Beautiful brook side campgrounds right on the Hot Springs national park. Camp sights are first come first serve at noon (find an empty sight, claim/park, and pay at the front) and all drive up standard sights. Good for tenting, hammocks, or RV. All sights have power/water/septic, fire pit, and picnic table. Connects to the park trails so it’s great for hiking. Can easily go up the mountain or walk into town. Has bathrooms, but no showers.
We stayed at Gulpha Gorge while spending a day of our road trip in Hot Springs. We arrived later than planned at about 10am, and there still were several spots available. We chose the very first site next to the entrance as it was by the creek and had a nice white noise. The bathrooms were clean and what you would expect from a Parks Service bathroom. The camp hosts were excellent and very helpful, particularly in navigating the unusual reservation machine they have. All around a good base camp for the area.
Being a first come, we showed up early and got a great shaded site on the creek. The sites are tight, but clean. No showers were available. We hiked to Hot Springs and to the Tower from the camoground.
I would give it a 4-star rating for location but personally I don't like crowded, busy, noisy campgrounds by a major road. A tip: all sites are first-come-first-serve and you must use a machine and credit ir debit card to buy the spot. Arrive between 9 AM and 10 AM to find a spot, snag it, then, after 12, the machine will let you buy the ticket.
The sites come with water, electric, a grill, and restrooms with running water. No showers and no fire pits though although some had fires going anyway.
The campground is walking distance from all the beautiful trails that wind up and down the nearby hills. You can spend days exploring them.
As I said, the downside is how there are many day trip visitors, cars driving around looking for spots, and mist sites are closer to each other than I like although you can find a couple sites that feel more private if you are lucky.
I was lucky to have friendly and interesting neighbors there. The park looks small but some if the trails go on for up to 12 miles that I saw. There is a mountain tower worth paying to visit for a full panoramic view of the whole area.
No reservations available & no shower house which are a bummer.
However, we got in just in time before a rush of other RVs. Picked site 41 & it’s perfect. Full hook up, perfect trees for lights, and a grill. No fire pit ring which is a bummer though.
The campground is beautiful. Hiked up the gorge today & was not disappointed.
I can’t imagine what this place is like when the weather is warmer...I’m sure it’s a packed mess, so happy we got to experience it in cooler temps.
Unfortunately though the spring bath houses are closed Jan 25- Feb 4 for park service maintenance. Bummer!
Not the most stunning campground ever, however, I loved it! It was a great set up, plenty of bathrooms (no showers tho), set in a beautiful gorge with a beautiful creek. If you’re lucky enough you can get a site right next to the creek! Only around 40 sites total - they’re all RV compatible. I’m a tent camper personally. You’re right at a trailhead that connects with a vast network of trails taking you deeper into the mountains or directly to the actual hot springs, bath houses, and the historic area. If you want to drive to those places it’s a 7 minute drive.
Only a few cons. Not every campsite has a fit ring, there’s a heavily used road right by the campground thats on a hill so there’s some unfortunate revved engine noise pretty regularly, and there’s only about 10-15 campsites by the river.
I look forward to going back soon!
Stayed here for a night in August 2020. I can’t remember what site we stayed in but each campsite is reserved on a “first come, first served” basis. You can get there and pick an available site at 11Am and must reserve it in the campground office. The camp hosts are very nice! Bathrooms are cleaned and nicely spaced but no showers. Our campsite had plenty of room for both of our tents and 2 hammocks for daytime naps:) Cell reception with Verizon wasn’t an issue. We did have a difficult time finding fire wood as no store nearby sold any. Camp hosts didn’t have any either so come prepared. There are picnic tables, a grill, and fire rings at each site. Even though we had picked a campsite closer to a bathroom, we still ended up having to walk a bit to another since they periodically closed rest areas for the day to clean. A little annoying when you don’t want to walk but I appreciate them taking all precautions during a pandemic. There’s trails nearby that take you to downtown Hot Springs so we didn’t have to drive. I’d definitely come back here. It was very relaxing!
I have always loved this campground. We used to come here when I was a kid and I love exploring in the creek. Hiking trails are accessible from the campground as well. There is heavy day use traffic and lots of road noise from the highway, but you are very close to all the main attractions. The drawback is that they don’t accept reservations and that makes it tough for me to come here because of how far the drive is with no guarantee. Water & Electric hook ups.
Beautiful, clean, great location. Camped here in Feb 2020, right on the river. Full hookups, mostly back-in but some pull throughs. Paved, level. Tent sites, too. Clean bathrooms, little camp store. Close to town. Would camp again.
quiet, beautiful, peaceful, big sights you will love this campground
Convenient location. I stayed here in a 30’ Class C motorhome. It’s first come, first serve RV/tent site campground sites and you pay at an automatic kiosk. $39/night unless you get the senior discount. Lots of road noise from the Gulpha Gorge Road. Lots of 18-wheelers and commercial vehicles use it to cut through to and from Hwy 7 to Hwy 270. Lots of traffic day and night. You don’t notice it inside but you can really hear it outside and especially if you’re in a tent. I recommend a hike up to Goat Rock. Lots of trails start right past the amphitheater. You can hike up to the mountain tower or downtown. The interior sites can be tight and there is no bathhouse but the creek sites are spacious and very nice. The picnic area is clean and nice too. One caveat lots of foot traffic here. People (non campers) just walk through your campsite. This area also sees a lot of day use traffic. All in all though I really like it and it’s a great place to make your base camp especially if you enjoy hiking.
This is a National Park, full hook ups, creek, bathrooms only, less than 5 miles to Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs. Horse Race Track and Cosino.
Small quiet camp. Grassy and shaded along a creek. First come system. No reservations. Old but clean facilities. Access to hiking trails from the camp area. Good location to explore the town from. Dogs welcome.
We were so blessed to spend 14 days at this camp ground. They take no reservations it’s first come. My suggestion is to get there at 11:30 so if a site is available you can get it at 12:00.
We got a site right on the river it was heavenly . We have a clam was able to set it up right behind our rig. I lived in it and at night sitting there right by the river and seeing lightening bugs were so restorative to the soul.
Also it’s close enough to town if you are in shape could walk there or if you have a bike ride it into town.
Speaking of the town downtown was so quaint. I went to one of the bathhouses and it was a fun experience.
The sites are very spacious and nicely shaded.
With cities basically closing, and no work to go to... My best friend in life, and our dogs decided to live out the chaos in nature, away from mass society. We have a nice 27ft rv. So boondocking and dispersed can get tricky sometimes. But we make it work! We pulled into this campground by chance. Because it was the closest to us. The Hiking right here is amazing for day hiking with the family. Beautiful creek flowing directly behind our camper made for great soothing sleep with the windows open! Would definitely recommend this area for any campers looking to just enjoy it!
Drove through a rough part of town n roads, to get to park, a bit confusing to get there w GPS, arrived w no reservation definitely need one or arrive very very early in day.
Was full, not able to enter, turned around to find alternate park for night.
It’s hard to believe this little campground is on the farside of the touristy Hot Springs. A nice little stream runs along the backside of the campground and it’s actually quiet. You can hike up and over the hill to see the springs. Not a lot of space to put a bunch of toys but a well maintained area.
Not a great campground if you’re looking to be in peace and quiet. Very close to the city & very crowded due to convenience of trail heads. Clean bathrooms though 😌
Pros: This campground has it all- great creek, incredible hiking up and over into Hot Springs, nearby disc golf course that is the best we have seen, close to all the attractions, level asphalt pads, water and power (and i think also sewer?) privacy between sites (trees, bushes) great fire pit/with cooking grate AND a grill at our site (25 is awesome), bath house with sinks and toilets ONLY
Cons: you can’t stay forever, no showers
Pro tip: eat at Superior! Great brewery/restaurant, friendly staff!
This campground was pretty and it was clean. Arrive early because it is first come first serve and gets full. Sites are close together but overall I have no complaints. Apparently there is $10 primitive camping, but I did not see it and in the office where you pay (by machine) all I saw were $30 flat rate for all sites. So it’s quite expensive to tent camp here. No showers, but a relatively clean bathroom.
This small but beautiful campground nestled in the Gulpha Gorge sits along a creek with crystal clear water. Fall is probably the best time to visit, the leaves would be amazing!!!
In the summertime, I imagine families cooling off in the stream.
Restrooms are ok, bring your own toilet paper. Some sites are a bit close together for my taste.
Gulpha Gorge is beautiful. It’s close to downtown and close to Magic Springs. The one downfall is they are FCFS only.
Absolutely one of the very best campgrounds we've ever stayed. Beautiful Hot Springs nearby
Gulpha Gorge is a great campground. There are lots of good hiking trails in the Hot Springs National Park. While they do have nice restroom facilities, they do not have showers. The campsites are first come (not reservable). The sites could be a little better spaced apart, but it is still a nice campground. There are mountain biking trails and a disc golf course just up the road at Cedar Glades Park, which is nice.
I would reccomend this place to anyone who wants to just get away from the fast paced world we live in. Try it out and get away from the real world for a couple days!
This campground is small, and being a National Park campground it is pricey. Its sites are also first-come-first-served campsites. But, if you come at the right time of year (when it's not too hot out) the hiking is terrific. From the campground, you can cross the creek and hike up the hill to an awesome lookout, stop at the top of the hill and visit the tower (for a fee, but it is worthwhile both for the view as well as reading the plaquards to learn the history of the area). Then continue hiking over the hill and down the other side to Hot Springs Bathhouse Row, where you can fill your bottle/jug with piping hot spring water. The Promenade and Bathhouse Row are the best part of Hot Springs to explore, including the National Park museum bathhouse. Back at the campground, you can take a short hike in a different direction through the woods to end up at a little BBQ restaurant. And finally, drive or hike to the trail called "Balanced Rock". It too is a worthwhile hike if you reach the namesake boulder balanced upon another boulder.
This small parking area is equipped with a machine to handle your camping exchange of $10 a night. This is definately not the place to camp if you want to explore on foot. Limited space of each pull in spot had a patch of grass dividing them. The river runs behind some spots but the overall experience is crammed and uncomfortable.
There are not a lot of National Parks located smack in the middle of a town, but Hot Springs is an exception. With the majority of the park lining one of the more busy strips of Hot Springs a campground so close is such an asset to being near all the action and that is where Gulpha Gorge comes into play.
There are many positives to this campground well beyond the proximity itself. With electricity at all sites and a flat rate it seems to have a lot of positives to check off. However with the positives also are a few negatives. That flat rate applies to tents and RVs, which makes it a little steep for a typical tent camper in this area at $30. For an RV its a deal! Also for that price point there is no shower available only a restroom.
I checked out this campsite when trying to make a decision on a trip in August. It was warm outside but not overly hot at the time which was nice. However, because the summer was still winding down, unfortunately this campground was full as it is a first come first serve campground. This was more than a little disappointing considering I had driven so far and then had to settle for finding another option.
But because I do travel often and many times to leave Texas and get pretty much anywhere I do pass through Arkansas, I went ahead and checked out the site a little before finding my next option. It was great! The grounds were well kept, the roads were smooth and wide enough to travel down easily and the people were all pretty friendly.
While it didn’t have showers it did offer a pavilion and an amphitheater which apparently they have functions at often. And the best thing I found was one of the National Park trails heads right out from the campground and over to one of the rivers/creeks which made for a really amazing place to lay your head at night.
The other trails for the park were within walking distance. As this is one of the smallest parks in the park system there are only about 25 miles of trails all together and the campground is pretty much the hub.
I ended parking not far from the campground in a free lot located just behind the Springs row, I suggest if you stay here and do decide you want to drive you look into this parking structure which is clearly labeled FREE. From here I walked around some of the trails which could have been accessed from inside the campground and also visited the main attraction, the visitor center and hot springs. All within 5 minutes of this site, pretty amazing, no wonder it filled up before I could get there.
I will be back, even with that $30 price tag, because though the sticker shock might have been off putting the savings in gas just driving around would have by far made up for that little difference of what I ended up paying at my other campsite.
TIPS:
I camped in a primitive site and was able to hike the Sunset trail straight from my campsite. The campsites are pretty lose together and RVs were mingled in with primitive sites, so it wasn't really quiet. However, the quick access to the hiking trails was nice.
