Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Arkansas River - Wilbur D. Mills Pool

This was one of the last parks available on the Memorial Day weekend. One of the great things for us was the proximity of some Arkansas State Parks such as Cane Creek and Arkansas Post. First we were in E campground and it was not very well taken care of. The pads for the campers were starting to become covered up with grass and tree debris. Our picnic table has a corner busted off and the water hydrant was combined for two sites to one hydrant spot. Our 25 ft hose was too short so we borrowed a hose from the camp manager till we were able to buy another 25 footer. There was no showers in E and the restrooms were just toilets, no sinks to wash your hands. We were told by several people that we would be all but guaranteed to see an alligator but we never did. Not that they aren’t there, we just never got that lucky. The dump station is probably a mile and a half from the campground so if you have a grey water tote tank that you pull behind the truck like me, expect a fairly long drive. Overall it was an ok park but the campground E was definitely on the decline. Other campgrounds seemed to be in better shape but still sad that part of the park is in such shape. I would not put this on the top of my list but it’s not the worse either.

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.

My family uses a pop up camper to explore many of the Arkansas parks, after this trip we are considering a change! 

 Let me tell you about their bathroom/showers situation…. Do they have flushing toilets, yes! Sadly only slightly better than a hole in the ground with a seat. They thankfully have provided toilet paper, that’s a step up from tree bark, but no place to put any sanitary items…. Was there a place at one time to dispose such things? YES! Is there one any more? NO! Just a slot with a lid where the metal box once was. Granted I am at a camp that for the majority of the time only houses manly hunters, keeping that in mind I assume they do still sometimes bring their wives/girlfriends who would appreciate maybe having another small box installed for these womanly things. Moving on I don’t consider myself vain in anyway but the mirror situation is comparable to trying to see your reflection in crinkled aluminum foil, at best! While staring into what may or may not be my reflection, I start to question where is the hand soap? Absolutely nowhere, there is none. I feel they expect us to grab a pine cone and pray we don’t get pink eye because that is all your working with, pinecones and prayers! While releasing a irritated sigh I noticed I could see my breath! It’s currently 30 degrees outside and guess what these bathrooms do not have a heater!! Now to the showers, I’m only able to compare it to a prison scene from a movie… Longest yard…? The Rock…? Maybe…I’m not sure but it falls somewhere between comical and terrifying. Curtains you ask? No we don’t need those! Being able to adjust water temperatures? No! Luke warm Is what you have Luke warm is what you are happy with(said in best Russian accent) Somewhere to place your shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lufa and razor? Unheard of! You are in the wild girl…. You should have held on to that pinecone! A large button on the wall you have to push every(no exageration) ten seconds to keep the spit temperature trickle of water running?? Yes ma’am! The over head lights on a timer that goes off five minutes into your lovely prison shower experience reminding you to not drop the soap or close your eyes? WE GOT YOU BOO! Need less to say my time here, although brief, feels like purgatory, making me want to lay down in front of the passing Corps of Engineers truck as a martyr for bathroom improvements! (**US Army Corps of Engineers please reference ANY State ran park bathroom for your example!)