## Overview

 Experience nature and adventure at historic White Rock Mountain! This National Forest Recreation Area features three unique and rustic natural stone cabins and a large natural stone lodge built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Each features a stone fireplace new, antique, and original wood furniture handcrafted by the CCC. Wind, rain and natural elements had caused the deterioration of the buildings over the years. In 1987 a volunteer group, Friends of White Rock, began a project to renovate the historic structures. With a lot of commitment and hard work, the lodge and cabins were restored to their original state in 1991. White Rock Mountain also offers nine primitive family camping sites. These easily accessible shaded campsites include tents pads, fire rings, grills, picnic tables and access to restrooms and water. Small RVs or pop-up campers can be accommodated at a few sites.
## Recreation

 White Rock Mountain is the hub of several national forest hiking trail systems including the easy 2 mile trail around the mountain top rim, the 17 mile Shores Lake/White Rock loop trail, and the renowned 170 mile Ozark Highlands Trail. Other recreational activities include swimming, boating (non-motorized) or fishing at Shores Lake Recreation Area; swimming, floating or fishing the National Scenic Mulberry River; Mill Creek and other National Forest ATV trails; mountain biking, hunting and more.
## Natural Features

 White Rock Mountain is 2,309 feet above sea level and received its name from the appearance of the lichen on the sheer bluffs that appear white from a distance. Guests at White Rock can enjoy incredible scenic views from the lodge, cabins, campground and bluffs. The forest is home to a large variety of wildlife including deer, bear, bald eagles, turkey and more. In the fall season White Rock Mountain offers unrivaled opportunities for taking in the bright red, orange and yellow autumn foliage that sweeps across the Ozark National Forest. The forest around White Rock is also a waterfall hunter's paradise featuring several great falls located in the surrounding area. 
## Contact Info

 This location is staffed. Please call (479) 369-4128 to speak with local staff. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Ozark Highlands Trail, Shores Lake Recreation Area, National Scenic Mulberry River, Mill Creek and other ATV Trails, Waterfalls, Scenic Drives, Mountain Biking, Wineries (Altus, AR) and more.
## Charges & Cancellations

 Rules & Reservation Policies As you make travel plans that include reservations on Recreation.gov, there are standard policies that apply to most locations of which you should be aware. Do keep in mind, however, that there are many exceptions, so it is best to review reservation information listed on individual facility pages for those policies and procedures that pertain to your specific locations. Booking Window For most locations, you can reserve six months in advance of your stay for individual sites and 12 months in advance for group sites. There are some exceptions, so it is best to check with each facility. Change and Cancellation Policies and Fees Overnight and Day Use Facilities: To ensure fairness, reservation arrival or departure dates may not be changed beyond the booking window until 18 days after booking the reservation. Camping / Day Use: A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation (including campsites, cabins, lookouts, group facilities, etc.). The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amount. You can cancel or change reservations through Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Late Cancellations Overnight and Day Use Facilities: Late cancellations are those cancelled between 12:01 a.m. (Eastern) on the day before arrival and check out time on the day after arrival. Individual Campsites: If a customer cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival they will be charged a $10.00 service fee and will also forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a single night's reservation will forfeit the entire use fee but no cancellation fee will apply. Cabins / Lookouts: Customers will be charged a $10.00 cancellation fee and forfeit the first night's use fee if a cabin or lookout reservation is cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Facility: If a customer cancels a group overnight facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date they will be charged the $10.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's use fee. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Day Use Area: If a customer cancels a group day use facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date, they will forfeit the total day use fee with no service fee charge. No-Shows Camping / Day Use: A camping no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Reserved campsites and group overnight facilities will be held until check-out time on the day following your scheduled arrival. Group day-use facilities will be held until check-in time on your scheduled arrival date. If a customer does not arrive at the campground or group facility by check-out time the day after arrival or does not cancel the reservation by the times listed under \"Late Cancellations\" above, the customer may be assessed a $20.00 service fee and forfeit use fees.

White Rock Mountain Recreation Area

Located beyond a perfectly canopied gravel road and surrounded by miles of mostly uninhabited forests White Rock Mountain has been the most delightful treasure of 2016.  When we arrived at 10:00 PM, the full moonlight guided us as we set up camp, later able able to watch the stars through our open tent (which was much needed during this hot Arkansas summer).  When we awoke, shortly after dawn, we hiked the cliffs' edge where we saw miles of inviting green landscape. As our hike around the mountain progressed we saw much vegetation and wildlife! Once the hours grew hotter we decided to leave for a swim in the Mulberry, learning that a trail leads all the way down the mountain meeting the winding road in several locations. Despite having slight reservations with a toddler, I'm looking forward to our next experience at White Rock.

White Rock

I want to start off by saying... This is an amazing place! BUT, the road to White Rock Mountain driving south on 79 is a minimally maintained one in a half lane dirt road full of rocks, erosion, bumps and a lot of up and down switch backs. My Subaru outback handled it fine, but it takes a full hour to drive less than 15 miles on this road.

I suggest you have an all wheel or four wheel drive vehicle with plenty of clearance. Leave your RV or trailer at home.

The campground is gorgeous. It is small with plenty of forest and trees. It is on top of the mountain and the staff keeps it clean and well maintained. The Pit toilets they have, honestly, are BETTER than most campground toilets with running water. I know you don't believe it, I wouldn't either, but go see for yourself.

There are a lot of signs to beware of Black Bears which keeps anyone on edge, but the landscape is gorgeous and relaxing. For the record we didn't see any bears. I am definitely coming back to White Rock.

I almost forgot to mention, there are a couple of cabins you can rent if you are worried about sleeping in Bear Country.

Leave your RV at home, White Rock is for Tents only

This campsite has some of the prettiest views in the Ozark national forest. We stayed in a basic tent site and had no issues. Nice fire pit/ pit toilet/ water pump access. There is a house where the campsite host family lives. They were amazing and helped up navigate the area and plan our adventures. They have trail maps and firewood for sale, and are always willing to help. 

The drive up to this campsite was a slight challenge. I would recommend an SUV or other tall vehicle with 4 wheel drive. The twisty, steep, narrow dirt road makes for quite an adventure. It has many large rocks in the road and the decently sized potholes. I scraped the bottom of my little car quite a bit on the way up. 

GREAT EXPERIENCE! 

It's a beautiful area, well marked trails with wonderful overreaching views. I was there Sept 2nd-3rd, 2017 and everything was gorgeous. But…that time of year those stick insects must have been mating and they were everywhere. Constantly falling out of trees and landing on me, others on the trails were having issues with them too. Also, there's dead trees and signs up about an Asian beetle killing the trees. Don't touch the beetles, especially by accident. They're one of the kinds that have a liquid defense mechanism and you do not want that stuff on you. It smells horrible and will not come off, not with Germ X or any other soap I had…the beetle was on a tree I reached out for when I tripped.

The trails have a ton of up and downs, very rocky, so take your time and maybe bring a walking stick or pole.

There are many camping sites along the trails, they're just nice little open areas with stone fire rings. I hung up my hammock and stayed the night pretty comfy and quiet. But come morning someone had made off with my sneakers…honestly my fault, I should've had everything bagged up or tied down. So on my hike back out to my car that morning I had to wear a pair of chacos…they weren't broken in yet and I had tons of blisters by the time I got back to my car.

But that was my problem. I still enjoyed this place and me and some friends are planning a trip there soon.

Oh and the stone gazebo overlooking the valley is pretty amazing, not only is the view wonderful but there's also town names carved into the stone with arrows and how many miles away it is. I really liked that. Also while I stood there a train was going thru the valley below and you could just barely hear it and follow it along the tracks.

Great place, despite the things that happened

I had the place all to myself!! So peaceful and the best sunsets!! The staff family was awesome!!

Sunsets galore!!!

The scenery at the overlook trail is amazing. Found a place to hang the hammock and had a relaxing time. Unfortunately it was walking stick mating season which added a strange element to the trip. Bathrooms were nice. The sites were very close together, too close for my liking. 

Beautiful scenery, sites close together

Nice campground, long dirt road to get there. Fellow campers need to respect the other campers and the quiet solitude of nature. Beautiful two mile hike on the rim trail. 

Holiday weekend 

I books a site for July 5&amp;6 . The caretaker was amazing, delivered my fire wood and went beyond his duties when he tried to enforce the rules. My first night was great but the next night was horrible because of rude fellow campers. Your best campsites would be on the west side that overlooks the hillside. Nice trails within walking distance. Spring or fall is the ideal time to visit.

Very busy weekend 

This is a nice spot I stopped for one night on my first trip out to explore the Ozarks. I’m giving it 4/5 because it’s quite developed overall which isn’t really my thing, but that could be good depending on what you’re looking for. Other than that though it’s a little bit crowded since a lot is going on at the site in a relatively small place. The cliffs are cool though, and it’s a beautiful area. The staff were great too, very friendly and helpful. 

Cool Cliffs 

We had a very quick trip to White Rock Mountain, but we can’t wait to go back in the fall! It’s a beautiful place. The campground is pretty well maintained and the vault toilets were clean. The general store has a nice selection of items in case you forget something. 

Stunning Views

It's a bit off the beaten track, but the roads leading to White Rock Mountain Recreation Area are well maintained dirt/gravel forest roads. Any vehicle could make the trip just fine. The drive to White Rock is part of the fun. 

  

The campground, general store, and cabins are all at the top of the mountain. The 2 mile trail around the rim of White Rock Mountain is stunning...excellent views over and over again. It's a level trail too, so it's really more of a simple walk than a hike. 

  

One of the convenient things about White Rock is the general store. If you are camping, and you forgot some things at home, there's a good chance the store has you covered. They sell a variety of food (pizza, sandwiches, wraps, chips, candy, ice cream, etc.) and other general supplies. The pepperoni pizza was good...12 inch pizza for $11. You can also get a bundle of firewood delivered to your campsite...I think it was $8 for the firewood. 

  

The campground is small with only 8 regular sites, and a separate group site off by itself. Sites 1-4 are on the east side of the campground loop. These sites back up to the road that enters the recreation area. Sites 5-8 are on the west side. They are closer to the bluff line, but not quite close enough for the kind of view you will get when walking the trail. I would recommend site 5. It's on the far northwest side of the campground, so you don't have a neighbor to your north. But really, all of the sites are spaced out fairly well, so privacy shouldn't be a big concern anywhere. A pit toilet is located directly across from site 5. While only a pit toilet, it is kept remarkably clean. There is also water available in the campground. Overall, a wonderful little patch for camping and scenic views. The cabins look fun as well, but I'll have to save that for a future trip.

Stunning views from White Rock

White Rock Mountain Recreation Area, in the western Arkansas Ozarks, has a campground with 9 tent sites. One of these is a large group site. 8 sites are arranged along a gravel loop road. In addition to tents, these tent sites will accommodate a camper van; the best sites for vans are #1 thru 4. These are level. Sites 5 thru 8, on the west side of the loop, have great views, but are probably not level enough for van, truck and car camping. Each site has a level gravel tent pad, grill, table &amp; fire pit.  The sites are not large enough for RVs. The forest roads leading to the recreation area are rough in places, but passenger cars can make it. Amber, our host, is fantastic. She delivers firewood to your site after purchase. The vault toilet is clean. Pump water is available. No hookups. The campground appears well maintained. The OHT runs though the recreation area.  There is a really good hiking trail that loops around the rim of the mountain, offering fantastic views of the Ozarks. T-mobile cell service is available with sporadic LTE data service.

Mountain top camping

I was impressed from the moment we arrived. The drive up was slow going with a narrow rutted out road but overall not bad. The staff was great and they deliver your wood to your campsite. The sunsets are stunning and seem to last forever! There are also a couple hiking trails. From 2.5 miles to 15+ with some great waterfalls just be prepared for the hike back, it’s all uphill on the longer trails. This will be a place we would visit again. 

This place is amazing the views never stop the people who run it are amazing 

In the clouds 

Be prepared for long, rough mountain roads to get there, but it’s worth it. Great camp host! Cute camp store. Amazing views. Ask about the trail to the waterfall!

Mountaintop camping

Have camped here twice now in the last couple years. It is a beautiful area, with a bit of a crazy drive up especially at night but totally worth it.
It has primitive sites with water and outhouse style bathrooms. 

Unreal Views and Wonderful Staff

January 31-Feb 3 2025. White Rock is a great little campground.  With only 8 tent camp sites it is very quaint.  The cabins were packed and there were many people visiting the overlook but my partner and I were the only tent campers. We arrived late, after sunset, and the host recommended tent site #1.  From the pictures we really wanted to set up in #5 but he insisted on #1 and recommended looking around in the morning if we wanted to move.  I'm thankful for his knowledge because sites 5-8 were juicy from the previous days rains. All of the sites are well maintained and within a short walk to the water spigot and vault toilet.  Sites 1-4 are well spaced and have large tent pads.  Sites 5-8 are smaller with smaller tent pads and the view from these sites is AMAZING!  Just know that with the view comes the wind and less space to stretch out.  We ended up staying in site #1 so our old hound dog could saunter around.  

It's a slow, beautiful drive.  The reviews are correct that the last hour of the drive is only 20 miles.  Make sure to stop for gas! It is an unpaved road that in some spots is maybe wide enough for 2 small vehicles to pass each other.  My AWD Mazda made the trip just fine and I saw a Toyota Camry at the overlook. Whenever you feel comfortable going over 15 MPH there will be a heavily rutted 180° hairpin turn.  If you forgot to bring something you'll probably find it or a substitute in the Office/General Store.  

Overall I loved this campground.  I will definitely be back in the spring or fall.