Best Equestrian Camping near Dardanelle, AR

Coordinates: 34.78571,-93.15988. Visited in early May 2025. Located along Forest Road 772, about 1 mile north of Forest Road 11 in the Ouachita National Forest. Some minor erosion on FR772 where small creeks cross the road. FR11 is in good condition at the time of this visit. The camp is on the western edge of the Deckard Mountain Walk-in Turkey Hunting Area. The camp serves as a small primitive camping area for equestrian riders on the network of interconnecting loop trails that comprise the Bear Creek Equestrain Trail system. These trails are also open to hikers. The trailhead is located at the rear of the camp. Free. Four sites (2 official national forest sites with metal fire rings plus 2 dispersed sites with rock fire rings), available on a first-come/first-based only. Hitching posts are available in the camp. A small creek runs along side the camp. The grounds of the camp do not appear to be maintained, but the sites were clean. There is a very clean vault toilet located at the rear of the camp; it was well supplied. Tent and hammock camping are possible. Sites are mnostly shaded making solar rechargiong and Starlink access a challenge. I received no T-Mobile cell service. The camp itself is not aesthetically pleasing, but it is located deep in a beautiful forest with easy access to a trail system. Note that, when I last checked, the Ouachita National Forest Web site no longer lists this site as a campground.

We stayed here for some backwoods hiking in the Ozarks and it was about 40 minutes from the various hikes we had planned. There are some trails nearby, but the area and trails are really designed for ATVs.

It doesn’t offer a lot in terms of comfort—there are full hookups but no real fire rings, no trees or shade and it’s HOT in early June. It’s an all gravel path so not great for any elderly walkers or those in need of ADA. The showers are ROUGH, but they exist. They have hot water, but there’s a literal nail to operate the handles. Toilets are okay. No laundry. It has stables for horses and seems to really be built for ATVers.

No ATT or Verizon service there or in the general area, had to download a map that was essentially a PDF to get around.

Nicest people in the world own it and work there. They have a shop and cafe on site that is open only on the weekends. The cafe is okay. It does have WiFi, but that does not extend to the camp/ RV sites. The real draw is the folks who work there, can’t state enough how wonderful and helpful they are.

Dry county with very few places to buy any food or groceries outside of an hour drive.

Very beautiful sites close by: falling water falls, big creek cave falls, glory hole falls, pedestal rocks and kings bluff trails, alum natural bridge—and so much more.

A great Arkansas destination for outdoorsy people.The steep road climbing to the top of Mount Nebo keeps the big RVs away. Stop your car at the lookout point before you reach the top. When you arrive, walk into the Visitor's Center and right through the other door on the back to take in the view and step right onto a nice hiking trail. The campground has an open feel, so you might see cars going by on the main road, or strike up a conversation with your camping neighbors. It is nonetheless a nice place, particularly the sites that overlook the bluff. If you have kids, there are two sites that back up directly to a playground. For tent campers, the real draw is the hike-in campsites, which are easy to hike to on a flat, wide trail that circles the top of the mountain (similar in width to a fire road), or the various other well maintained hiking paths that parallel or criss-cross it. Wake up and check out the view at Sunrise Point, enjoy a day of hiking and other activities, then top it off with the view at Sunset Point.

We stayed at an RV site at Cameron Campground, #2. Nice shady spot with a picnic table, grill and fire pit. Was also a space for a tent. The picnic table had a few steps up to it.

This site is at the entrance, we might have preferred something at the back. Everyone coming in or out drove by our spot. But the neighbors were all very quiet.

The bathhouse had two showers, several toilets.

Several signs up say beware of bears, but we didn't see any.

We saw LOTS of deer.

Be prepared for a long winding road up the mountain. It's not overly steep, but it takes a while to get ANYWHERE in this part of Arkansas.

Went to Cove Lake (11 miles away, about a 20 minute drive) to fish, but didn't stay long, and didn't catch anything. Cove lake has camping but no hookups.

CAMPGROUND REVIEW:: Mount Nebo State Park, Arkansas https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/mount-nebo-state-park

Turning off I-40 at Exit 88, Mount Nebo is viewed less than 10 miles southwest…a stand-alone mountain.

At the base of the climb, signs posted numerous times, “Crooked and Steep, no trailers over 24 ft”. I have driven up a lot of steep and twisty mountain roads, and these warnings are to be heeded. Grades are up to 18%.

The State Park rests up its summit.constructed by the CCC, many of their stonework craftsmanship can be seen in the buildings and trail system.

The “Rim Trail” is just that…a 3 1/2 mile trail running the top rim of the mountain, with long views. There are two distinct areas of the “Rim Trail” that can be driven to…to capture those special photos…Sunset Point and Sunrise Circle.

Different sections of the Rim Trail range from easy to moderate to strenuous. They are marked. Bicycles are not permitted on the Rim Trail but are permitted on other trails as are horses. So know and exercise proper trail etiquette.

There are bear in this area, and precautions are taken by the park. Park staff informed us of numerous venomous reptilian, too…so be aware on the trails, or if you choose to wander off them.

A large rentable enclosed stone pavilion sits on the end of the mount, between Site 17 and the pool. Yes, a very nice pool (separate daily or annual fee). A standard picnic pavilion also sits out front of the larger stone pavilion beside public parking area.

The beautiful Visitor Center is deeper into the park to the right. You can sit on its back porch and look out over the valley. There are numerous cabins that are available for rental…and appear very inviting.

When you crest the top of the mountain, the camping area is directly to the right, as are the pavilions and pool. Cabins dot the summit, but private residences are interspersed among them. As mentioned, the Visitors Center is further up the road to the right…on the right.

Being on an 1800 ft elevation summit, surrounded by valley…its quiet and enjoys a constant breeze. Enjoying blue skies, the shade trees are appreciated in the camping area.

On a Wednesday, the 1st of August, we had our pick of beautiful and spacious sights. Very few campers on this day. So we chose site 17, directly on the Rim with unimpeded long views and unobstructed breezes. It was a toss-up between 16 and 17 …even 14 is directly on the Rim. $22 + tax a night.

Each of these sites had separate electric, water spigot, fire pit, standing grill, picnic table and lantern post. Metal bear cabinets and resistant trash receptacles were clustered conveniently among the campsites. Though I was surprised they didn’t have timber outlined leveled tent areas. In fact, you need to be somewhat creative in locating a level tent spot.

Restrooms are clean and stocked. The pool showerhouse has but one shower a piece for men and women. The entire park is well-maintained and clean.

Overall, a very enjoyable and relaxing campground.