Best Tent Camping near Gillett, AR

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!)

I stayed a few days during the week. It's a pretty spot by a lake. Clean restrooms with showers.

great place quiet and pretty desolate great fishing , closed for repairs from flooding

we stayed in e10 Thanksgiving 2020 it was very quiet only 2 other campers in our area .it looked more like an overflow area had some broken picnic tables and bathrooms had no shower but it was great now area a,c,d where awesome showers, great views really nice park along of wildlife

love this place camp here alot nice roomy sights plenty of shade ,quiet and relaxing. plenty of wildlife showers were cold but covered picnic tables, fire ring,grill ,paved level spots and it is closed in winter opens back up in March went by today 1-12-2021 and saw pelicans