Best Tent Camping near De Queen, AR
The Ouachita National Forest and Cossatot River State Park-Natural Area offer the primary tent camping options near De Queen, Arkansas, with both established campgrounds and primitive backcountry sites. Cossatot Falls Campsites provides six large, first-come-first-served tent sites with direct access to the river and falls, while the Eagle Rock Loop trail system offers multiple primitive tent camping locations accessible only by hiking in from designated trailheads.
Most tent sites in the area feature basic amenities with varying levels of development. The Cossatot Falls tent camping area includes fire pits, picnic tables, and vault toilets but no running water or electricity. Sites typically have gravel tent pads that can accommodate multiple tents. A visitor commented, "Each site has enough room for three tents and has a grill, fire pit, table, and bear pole." Campers must bring their own water or filter from nearby streams. The Sandbar Area provides similar tent-focused camping with slightly more sites, though still primitive in nature with only vault toilets available.
Backcountry tent sites along the Eagle Rock Loop offer more secluded camping experiences. These walk-in tent locations require hikers to pack in all supplies and follow Leave No Trace principles. Sites like Viles Branch, Straight Creek, and Long Creek provide cleared areas for tent setup near water sources. A review noted, "There is adequate clear space to set up a tent or numerous trees to string up a hammock." During spring and summer, insects can be intense, so treating clothing and gear with permethrin is advisable. The tent-only nature of these sites ensures a quieter experience than developed campgrounds that allow RVs. Many campers use these locations as basecamp for fishing, with one visitor reporting catching and releasing multiple trout and sunfish within an hour at Long Creek.
