Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Calico Rock, AR

We stayed at this campground 1 night on our way between COVID-19 quarantine locations.  We found the park easy to navigate (no tight turns).  Large semi paved spaces (I say semi paved because the concrete pads were crumbling at least in our spot).  Good separation between sites with picnic tables, no shade but they do have a dog park.  Hookups were easy to reach and appeared to be in good repair.  Decent water pressure.  Many of the spaces were permanent campers or long term workers but it felt safe and appeared well maintained.

This is probably an excellent site in spring or fall. However summertime is hot at the site because of the lack of shade trees. Site 15 is by the water and has a large area for dogs or family. There is a staircase down to the water next to site 8. The fishing is good. It’s a pet friendly site however if your dogs bark neighbors will complain. The manager is friendly. They do not have trash pick up service; you just take your trash to a dumpster at the end of the camp, which is not a big deal. No grill available but has picnic tables and fire ring. WI-FI aid very good.

My wife and I camped here for four nights. Overall it was nice, but there were some things that I wish we knew. The location is great in the sense that it’s easy to get to and it’s laid out well. Unfortunately, it’s directly under an overpass and it is loud- loud enough that I used ear plugs at night.

It’s located on the White river and has a very nice gravel boat ramp, which is a big positive. It also has fishing access during low water.

The WiFi is excellent and the staff are super helpful and friendly.

The biggest plus for us is the bathrooms were among the best that we have found. They’re clean and fairly new.

There is plenty of property to walk and they were very pet friendly. It looks like many of the guests are long term residents.

Buffalo national river is the first national river established in the US and let me tell you it's gorgeous!! There are many places to camp but we stayed at Buffalo Point. There are a few different loops to stay on, we stayed in A. Each site has parking, for car or RV all differing in length, and you walk behind the parking to an area with benches, picinic table, lantern hanger, and fire pit. The river is behind the sites and you can swim in it. I recommend swim shoes because its all rocks to get to it and entering in and out of the water. Behind A loop on the opposite side from the ramp before the curve in the river is a rope swing. Its across the river so you must be a strong swimmer to beat the current. The bathrooms are well kept and there is trash bins available. Pets are allowed too. The loop that we stayed in was first come first serve and there was a self pay station near the bathroom. If you are up early enough, you may see bald eagles flying around the river like we did!

Dates: May 15 Sep 15   Booking

            Sep 15  May 15 Out of season

Travelers will find a very steep entrance road and the fact that this campground is very rural. Carry your supplies with you. Many sites are not level but there is the bonus that the sites are not on top of each other and there are some water sites. We had good service with Verizon.

This is an excellent camp for enjoying the song of the birds and the bounty of the lake. This campground offers 31 non-electric sites. Additional amenities include vault toilets and boat ramp. 

A dense mix of red cedar, black gum, red oak, elm, pecan and sweet gum trees forest the area, providing shade in the summer months and beautiful fall colors in autumn. Wildlife is plentiful around Greers Ferry Lake. Visitors commonly see white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, squirrels and a wide variety of birds.

 Greers Ferry Lake is an outdoor enthusiasts' dream, with boating, sailing, water skiing, swimming, scuba diving and fishing opportunities. Hikers enjoy the area's three National Nature Trails and one multi-purpose fitness trail. The William Carl Garner Visitor Center is just west of the dam, with exhibits, a children's touch table, and a replica of the world record 40 lb. 4 oz. brown trout caught in the Little Red River downstream of the center.•

Standard Nonelectric• Overnight• Boating• Camping• Hiking• Boat Ramp• Drinking Water• Picnic Table• Parking Area• Campfire Rings• Paved Sites• Pets Allowed 

With over 30,000 acres of water surface, the lake serves as a playground for all kinds of water sports. 

 Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information. 

LNT 

Better than when you found it

Stay safe  Happy travels

It was a good campground to get away for a night or two! Had my 2 little boy cousins and my dog with us and we all had a good time walking down to the river to play. Great place to chill out and cool off!

We stayed in 2 spots. The first one was beautiful and not much traffic. The next 3 nights, we felt like we on a highway. We also had people walk right through our camp on more than one occasion to walk their dog then left their waste. And no sewer hook up, cell service, wifi or TV.

So if you are wanting scenery, Shiloh park has some of the best mountain views for a campground around Greer's ferry lake. However.. I've lived here my whole life, and I've never met someone whose main job requirement is to WORK WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC meeting the needs and insuring a positive experience for whoever is using the campgrounds/ rec area etc, who lacks such skills to do their job. My experience with the park attendant has been a negative one BOTH occasions I've had to deal with her. The first being my child's third birthday party.. I called the number to the gate house multiple times to ask Ab renting the pavilion or to find more info ab doing so and no one would pick up. When we drove to the gate house to ask in person she informed us that we had to do it all online. When we checked out the website she sent us to it didn't inform us of anything to do with the pavilion. Just campsites to rent. We figured we would just rent a campsite close to the pavilion instead. We booked our site almost six weeks in advance online.. when we get there on the day of my child's party, our campsite was rented out to someone else she had taken upon herself to move from their original site. Our party was at 2. And everyone was already down at he swim area with my daughter . The gate attendant had to call a park ranger to handle her mess up whick..mind you took almost an hour of me waiting at the gate missing the first half of my child's party while everyone in the park waited for me in the heat of July, sweating my butt off having to stand outside the gate house. The second time I felt with her. It was just after labor day Sept. 12th 2020. There was a sign up at the gate that said the attendant would return at 5:30. My fiance and three legged service dog went down to the vacant swim area where NOONE was at and as soon as we get out of the car and I let my dog out, here comes the park attendant pulling up at an accelerated rate of speed. (Clearly not the park speed limit) and she rolls her window down to inform us that my dog could not be at the swim area. She didn't take the time to listen to me explain that I had papers and my dog was a service animal..and NOONE was around to make any complaints..however she did not acknowledge the meth heads a little down the way  that we passed on our way in who were sitting in their two cars parked by themselves in vacant camp spots most likely down their getting high with their music up. She is the most unprofessional person I've ever delt with in my years going to a public recreation area ever!! And I won't be back . Good luck to all who come in contact with her.

This primitive campground was perfect for me and my dog. We stayed three nights in October 2020. It’s right on a put-in spot on the Buffalo River so there were a couple of buses and shuttles but for the most part it was very quiet. The campsites are a good distance apart, they have plenty of room and have fire rings and picnic tables. Be aware that there is no drinking water and I didn’t get phone service (yay!). There is a vault toilet that wasn’t too bad. I loved this place, and will definitely be back.

Like all Arkansas State parks this is a well kept park

If you are boating or swimming in Arkansas this will do it.

Very nice little campground just off Arkansas Hwy 25 by Greers Ferry Lake, Heber Springs, Arkansas. Actually, many of the campsites are along the beginning of the Little Red River. A lot of people were fishing here, and there is a fish hatchery here also, so better know the fishing regulations if fishing.
Campsites are fine, at least partly shaded for many sites, not huge, but at a great location. Nice short hiking trail along Collins Creek. Thumbs up for this place. Would be happy to hang out here again some day.

I completed my undergrad and graduate degrees in Arkansas about 30ish miles north of Little Rock. While living in Arkansas, my brother and I traveled all over the state, including a visit to the Blanchard Springs Caverns and recreation area. Hiking through the caverns and around the recreation area is phenomenal. The caverns make you feel like you’re looking at something made my aliens. It’s really pretty amazing. It’s also enormous inside the cave. For us, it was a day trip excursion. However, we did explore all around the recreation and campground area. I’ve camped all over Arkansas and what I’d say is that this is probably a great place for primitive tent camping and/or backpack/hammock camping. I have three small boys and it wouldn’t be my first choice for a family camping trip, albeit very very cool. The campground is small, maybe 30 or so spots and heavily wooded. The terrain isn’t conducive to kids unless you’re ok constantly being concerned about injuries. There are lots of cool swimming holes, moving water and falls nearby with it’s close proximity to Mirror Lake and Sugar Loaf Mt. definitely worth a trip if you’re close by, but not something I’d make a multi-hour trip for. Also wouldn’t stay there more than maybe two nights. I’d say if you’re camping somewhere relatively close, work in a day trip to Blanchard Springs. If you are like me and have kids, and you’d have to travel anything beyond an hour or two to get there, it’s not worth it. There are too many beautiful places in AR and you’d probably drive by more than one of them to get to Blanchard Springs. I’m giving it 3 stars for that reason alone. If I were rating based solely on the sites, activities, etc. I’d give it 5.

Jake here from the Dyrt!  Whether you're into hang gliding, kayaking or just relaxing at camp, the hillbilly hideaway is here to provide a great basecamp for your Arkansas adventures.  Check them out and make sure to post some photos and a review on the Dyrt and share with others!