Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Fayetteville, AR

No pets in yurts. Yes to Cats ❣️. My cats travel campgrounds and usually are outdoors but here I kept them in cabin because they would not like it outdoors. Cabins had AC but smelled like dust polish. Gorgeous forest views in the shower house. HOT water when shower is on Cold setting. Cold at hot. Cool affordable camp store. Nice people. Too much cinnamon spray in all indoor areas but not cabins. 24 hour rec room w AC and a wall of movies and games and books and cozy couch. Hurricane machine and fresh yummy donuts are not to be missed. My son is Big and found the camp cabin too crowded small and didn't like the leather beds even with our bedding on them. I found it cozy except the polish but couldn't open it up because we wanted the cats indoors here. Great porch swing, nice condition. Microwave and fridge. Friendly staff.

I go here with my friends every summer we hike almost all the trails , it’s gorgeous last time I went there (summer of 23) we saw a wild river otter swimming there is so much wildlife out there and it’s just gorgeous absolutely stunning and worth visiting, family friends and dog / pet friendly if you want to take your dogs on a hike this is the place , has stairs and is not very handicapped accessible if you want to go to the bottom of the falls but it is completely accessible for a wheelchair if you just want to view the falls from the top and there are multiple handicapped accessible paved paths !

Beautiful area near the Buffalo National River. Lost Valley Canoe & Lodging has a yurt, campsites, cabins with hot tubs on the deck, bunkhouse, showers, allows pets, and is family owned. Loyal customers return year after year. Canoeing, kayaking, or hiking. LVC store has groceries, even organic, supplies, and friendly folks.

We found this quiet spot with a small waterfall on Mountain Fork Creek that has a fairly large (semi-level) gravel parking lot right next to the natural waterfall which gives good noise cover for the road nearby. There are a few small trails along the creek and a few small bluffs with climbing spots for those who like some verticality.

Not great for solar panels but we had a good view of the north sky so Starlink works great here!

Also, a few stray dogs and cats came to see us a couple times.

I still rank Hickory Lake as a three star campground but it is my least favorite of the campgrounds around Beaver Lake. I would suggest staying at Lost Bridge North or South or Horseshoe Bend.

One of my big pet peeves is when a campground doesn't regularly mow. They let the grass grow tall, then they cut it with a tractor and it looks more like hay than it does grass. Hickory Creek falls in that category. You end up with grass all over your tent and equipment or all over the floor of your RV. There really isn't a good excuse for this. You just need to mow more frequently. This is very disappointing for a campground run by the Corps of Engineers.

It still commands three stars for its proximity to the lake and the scenery.

Devil’s Den is an oasis of trails and amenities. We hiked their awesome namesake trail in about an hour—Interesting paved stairs and pathways lead you to lovely little spots and views including a trio of hidden waterfalls. Bathrooms and sites are roomy at campsite A. BUT STAY ALERT: We had many uninvited visitors including a curious raccoon, a small cat (or panther?), all types of birds, and A BOATLOAD OF BUGS. Candles and sprays couldn’t hold them back. Had to call it an early night and put up the bug nets just to get out of the fray. Packed up early the next morning. Beware of ticks.

PROS:

*CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN: you can’t camp in your RV any closer to downtown Fayetteville than at Southgate. There are no other campgrounds as close to the main square and all the action of restaurants, breweries etc (there is just one other campground in the town but it is a membership campground for people who frequent the football games)

*FRIENDLY OWNER: I believe his name is Jim. He’s a nice guy and cleans the bathrooms daily. It was cold while we were there and he kept a space heater on in the bathroom, even when there were just a few of us in the campground.

*CLOSE TO BIKE TRAIL: the Razorback trail and network of bike trails (which can take you all the way to Bentonville) are just a few blocks down the road from Southgate. This is a great way to get downtown without driving and trying to find parking.

*FLAT SITES: sites are pretty level with a small concrete pad for wheels.

CONS:

*NOISE: you are right next to a busy road, but you can’t really hear it when inside your camper. You’re also next to a Tyson Factory which burps and belches 24/7.

*BATHROOMS: the bathrooms and showers are old, but kept clean.

Overall, we had a nice stay at Southgate. It was a great campground for exploring the food, drink, and shops of Fayetteville. Though it wasn’t the most scenic campground, it was very convenient.

Fayetteville Recommendations: Fork and Crust Pie Shop, Fayetteville Farmers market on the square on Saturday mornings, crisis brewery, crystal bridges art museum in Bentonville, basecamp coffee, ozark foods coop for grocery, nightbird books.

Loved the site 9 and 10 was in the shade and right on the water . Great boat dock and plenty of parking . We was able to launch our kayaks from our camp site . Nice clean showers . The view from camp was absolutely beautiful . There is a place not to far away called Turpentine Creek wildlife refuge let me tell you that this is a place where these animals have been saved from a life of pain . The refuge has taken in these babies and now they do not have to worry about food . Every dollar that comes in goes to helping them so if you want to donate to something good this is it . They are a non- profit rescues facility for neglected and unwanted captive exotic cats. Pea Ridge Battle grounds is in the area to. Lots of places to see there.

Small clean lake with lots of wildlife and close to Fayetteville. Kayak, canoe, and fishing, with bird watching, RV and tent camping, and day use areas among the trees! Some handicap accessible areas. Improvements and upgrades have been and are being made.

Stayed at Devils Den SP just about 14 miles south of Fayetteville. The park is great for hiking the many trails around. The rock formations and differences in terrain make it a great training ground for novices and experts alike. The facility's are modern and the campground is well maintained. I would recommend the Butterfield trail if you have time.

This is one of those RV parks that you have a love-hate relationship with. You love the location– super close to a town you want to be in and its attractions(in this case it was downtown Fayetteville) but, you drive in, take a look around and let out an“ugh!” There is nothing appealing about this park– gravel roads and sites, no picnic tables, no fire pits, old bathrooms/laundry, and not much else. 

The park has some 80 sites set in a horseshoe-shape with a mix of permanent people and transients. We were in a pull-thru that faced a big field separating the park from a neighborhood development and a Tyson chicken plant mysteriously labeled“Mexican Original.” There was a masa-type smell in the air and knowing it was a chicken processing facility we had the feeling that chickens were being converted into something called“Mexican” based on the Tyson sign along the road. The smell was a pretty big turn off. 

Roads and sites are gravel. Some sites had a paved pad but most are gravel. All sites have 50/30 amp, water, and sewer. There are back-ins and pull-thrus. At one time there was cable but it was not working when we were there and we were not able to get any antenna channels(although our friends picked up 20 or so). While there are no picnic tables at the sites, there are two areas in a big field that have picnic furniture and available for anyone to use. Sites are fairly close together with just a few trees scattered about for shade. The water and electric worked fine. This park is big rig-friendly and we had no problem maneuvering our RV with the car attached through the park. 

We called about making a reservation and the owner said to call him prior to our arrival and he would give us a site number. When we arrived he drove by and instructed us to put our money(cash or check only) in an envelope and drop it in an outside deposit box. Can’t say there are any amenities except the two picnic areas and an old, tired bathroom/shower house. We were only in there one time and that was during a tornado watch. It was old, needed painting and in need of cleaning. There is one washer and dryer that are housed in the bathroom. 

The park is a short drive from I-49 with an easy in and out on good roads. After exiting the interstate you will notice the correctional center, bail bonds, homeless shelter, pawn shop, and huge Tyson processing plant. However, you are just five miles or so from downtown Fayetteville where you have everything at your fingertips. Within just a short drive you are downtown where restaurants, shops, entertainment and more were very close. Fayetteville is home to the University of Arkansas and has that cool college town vibe with good restaurants, lots of microbrews, funky shops, and lots of energy.

We stayed in mid October and the leaves hadn’t started really changing yet.

Perfect, clean facilities and a huge campsite. The road in was a nice drive, easy for motorcycles.

We bought wood from the camp, although the store closes at 5pm and the wood was wet, which made it hard for a good fire.

You are dipped down into a valley so no cellphone service, but if you are a connection junky there is WiFi you can purchase. I didn’t purchase a lease, so I’m not sure how fast it is.

The park is quite a ways away from civilization which is nice unless you are planning on eating outside of the park, Fayetteville is probably the closest decent bar and grill, about 30min away.

All in all, a great experience and would love to make my way back someday.

I try to tent camp at Devils Den 2-3 times a years. Any season. The hike-in sites are heaven. Yes, you do have to hike in, through the water, up and up for a quarter mile but it is SOOOO WORTH IT!! Seclusion. You can't reach out and touch your neighbor. You don't have to worry about anyone seeing you get dressed. You can pick up radio stations without disturbing anyone(at a reasonable volume). During the summer you can't even see another tent through the trees. My partner and I have hiked Butterfield Trail backwards and forwards(both directions) and are so happy to come back"home" to our site where we can relax with a fire and the raccoons. We have met so many others who hike in for privacy and make friends around a fire. Even in the summer the nights get chilly so you have to snuggle. And if you need some city life, Fayetteville is less than an hour away.

I have been to devil's den MANY times. I've always loved it and have never had any issues. I send many, many friends to the park to go camping. We drive nearly 5 hours to go. Well, until my trip this weekend. I'm a covid front lines worker and haven't had a weekend off in far too long, so I brought a friend with me and my dogs to go camping. The campground claims to be dog friendly. Also, quiet time is at 10 pm, which is fine. Long, long after 10 pm there are people up partying, playing loud music, screaming and laughing and walking all around the campground. Each time they'd get near our site, or walk through our site, my dogs would bark....as dogs do. Also, there were at least 4 other sites with dogs that were barking as the parade would walk through as well. The next day, the super trooper park police come by and tell me that there were complaints of dogs barking. I explained the situation and that their barks followed after the late night frat party going on, accompanied along with other dogs. I ask if they're going to talk to the partiers who broke quiet time rules,"well, no. They're allowed to walk around"(completely disregarding the noise part of it). I asked if they're going to talk to other dog owners,"well, we didn't see any other dogs"(mind you, I could see dogs from my site while we were talking). They told me I had to keep my dogs quiet or we were gone. I motioned towards where I had hung up tarps around their kennel, and said this would fix most of it as long as the parade doesn't walk around loudly again. They said if I can't find a solution, we were gone. Two of these super troopers came up while my friend and I were napping, onto our site, one of them towered over me with an attitude and a complete disregard for my personal space, as if he were trying to intimidate me(no masks). The other one was appropriate and kind. This was absolutely ridiculous. They didn't address any of the other problems. They chose our site, 2 young females. Perhaps a course on conflict resolution for the 7 foot super trooper would be in order. I'm beyond disappointed in this experience, and doubt I will be back. NOT a dog friendly park.

Very dog friendly and all of our neighbors were friendly!