Searching for the best camping near Gamaliel, AR? Gamaliel is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Discover great camping spots near Gamaliel, reviewed by campers like you.
"This is primitive camping at its best. They have one vault toilet, 12 tent sites, and a water spigot. Right on the beautiful buffalo river. The sites were patrolled by rangers on a regular basis."
"Plenty of shade options. Restrooms are pit-style, so dont expect anything fancy. Did not see shower facilities where we were at."
$50 / night
"There is plenty of wildlife around and a lake not too far away from you. It is around 20 -25 dollars a night. I think this place is perfect for a wedding"
"This primitive campground was perfect for me and my dog. We stayed three nights in October 2020."
"This is a series of trails with multiple trail heads. Each trail head has a course gravel parking area and a very nice pit toilet. Bring lots of drinking water."
"Passing through to Tennessee and found this gem of a spot with 2 vault toilets, trash and it’s free! Arrived at sunset in a Wednesday and only 2 other campers."
"This one had all the necessary items, picnic tables and fire rings along with pit toilets which were not in bad shape. "
LegendLovely spot in Missouri. Passing through to Tennessee and found this gem of a spot with 2 vault toilets, trash and it’s free! Arrived at sunset in a Wednesday and only 2 other campers. There’s about 6 spots to pull in with a camper/ RV then at least 6 tent spots. Most spots have a fire ring and picnic table. 2-3 bars of LTE with AT&T. Little bit of road noise but no issues sleeping in my van. Everyone we came across was kind. No electric or water so come prepared. Closest town for supplies is around 25 minutes. Would definitely stay here again!
RangerAverage space between sites. Level paved sites with gravel picnic area including picnic table, fire ring, lantern hanger. Some sites had covered picnic area. Limited shade, most sites don’t have trees. Good access to sites. Clean and private bathrooms. Each room had its own lockable bathroom with toilet, sink and shower. Garbage cans were outside of bathrooms, as well as dumpsters near the registration building. Friendly staff upon check in. Campground was patrolled regularly. No laundry or recycling. Nearby road with little road noise. Verizon cell signal was excellent. There is a dump station and potable fill station. No store or food for purchase on site. No hiking in campground, but multiple trails nearby. Boat ramp at campground and lots of wading fly fishing in river. Fish hatchery across from campground.
LegendGeneral: We were apprehensive about planning to stay at this campground as the nearby one in Blanchard Springs was closed, we could not make reservations, five of the 27 sites were closed due to potential flooding from Hurricane Laura, and access is via a three-mile winding dirt road (not recommended for large RVs but it was navigable for our campervan), so we made alternate backup plans. There was no need to worry, however, as there were plenty of open sites, including some overlooking North Sylamore Creek when we arrived on a Sunday afternoon in mid-October for a hike.
Sites/Facilities: Each site has a picnic table, fire pit, tent pad, and lantern pole. There is a central water source.
Activities/Amenities: This is a no-frills campground – no electric or water hookups, dumpster, playground, or flush toilets – just vault toilets. What struck me most was how quiet it was. There is access to the Sylamore hiking trail; you can hike five miles to the Blanchard Springs picnic area.
LegendWe hiked in to this campground from Blanchard and were pleasantly surprised. It is primitive in some aspects but not overtly so. They have vault toilets that were manageable and spickets for water. We grabbed a site that had a bi-level for the tent and picnic table. There was a fire ring as well. Overall, it has some stuff to do being by the river and a longish trail to explore. We may have been to tired to care about some of the finer details so we were pretty happy with this site!
LegendFor Full Video Review. CLICK HERE
While traveling through this portion of Arkansas I stumbled upon a small roadside for Gunner Pool Recreation Area just a short distance past Blanchard Springs. 3 miles down a gravel, but well maintained roadway, the campground sat nestled between to sections of the water way. On one side, slow moving water is met by the dam forming the blue toned pool and on the other a gentle flowing stream flanks the massive mountain side.
Along the camping loop, spaces are well separated and have plenty of room to spread out. Each site is equipped with standard camping amenities such as picnic tables, lantern hooks and fire rings. Vault toilets are centrally located in several areas of camp both on the upper and lower loops. In addition locking style garbage cans are placed near restrooms.
When I visited the Forest Service was on property trimming trees and clearing debris from recent rain. Their office is located just a short distance from the entry of the roadway, so they are often here to work on the property.
A little gem in the midst of the campground is located just across from the pay kiosk, the story of the property and the CCC camp which actually created not only this property but also worked on neighboring sites at Blanchard. Definitely check out the story!!
Tips:
LegendFREE
FCFS
Sites: 13
This is a dispersed campground with picnic table, fire ring and sitting on the top of the mountain giving a great view. NO WATER but there are two pit toilets. When it comes to the toilets I guess you could say
"any port in the storm" but they could use some TLC. There is also a trash dumpster but trash." Come on people there is a trash dumpster USE IT. Pads are grass and the road is gravel. The site is situated along side the highway.
LNT
BTYFI
Travel safe
GuideBuffalo Point is a very nice, CCC built campground with some old school type campsites. A number of sites are multi-level, meaning the picnic table may be on an elevated platform with steps for access. Some sites you may not be long enough for your entire rig and you would park your tow vehicle next to your camper. Shade was plentiful. There are five different loops. The A&B loops are the closest to the large Buffalo Point sandbar and boat ramp and the sites are very close to one another. The D loop is slightly more spaced out. The E loop is nice but the pads are short. There is an access to the river between the C&D Loops.
We did not use the restrooms because of COVID19. The ranger stations were closed and there were no programs at this time either.
The Buffalo River is beautiful and with very few people on the river during the week when we visited. The river was very slow and smooth during our visit and perfect for those just learning to kayak.
There are a number of hiking trails in the area. Be sure and check whether or not your dog is allowed on the NPS trails before heading out on your hike.
Our site had a narrow pad and the electric post was located in a position that we could not use the entire length of the pad in order to extend our slide. The seating area of the campsite has great view of the neighboring campsite. But we had some foliar obstruction that provided some privacy from our neighbors on the other side. It appeared that most sites you are going to have a view of your neighbors’ campsites. We did not have enough space to put our patio mat out between our trailer and the picnic table. We spent little time at our campsite so this did not bother us.
The NPS is starting to use motion detector lights at their parks to help with light pollution. Be sure and take advantage of the opportunity to view the stars from a gravel bar by the Buffalo River. Magical!
ScoutThis primitive campground was perfect for me and my dog. We stayed three nights in October 2020. It’s right on a put-in spot on the Buffalo River so there were a couple of buses and shuttles but for the most part it was very quiet. The campsites are a good distance apart, they have plenty of room and have fire rings and picnic tables. Be aware that there is no drinking water and I didn’t get phone service (yay!). There is a vault toilet that wasn’t too bad. I loved this place, and will definitely be back.
GuideTent camped here with a group of private boat paddlers from all over the country. Campground operations had not really started for the season. I arrived after dark and could not find the tent campsites. Nearly drove into deep mud on gravel road past RV sites. Fortunately had just enough cell signal to access their website. Found a campground map three layers deep on reservation page and located my group.
Tent sites were well-located along the river with basic tables and fire rings. I never found the store to be open so paid camping fee at bar and cafe at entrance. Great breakfast. $25/night for tents. Grass had not been mowed and was deep in tent area. RV sites appear to be a work in progress with much erosion around the new pads and access road. What may have been a shower house had key code locks but there was never anyone to ask. Bathrooms near the entrance lacked tp in some stalls. All one afternoon and evening a group of kids with gas weed trimmers noisely worked on a slope adjacent to the RV area.
This campground should improve over time a the management appears to be developing the grounds.
Gamaliel, Arkansas, offers a variety of tent camping options for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature. With beautiful landscapes and unique amenities, campers can find the perfect spot to set up their tents.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Gamaliel, AR is COE Norfork Lake Tecumseh Park with a 1-star rating from 1 review.
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