Best Tent Camping near Arkansas River - Pool 5

Small open Campground with no specific sites (Tent Only Area). There is a small lot nearby to park then you must walk everything in. This can be anything from right next to your car to a few hundred feet away depending on where you want to set up. Picnic tables, fire rings and campground grills located throughout but again nothing is marketed as far as site numbers. The area allows for up to six camp permits per night. Could be good for smaller groups. It’s up away from the lake unlike the rest of the campgrounds in the park. There are restrooms nearby with flushing toilets and sinks. Also a playground is located close to the campsite. Overall it was clean but felt cramped among other campers and parking away from the tent made for multiple trips back and forth.

PROS 

Senior discount 

Reserved on-line 365 days prior to arriving 

Site #68 allowed parking RV 12 feet from water edge which was fabulous 

Totally level site 

Asphalt campsite pad 

Pea gravel and grass around asphalt 

Good night sky viewing 

Squirrels ate from our hand 

Saw ranger patrolling campground frequently 

Waste containers every other campsite 

Metal picnic table on concrete slab 

One hook lantern pole 

Metal fire pit with cooking grate 

Pedestal BBQ grill 

Clean restroom/shower and adequate TP and hand soap. Women had 2 showers, 2 sinks, 3 toilets 

Weekend campground nearly filled to capacity 

4 bars Verizon LTE 

Hike to waterfall a bit tricky, but worth the effort 

Hot Springs National Park 15 miles from campground; nice to watch the crowds from Superior Bathouse Brewery 

Free water from the springs next to the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center- must have your own containers to fill 

Enjoyed Red Oak Fillin’ Station so much we dined there twice 

Diamond Head 19th Hole Restaurant, open to the public and very close to park entrance 

CONS 

Damn Canadian geese crap everywhere 

Fire pit was filled with oversized logs and once removed there was unburned charcoal and lots of ash 

Unable to move picnic table 

Site#68 no shade what so ever 

No privacy from other sites 

Lots of speed boat and jet ski noise, even after sunset 

Morning train noise 

Power plant lights and humming noise 

No security gate closure overnight 

No WIFI

Maumelle Park is a nice campground located on the Arkansas River. They have some water front sites and several in wooded areas. The campsites are a little close together and there aren't as many trees as we typically like for privacy and hanging hammocks, but it is a nice park. They have several day use areas, a few playgrounds, and basketball courts. We stayed at site B23, which was just okay. The restroom facilities are nice. They had 2 dump stations. They do not have designated tent pads, but do have a fire ring and picnic table at each site. The campground is very close to riding trails and Pinnacle Mountain which is a fun area to hike.

Let me just start this out by saying, selecting a spot in Arkansas you are overwhelmed with options. State parks flourish and individual campgrounds seem to be countless. When traveling to the Hot Springs area It was a toss up as to which location would bear suit my journey, not only as a campground but as a part of the adventure. I elected to try Lake Catherine State Park, located just 10 miles outside of Hot Springs.

What sold me on this site were the numerous hiking trails, but what surprised me when I arrived were the lakeside water rentals located on premise as well as the actual beach recreation area.

I arrived later in the day and quickly made my camp in the primitive tent area. These sites have no water or electric hook ups however a very nice restroom facilities within 100 yards. They also boast a playground for the kids, not the only of the site. I was greeted by other campers and the sense of community was high at this facility.

My campsite included a table and grill and was nearby a fire ring. The area was much flatter than many camp areas and made for a quick site selection. In the distance deer grazed as the sun was setting.

The next morning I ventured toward the marina and was excited to find they have numerous boats for any level of experience available. Larger units available for full or half day use and smaller units for full or half day along with by the hour.

Hiking trails were my next stop after learning of the various skill levels including ADA accessible, moderate and difficult.

In addition to primitive camping the park offers RV and non-primitive tent camping. Also available are Yurt and Cabin rentals.

Office contains limited food and beverage options as well as supplies for lake visitors and a full picnic area overlooking the beach. Bathrooms and washrooms are scattered throughout the park and are kept impeccably clean with high water pressure.

Cell signal was good even on the remote trails during my stay.

This is by far one of the nicest parks I have camped not only on this journey but on any. Staff was knowledgeable about the park and others of the state and very helpful.

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Easy 5 of 5 Bunnies. I will return!

Maumelle was full of RVs. I think we were the only tent-only campers. Being a Saturday night, it felt like a lot of locals and the mood was pretty lively. Our site was right on the river, pretty spacious, but not very private. There was no wood for sale, but our ring had leftovers, plus hot ashes- boo! RVs pretty much had string lights and music, but no generator noise since there is electricity. No-see-ums were bad once the sun starts to go. Bathrooms were clean, not covered in bugs, but short on TP. No soap. It seemed like there may have been a smelly, leach-field of some sort nearby. I think this is a convenient and nice spot, but you really have to be prepared and accepting of the openness and RVs. The host was very nice and proud of the park.

We visited Cane Creek over Memorial Day weekend. The sites were level. We did have several fire ant hills that we had to deal with and quite a few red wasps. We were able to watch numerous birds (pileated woodpeckers) and even saw a swamp rat swimming in the lake (resembles a beaver with a skinny tail). You have to walk through thick brush on a slope to reach the water. My husband mostly chose to walk down to the fishing pier and docks. It was about a two minute walk away from our site. We stayed in site 17 I believe.

There are water and electricity hookups with a bathroom close by. We rode bikes so it didn’t take long to get the the restroom. Our neighbors had issues with their electricity because they were trying to run an air fryer, and it kept throwing the breaker. We ran our box fan without any issues.

You can rent kayaks for very reasonable. Do it! The water trail is unlike any I have seen. Don’t miss out on the hiking trails, but watch out for ticks!

You can rent an RV here as well. It’s set up at the entrance of the campground. It seemed like a nice setup. We rode past it several times on our explorations of the park.