General: Two things you can count on in a Corps of Engineers campground: very reasonable rates and near water. This is a fairly large Corps of Engineers campground on Piney Bay. We regret not bringing firewood (not available at the campground) as it would have been a great night for a campfire. Marilyn, who checked us in, was very friendly and helpful in letting us switch our sites (see below for reasons we switched). The price for this campground is so reasonable– the maximum is $20 or half that if you hold a Golden Age Pass. Our site with water and electric was only $9 with the pass.

Sites/Facilities: Most of the sites in Loops B and E are waterfront sites and are spectacular, however, there are only two bathhouses and while they are centrally located, be warned you may have a hike to get to one. Our reserved site was E11 and the walk to the bathhouse was a quarter of a mile. We were fortunate to switch to B23 where the walk was much shorter. Sites in E have electric hookups while the sites in B have water and electric. All of the other loops (A, C, D, F, G) are away from the water and wooded. The sites are spaced a decent amount apart and many have trees separating them. Despite the B loop being completely full, our stay was quiet and peaceful. The sites in the B loop were all paved with a concrete pad for the large metal picnic table with a lantern hook and had water and electric hookups. There are no cabins or other types of lodging. 

Bathhouse: The bathhouse was very clean (they were cleaned early in the morning) but you do need to bring your own soap and towel. The shower was hot with great water flow. The showers had plenty of hooks, a bench, and a shelf. 

Activities/Amenities: If you have a boat, you can take it out on Piney Bay. There are no rentals (we would have loved it if kayak rentals were available). Other than that, just relax and enjoy your stay. 

Conclusion: The only things that might take this rating down are the proximity to Arkansas’ only nuclear power plant and the potentially long walk to the bathhouse, but our stay was so enjoyable that it was still five stars in our book!