Best Tent Camping near Ethel, AR

This was such a nice relaxing place to stay. We met a park interpreter who was very nice and informative.  We stayed in a small tent camping area beside one of the lakes.  The hiking trail was beautiful and we saw several woodpeckers!

We have been to many states and campgrounds. This is one of our favorites. It only has 14 Full Hookup sites but they are all beautiful. Well kept campgrounds, lake, and facilities. There is also a tent site area and a primitive camping area. The sites stayed booked, so if you want to give it a try, you need to book well in advance of your desired date of travel. We go here at least 4 or 5 times a year. It is only about 40 min drive from Forrest City and a 10 min. drive from Marianna, Arkansas. There is a boat dock where you can put your boat in the water. They also have fishing boats and kayaks for rent.

This was our 2nd time camping here. It’s the nicest campground close to home. All of the sites are large with full hookups. They really did an excellent job with this place. The bathrooms are the best of the best (private, suite style rooms). I like that it is not a large park (only 14 RV sites and 3 tent sites) l, so even when it is full, it does not feel overcrowded. I do wish they had more hiking trails, but the bear creek look is really nice. The park office is excellent with a museum area. Fire wood can be purchased at the office as well. Very popular lake for fishing!

This place is still relatively new, but they have really done a great job with it! The park office is first class! The Trotting Fox Trail and Bear Creek Loop trail are very nice! The park office has a large room for exhibits. The Rangers also keep a very full schedule of activities to keep locals and campers busy. They rent out kayaks for those looking to explore the lake! The Beech Point Campground is a gorgeous RV/Tent Campground. I highly recommend it to those that love camping! There is also a really nice day use area.

Ok this is the most beautiful place we’ve found in Arkansas with kayaking among the trees and flowers. They have tons of events like moonlit full moon kayak, we didn’t get to do it - next time! They have all kinds of boat rentals here including some with motors. The camp sites have trees and shade, water right next to your tent, wasn’t too much of a trek to the bathrooms and shower houses, which were clean and modern.

This Arkansas state park is top notch. It offers a very quiet, immaculate campground with only 17 sites for RV hook ups. There are additional camping areas for tents, although one is closed for repairs. The Bear Creek lake surrounds the RV camping area on all three sides. There is fishing, small boats, and swimming in the summer. The RV sites were very spaced apart and completely level. Things to note for planning—1. Visitor Center is pretty far from camping. You would have to drive there. But it is very nice with exhibits, and staff was very helpful. They have bait and fire wood too. 2. Cell service is not great. 3. No playground. But park is quaint enough bike riding and game playing for small kids works great!

Arkansas River scenery. Sportsman’s paradise. Everything to hunt and fish for in the Southeast. Bugs. Well maintained.

Just on the opposite side of the highway from historic Pine Bluff and within the same area as their Nature and Conservation area this reasonably priced camp is pretty nice with water front views.

The only downside no tents!! It really is ashes because the views here are some of the best I found in Pine Bluff of the river.

This is a Good Sam campground and thus meets a certain type of amenities. Had they accepted tents it would have been a much higher rating (probably a 4)

Fresh Water, Dump Station and 20 amp hook ups available.

Good, clean campground. Family friendly. Great fishing. Merrisack Lake joins the ship canal to the Arkansas River. Fabled White River National Wildlife Refuge, America’s first national refuge, close by.

Beech Point Campground is an amazing lakeside spot. Our site came with a bench to view the lake and tent pad is in the perfect spot. It was peaceful and provided the perfect place to recharge our batteries! The bathrooms were very nice. Throughout the campground, sewer hook-ups are available.

This place has nice pads to put tents on and picnic tables and fire pits at each site. Only 10 sites though and it is first come first serve. They have one bathroom at the visitor center with a cold water fountain inside! All campsites are shaded, but have bug spray ready because there is a ton of mosquitoes! All together not a bad place to stay for $15!

Mississippi River State Park is in Marianna, AR and was built in 2008 in the St. Francis National Forest. The park office and convention center are beautiful and have several learning stations and activities for kids and families. There is also a simple paved walking trail with identification points for local trees, birds, wildlife, etc.

The campground has only a few sites. I don’t remember exactly but I believe it’s only 18 but all have lake views. All sites are level with electricity, water, and tent pad. Some sites have tiered tent pads that might not be great for kids or “old knees”. If you bring your own kayak, canoe, or boat, you can launch directly from your camp site without any issue. Our kids just wanted to through rocks 😂. There aren’t many hikes but there is a 1.5 mile trail (video included) which was fun. We saw a few snakes but they were just king snakes.

MS River SP is a short drive from Memphis and is a great quick weekend getaway. There isn’t much for small kids to do when the swim beach and swim area are closed but most families will love the serenity and peace that MS River SP offers.

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.

I grew up in Star City and have been to this park many times. It is not a breathtaking place, but it accurately portrays the nature of south Arkansas. I have seen ducks, deer armadillos and eagles live here as well. The playgrounds are good. The pavilions are clean and the AC works well. Halloween brings thousands of visitors each fall. The campsites all decorate for the holiday and everyone wants to see it!

We stayed at Beech Point campground at site #12 on June 20, 2019. This was a huge campsite with lots of room for our two large tents. It was set back on its own point out into the lake, so our tents were surrounded on three sides by water. The campground was not very crowded on a Thursday night so even pulling in late we still could choose from a few great sites. We were right across from the swimming area which had a sandy wade-in. It was hot and humid at night but still reasonable for sleeping. Sites were very spread out so we didn’t hear the hum of nearby RV A/C units.

Bathrooms and showers were organized in banks of 4 private shower/bath combos and were clean and well-maintained. We didn’t see a camp store on-site (just a gift shop with a few scattered camp supplies) but the visitor center had very helpful rangers. The only real lack for facilities in the camp was a dish-washing station. You can get to the main Mississippi River from the park, but it is about 20 mins drive from this campground.

The visitor center offers a drop-off service for SUPs and we woke up the next morning with the boards dropped right next to our van. There is a small boat dock in the campground - only for carry-able boats since there is no ramp and about 5 steps to negotiate. The lake is smallish but filled with coves to explore and abundant wildlife to see.

MississippiRiver State Park, also called Bear Creek Recreation Area, Arkansas. Only 17 sites, all level with full hook ups. ATT cell worked fair but no Verizon. Shower house had 4 separate rooms, each with shower. Very very clean! # pull thru & the rest backin on concrete pads with room for either a toad, truck or boat to the side. $36 a night, but disabled military, including vets, half off. Not much to do is you don't fish, but a nice quiet place to relax. Swimming beach is nearby.

Our Review: The camp sites were very nice, all had either 30 amp or 50 amp electric hook ups and water. The electricity was super convenient with having the space heater in the tent. Most of the sites have nice views of the water too! It was a little too cold to fish but from what we’ve gathered from the visitor’s center they have some decent fishing and lots of other activities! Cane Creek offers several options like fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, biking, etc. There was a boat dock specific for campers closer to the campsites. We were very pleased with the bath house which was really clean and fairly central to all campsites. We will definitely be back when it warms up to test out the fishing!

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!)