest serious campground is Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park (16 mi N of downtown) with 49 hookup sites in second-growth hardwood forest on the Mississippi River bluffs.

Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River RV Park (West Memphis AR, 5 mi W across the bridge) is the river-front commercial option — sites flood seasonally per the USACE Mississippi River stage forecast and the operator publishes a stage-dependent operating advisory.

Major event windows: Memphis in May (Beale Street Music Festival first weekend, World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest third weekend), and the Elvis Presley Birthday Celebration (early January) and Death Anniversary (mid-August) bring Graceland-area saturation. The city sits at 337 ft. Plan dump and propane in town, base out of Meeman-Shelby SP or Tom Sawyer's, and time Mississippi River-side stays around the USACE stage forecast.

Blue ridgelines of the Great Smoky Mountains at sunrise, Tennessee — Tennessee scenery

Timing your trip

When should I plan my trip to Memphis?

Best season to come

April through May and September through October: highs 70-85 F, low humidity, all parks operational. Trade-off: Memphis in May fills supply.

Season to skip

July through August: highs 90-95 F + humidity; tornado risk peaks during spring/fall transitions.

Read before you park

Parking ordinances that bite RVs

Continuous on-street parking limited to 72 hours.

Citation: Memphis City Code Chapter 21

What this means for you: Move every 72 hours or invite a $25 citation.

Read the citation

Camping or human habitation in vehicles on Memphis public streets, parks, or rights-of-way is prohibited.

Citation: Memphis City Code §21-9-1

What this means for you: No overnighting in city or retail lots without owner permission. Use Meeman-Shelby SP or Tom Sawyer's.

Read the citation

USACE Mississippi River stage forecasts trigger seasonal closure of riverbank-level campgrounds.

Citation: USACE Memphis District Mississippi River stage

What this means for you: Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River RV Park monitors stage forecast and closes lower sites above 28 ft Memphis gauge.

Read the citation

Tanks + water

Where can I dump tanks in Memphis?

Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River RV Park Dump

$10

1286 S 8th St, West Memphis, AR 72301

Potable water on siteYear-round (stage-dependent for lower sites)

Source

Memphis-Graceland RV Park Dump

$15

3691 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN 38116

Potable water on siteYear-round

Source

Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park Dump

Free

910 Riddick Rd, Millington, TN 38053

Potable water on siteYear-round (registered guests)

Source

Loves Travel Stop (Memphis)

Free

1635 E Brooks Rd, Memphis, TN 38116

Potable water on siteYear-round (free with fuel purchase)

Source

Fuel + propane

Where do I top up propane and diesel?

U-Haul Moving & Storage of Memphis

2440 Covington Pike, Memphis, TN 38128

Offers: Propane refill

RV access: Workable for rigs to 36 ft

Source

AmeriGas Propane (Memphis)

3315 Tchulahoma Rd, Memphis, TN 38118

Offers: Propane refill + bulk delivery

RV access: Industrial yard; phone ahead

Source

Pilot/Flying J Travel Center (Memphis)

5400 Lamar Ave, Memphis, TN 38118

Offers: Diesel + DEF at the pump

RV access: Full big-rig pull-through

Source

Where to sleep

Which campgrounds actually take RVs?

Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park

$35/night

Tennessee State Parks

16 mi from downtownMax 50 ftBooks 12 mo out

Full hookup on 49 sites; dump station; hardwood forest on Mississippi bluffs

Operator site

Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River RV Park

$50/night

Private (West Memphis AR)

5 mi from downtownMax 75 ftBooks 12 mo out

Full hookup; on Mississippi River; sites flood-staged

Operator site

Memphis-Graceland RV Park

$55/night

Private

9 mi from downtownMax 75 ftBooks 12 mo out

Full hookup; pool; walking distance to Graceland Mansion

Operator site

T.O. Fuller State Park

$30/night

Tennessee State Parks (South Memphis)

12 mi from downtownMax 35 ftBooks 12 mo out

Full hookup on 45 sites; closest TN State Park to downtown

Operator site

Public-land hubs near this city

State parks, National Forests, and NPS units around the city are the anchors for an RV or boat trip — check each unit's official site for current access, fees, and seasonal rules before you go.

Layered ridgelines fading into haze in the Smokies, Tennessee — On the road in Tennessee

Plan around the crowds

Which local events will move Memphis RV supply?

Memphis in May International Festival

Past editionMay 1-31, 2026 (Beale Street Music Fest first weekend; World BBQ Championship third weekend)

All Memphis-area RV parks book 6+ months ahead at 2-3x normal rates.

Event source

Elvis Presley Birthday Week

Past editionJan 5-11, 2026

Memphis-Graceland RV Park books 12 months ahead; Whitehaven district congested.

Event source

Elvis Death Anniversary (Candlelight Vigil)

Aug 12-17, 2026

Memphis-Graceland RV Park books 12 months ahead; expect heavy Whitehaven traffic.

Event source

Mississippi River seasonal flooding

Past editionMar 1 - May 31, 2026 (typical high-stage window)

Tom Sawyer's lower sites flood at 28 ft Memphis gauge; check USACE forecast before booking March-May.

Event source

Arrival playbook

Your first hour in Memphis

Before you leave the lot

Confirm Meeman-Shelby SP, Tom Sawyer's, or Graceland RV Park reservation BEFORE driving in; Memphis in May and Elvis Week fill 6-12 months ahead.
Check USACE Memphis River stage forecast March-May before booking Tom Sawyer's lower sites.

Within the first hour

Top off propane at U-Haul (2440 Covington Pike) or AmeriGas Tchulahoma before any Natchez Trace run.
Fuel diesel + DEF at Pilot/Flying J Lamar Ave (5400 Lamar) before any push south to Mississippi or east to Nashville.

Before bed

Do not park overnight on Beale Street or Tom Lee Park streets — §21-9-1 enforced.
Park at Graceland RV Park and walk to Graceland Mansion (across the street).

Before departure

Check NWS Memphis tornado watch in Mar-May and Oct-Nov shoulder seasons.

The mistake renters make

Avoid this trap

Booking a Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River RV Park lower-site for March or April without checking the USACE Memphis gauge stage forecast.

Memphis gauge above 28 ft floods lower sites within 48 hours; Tom Sawyer's enforces relocation but may not refund if the renter's site is below stage trigger. Higher sites cost more.

Read the source

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Pair this with a road trip

Natchez Trace Parkway

5-7 days · 444 mi · starts in Nashville

Memphis is the natural northern bookend for the Natchez Trace Parkway — fuel and dump in Memphis before dropping south to Tupelo and Jackson MS.

Open itinerary

Great Smoky Mountains Loop

5-7 days · 350 mi · starts in Nashville

From Memphis, I-40 east to Knoxville stages the Great Smoky Mountains.

Open itinerary

Editorial sourcing

How we know — the sources we checked

Last reviewed 2026-06-04

For RV owners in Memphis

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