Searching for the best camping near Chidester, AR? Chidester is an adventure-filled destination for those who love the outdoorsy camper lifestyle. But it's also great for those who prefer to spend time near the city, exploring and sightseeing. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Chidester and user-submitted reviews.
This recreation area is part of Degray Lake
$15 - $50 / night
Come enjoy the beautiful country living with spacious yards to relax. Our campsites provide both 30/50 amp, water, and sewer hookups. Each site provides concrete runners with gravel patios to enjoy your picnic table and patios. Our camp sites are opened all year round. We welcome you and your family to come and have a amazing time.
$30 / night
Big Fir Campground is a primitive campground on the northwest end of Lake Ouachita. This small campground is one of the most out of the way and secluded campgrounds on the lake. The 50 or so campsites here are all non-electric and primitive. There is a boat ramp and restrooms within the park. If you are looking for an out of the way place to camp, you have found it with the Big Fir Campground. This is a beautiful location on the lake with plenty of trees and good lake views. There is fishing available from the bank.
Iron Mountain Campground sits on the southern banks of DeGray Lake in the foothills of the Quachita Mountains.
Boating, water skiing, kayaking and other water sports are the biggest draw to the lake, and a boat ramp and full service marina are provided. The lake is also stocked with a variety of game fish, including plenty of hybrid striped bass, making it an ideal area for both boat and bank fishing. Numerous hiking and horseback riding trails wind around the lake shore.
Degray Lake is one of the region's five Diamond Lakes, known for their crystal clear waters. The lake flows from the Caddo River in western Arkansas and spans 13,500 surface acres.
The DeGray Lake Resort State Park offers golf courses, tennis courts, horseback riding trails and more along the 207 miles of lake shoreline. The Ouachita National Forest and Hot Springs National Park are both located nearby.
$20 / night
Arlie Moore Campground sits on the northern banks of DeGray Lake in the foothills of the Quachita Mountains. Hikers find Arlie Moore particularly inviting. In past years, the National Recreation Reservation Service selected the Arlie Moore Interpretive Trail as one of America's Top 25 Hiking Trails.
Boating, water skiing, kayaking and other water sports are the biggest draw to the lake, and a boat ramp and swimming beach are provided. The lake is also stocked with a variety of game fish, including plenty of hybrid striped bass, making it an ideal area for both boat and bank fishing. Numerous hiking and bike riding trails wind around the lake shore, including the Arlie Moore Interpretive Trail.
Degray Lake is one of the region's five Diamond Lakes, known for their crystal clear waters. The lake flows from the Caddo River in western Arkansas and spans 13,500 surface acres.
The DeGray Lake Resort State Park offers golf courses, tennis courts, horseback riding trails and more along the 207 miles of lake shoreline. The Ouachita National Forest and Hot Springs National Park are both located nearby.
$20 / night
Caddo Drive Campground sits along the pristine shores of Degray Lake in the foothills of the Quachita Mountains. The area offers stunning scenery and panoramic views, and Caddo was awarded one of Americas Top 25 Scenic Views.
DeGray Lake hosts thousands of professional fishing tournaments, triathlons and it is one of the most popular swimming destinations in the region. The area is also ideal for boating and jet skiing.
The campground is situated on a tree-covered ridge that joins a bluff. Degray Lake encompasses 13,500 water acres, with 207 miles of shoreline and an average depth of 47 feet.
The DeGray Lake State Resort Park lies on the northern shores of the lake, and kayaking tours, golf, tennis courts and a horseback riding trail are available.
$20 / night
Traveler
The directions/ coordinates are wrong. Go to contact info or look it up on Google Maps.
Traveler
Nice little campgrounds, quiet, and peaceful. You'll enjoy the lake on your kayak while you fish and watch the sunset or sunrise. Not all campsites are level, only about 4 of them, but the other won't take much to level out your camper. There are 4 pavilions, and most sites have picnic tables. Clean bath and showers area, also handicap accessible.
Scout
Gravel parking lot with painted stripes, a patch of grass growing under the picnic table, and full hookups. Be sure to back in centered, others are complaining about hitting their slide outs. Watch your step. One of the long-term residents isn't picking up their dog waste. The nicest spot in the whole place is the little fenced-in dog spot overlooking the canal that makes its way out to the lake you can't see from here.
Legend
My first impressions of this site were terrible. The Bathrooms are extremely old and honestly seem like they're rotting down. The playground area is small but jot terrible. The area for rvs is pretty cramped with no privacy. Luckily while talking to some folks there they directed us on down the road. There are two more sections specifically for primitive camping that are really nice. There are a couple picnic tables and fire rings. There is also a nice pond. The cell signal isn't terrible but it's a bit hit and miss for internet.
Overall, I would suggest it but don't expect to use their showers or bathroom. Go a couple minutes down the road and use the state parks showerhouse. It's really nice.
Traveler
We stayed in tent site 22 for a weekend camping trip. You can’t tell by looking at the Recreation.gov reservation site but tent pad 22 is one of 4 in a grouping of tent sites. 21-24 are so close together. If you are with friends or a large family group then it would be ideal but if don’t want people right on top of you then pick another site. Thankfully, we had some cool neighbors but it was a very noisy and bright spot to camp. Also, your neighbors have to walk through your campsite to get to either of the two water spickets that serve all 4 campsites. There is no where to park your boat unless you rent an RV spot and there is no boat ramp in the camp ground. All of the spots were very shady and cool. We had a good time but we wanted to warn others so you know what you are getting into.
ScoutWe booked one night here during a southwest roadtrip. I should have looked into the Google reviews because there weren't any on this app at the time. This "campground" sits directly beside a sketchy excuse of a "motel." Actually they are ran by the same people. The motel had multiple rooms with full windows busted out, large amounts of trash and junk piled everywhere outside (broken furniture, trash, scrap), the "pool" they advertise was empty with weeds growing up in it, and many long-term residents of the motel hanging out in the lot, on the second story, and going in and out of each other's open rooms. It looked like something straight out of a movie or TV show that was portraying a poor, rundown, drug-infested neighborhood. We drove past that and into the small campground area. It had lots of run-down campers with junk piled around them as well. I wish I had taken pictures because I couldn't believe how trashy this place looked. We made the decision not to stay there for the night. We were afraid our camper or truck would be broken into if we left them there. It was not somewhere we felt safe staying with our children. We found a much nicer and safer KOA down the road in Texarkana that was actually cheaper and stayed there instead. We may have lost the money we paid for a night at this place, but the peace of mind was worth it!
Traveler
I keep coming back here to dig for diamonds. There are cheaper campgrounds in the area, but the State Park grounds are top notch. Very level camper pads, stable power and water and everything is well maintained. There are multiple bath “houses” — single shower room style privacy, not a large room with curtains. A playground in the sites for kids to play on also.
The only downsides that come to mind are the iffy WiFi (the reservation system is pretty accurate on which sites have “good” WiFi and which do not) that is decent for casual web browsing but not likely to be streaming possible. And then a mixed pro/com is that satellite connections (direct or Starlink) is going to be rough due to the wooded aspect of the sites — although the trees do help keep the camper cooler. 🤷🏻♂️
ScoutNo WiFi showers or other facilities for the $ it was ok.?..
TravelerThis is a quiet campground with plenty of shaded and nearly perfectly level pull ins. Power is consistent. Water pressure fluctuates from good to high — regulator necessary. Wifi is spotty, but the reservation center is pretty accurate on strength of WiFi at various sites. The site we are in right now, WiFi is sketchy.
In cool weather, a walk to the diamond field would be fine. In hot weather, no way.
Scout
Great place alone or with kids. I keep coming back
Scout
Nice trail, be better after a rain . Level 1 for sure . Some dispersed sites towards end of this end . Residential before you get to end . 2 Dogs running around . So please go speed limit through res’ . Fires aloud , hella mosquitoes. Dogs around too .
GuideThis was on my wifes bucket list, didnt find any diamonds, got dirty but had fun and got dirty. Sites and bath house were nice , full hook ups
TravelerI have my truck and 25 ft camper and have stayed five nights right on the water. There’s been at least a couple campers around every night but not rowdy. A lot of people here to fish. I did put in “Big Fir Recreational Use Area” to find the site as someone else mentioned. I have plenty of service through Verizon and my Starlink works great here too.
GuideThis camp is ideally located in the Crater of Diamonds State Park with easy access to the Visitors Center by foot or car. The campsites are well maintained and adequately situated to afford some privacy. There are 6 individual bathrooms with toilet, sink and shower, in the bathouse nearest to us that are modern and clean. The shower was "almost" hot.
The only negative is that the adjacent site's fire ring is too close to our back window and the smoke from a fire could enter our window.
This is our second stay at this park and we would definitely return.
Ranger
Fairly cheap for a nicely established campground with really nice bathrooms (with showers)! Water spigot right at our site. Park has 3 different loops and lots of amenities.
Scout
Our first camping trip. Great place to relax. Met several nice folks. Park is very clean and well kept. Asphalt pads are very nice. Nice playground for the kids.
GuideThis is our second time here. Decided to make a quick 2 night stay for Spring Break and this trip was as good as the first. The sites and bathrooms are kept up great. Don’t hesitate to plan a trip here.
ScoutNot a big campground at all but dynamite comes in small packages!
From the super nice owner, laundry room and dog walk. The showers and bathrooms are top notch and everything is spotless!
Enjoy free WiFi and maps of the area and daily activities locally. Dyrt discounts are splendid here as well. If you’re in the area, do yourself a favor and give them a try. You won’t regret it!
RangerStayed here for 4 weeks. Except for the occasional dog barking contest. (Not at night usually around midday), it's a quiet and comfortable place to stay. It has a small dog park near the lake. The owners are very friendly. The laundry room locker room fitness center and clubhouse are kept very clean and secure with a passcode. You can receive regular mail UPS and FedEx deliveries including Amazon. Regular mail is delivered late in the afternoon so you may have to wait till the next day to pick it up. T-Mobile cell phone services week Usually around two bars. There are a couple full-timers here and they're very nice. The busy part of Hot Springs is about 5 minutes away by car. Electricity and water pressure are reliable. Most of the sites are level and are comprised of crushed rock compressed. You're next door neighbor is about 12 to 15 ft from your door. So the sites are a little bit tight.
Scout
I’ll start by telling you a story.. my friend and I have always wanted to go to Arkansas to hunt. So we finally got our chance and headed out. We planned on roughing it a little and stay in tents. When we got close to grant county Arkansas we found this place on the map. Omg!! When we got there and saw “” Donnas Hammock Hide away”” We could not believe our eyes !! It should be called “Donnas major junk yard”!!!! One thing about it is. In a year or two, when we get over the shock it will be something to look back and laugh about.
ScoutEasy to get to and great spots on the late! free!
TravelerSpacious sites, and lots of privacy. We came through after a storm and they were without power. Crews we’re working to clean park and electricity was restored pretty quickly. Park was well maintained. We really enjoyed our stay.
TravelerI cannot say enough about this RV park. We came through very late (12 pm) gave her a call and she got us taken care of! Very clean, well maintained, full hook ups and lots of extras! Unfortunately we weren’t there very long (7 hours), but we will be back!
Scout
Rustic, peaceful and quiet place. Friendly hosts and nice grounds. All level spots with good power and water. Great place to see the stars. Fresh eggs to boot! Just a one night stopover for us but would have liked to stay longer!
GuideWe don’t have one complaint about our stay. The camp ground is very clean and in good shape. The pads are all asphalted so pretty level. Trash bins are at every other site and the bathroom is not a far walk. The temps are really hot but the bugs aren’t too bad. My family will be back!!
Guide
Beautiful place but some of the sites are super un-level. We tried our spot 16 and it was so steep our emergency brake could barely hold and behind the pad was a huge drop off to the lake. We had to pay for second spot to move to as we did not feel safe. No water at the sites, but power was fine. Depending on what side you are on you may have cell coverage, but on the other side (where we moved to) virtually no signal.
Scout
This was my first solo camping trip and the Arlie Moore campground made it an easy and memorable one. First the location is close to Hot Springs National park, only about 20 minutes away. It was easy to find in the dark and everything was very well labeled so finding my campsite was doable even at night. My site was right in the water and well maintained. The bathrooms had toilet paper and the trash was taken out daily. I did hike the 1.3 mile trail while I was staying but be warned it’s a little confusing because not many people use it.
Camping near Chidester, Arkansas, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking to pitch a tent or park your RV, there are several campgrounds that cater to different needs.
Camping near Chidester, Arkansas, has something for everyone, whether you're a family looking for fun or an RVer seeking a peaceful getaway.
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Chidester, AR?
According to TheDyrt.com, Chidester, AR offers a wide range of camping options, with 50 campgrounds and RV parks near Chidester, AR and 4 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Chidester, AR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Chidester, AR is White Oak Lake State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 9 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Chidester, AR?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 4 free dispersed camping spots near Chidester, AR.
What parks are near Chidester, AR?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 24 parks near Chidester, AR that allow camping, notably Bankhead National Forest and Chugach National Forest.
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