Best Tent Camping near Gillham Lake, AR

We took our first trip there Oct 4 & 5 2020 and really enjoyed it. The drive to the park is wonderful with great spots to take in the views as you drive to the top. We even spotted a bald eagle at one stop.  

The Lodge is very modern and the welcoming staff were very polite and helpful. We asked if a 15amp site for tent camping was available but they had to move us after determining that they didn't give us a site with a pad. There aren't many tent sites at all, especially with electric/water and only 5 primitive and 1 walk-in. 

Due to COVID many activities weren't available but we did enjoy one trail. The restaurant wasn't that great but it served the purpose for one of our meals. I would still go back and recommend to friends or family.

This is a beautiful state park with both tent and RV camping. RV camping includes water/electric only and water/electric/sewer sites. Lots of pull through sites with concrete pads. Nicer and not as busy as Beavers Bend. Marina with a boat ramp, Lodge, lots of hiking trails. Tent camping on the lake.

When searching for a unique camping experience you might check out something a little bit outside of the box. Offering tent sites and RV sites Tiny Town might seem normal on paper but when you were arrive they have a lot of options which might be considered a little bit different. 

I pulled into Tiny Town I noticed right away the unique experience which they offer. Though RVs were parked in the front and on the right I noticed a community of tiny homes just beyond the bounds. Many tiny homes were under construction however a few options were already up and running in a variety of floor plans ideal for any traveler visiting the area. 

The property it’s self is small but does offer a few amenities including a restroom and laundry as well as a small play facility. The big draw to this area is the quick and easy access to beavers Bend State Park and other attractions around the Broken Bow area. 

The offering of cabin rentals varies from humble three person dwellings all the way up to a 20 person“Deck-A-Saurus”. Cabins are all equipped with standard furniture including couches and beds, making it ideal for those who just want to pullin and immediately jump into comfort. The RV area it’s self accommodate 17 spaces in three various sizes. Each side includes full hook ups, and barbecue pits. The larger areas have private fire pits as well as picnic tables. 

When I visited I noticed that the area was a little void of large trees. However the area is currently working to re-landscape and provide better shade accommodations along the perimeter’s which would be very beneficial to tent campers. While they do not market the smaller sites as tent only facilities I did notice there were several people staying in vans or tents in these sites along the outer border. 

The facility itself is very clean and well-maintained. You can really tell there is attention to detail at this location and that as it continues to grow and be developed that this will be a continued point of interest. 

Standard nightly rates run between $30 and $45 depending on the site for RV or tent camping. They do also offer both weekly and monthly rates but do impose strict guidelines for those who are staying long-term to keep the facility clean and not looking unkept. 

The Broken Bow Area offers beautiful unique attractions. If you like fishing, hiking,canoeing or trying something a little new this area is perfect. This park offers easy access to not only the outdoor features but also the nice Intown features such as restaurants making it a perfect place to stop if you’re in the area.

The only downside I could see to this campsite is that it is not as remote as some.    While it does provide great amenities and access points to everything around with easy pull ins for RV traffic, it does lack that in the woods feel that many other campsites provide.   You will be a little close to your neighbors here.

The views of this campground are amazing, however, the campground left much to be desired. The bath house and spots are fine for RV's but when we tent camp it gets crowded at this site and lacks privacy. The campground for the most part is one single road with many camp spots on each side. The Ozark Highland Trail does pass close by and the Lover's Leap trail is pleasant with some amazing views.

The sites were nice and spacious but it lacked a dedicated tent site that we could find. We used a site with water and electric hookups and the sites came with a table and fire ring. You are close to the diamond hunting area but other than that it lacked on hiking options. It was worth a weekend to check out but I doubt we would stay here again.

This is a relatively large campground, appropriate for RV and tent camping. The campground is nicely situated near the end of the LOViT cross country MTB/hiking trail. There are sites ranging from primitive to water and electric. Each site has a table and a fire pit and is within reasonable distance from flushing toilets. There are showers available, a playground, and boat ramp. I didn't prefer how busy the campground was or how close the sites were to each other.

We live approximately an hour and forty-five minutes from beavers Bend and have been going off and on since 2010. We have tent camped, stayed in cabins in the park and outside the park. It's always a nice place to get away too and most of the time there are a pleathera of deer! The swimming area is river water so it's great in the hottest part of summer because it's nice and cool. We even rented a boat one year and it wasn't even super expensive. We've always enjoyed our time, whether it's just a day trip or a few days.

Campground is so pretty. It’s right next to Lake Ouachita. You go down towards the boat launch area then turn right in to the campground. It loops around. Some sites are on the water and some are not. All seem very level. There’s a bathroom with flush toilets and sinks where you can brush your teeth and wash your hands if you’re tent camping. I stayed here in a Class C motorhome. Be sure you have plenty of fresh water especially since there are no hookups if you’re staying in an RV. I didn’t see a place to get water onsite either. There is a self pay fee honor system. The rangers do come through a few times a day. Seems well-maintained.

I thought it was okay. The campground is in a pretty location and most sites have a nice lake view but sites are close together and extremely hard if not nearly impossible to level IF you don’t have self levelers which I don’t. The sites are narrow and on a slope so your picnic table is down a steep rocky slope. What does make me think this is a nice family campground is all the multigenerational families camping here making memories. I however as a solo camper am reviewing the campground itself. There are some tent sites down at the very end of the loop closest to the lake. Campground is a one way loop.

This State Park is really designed just for the hotel, which is incredible. However, the campground really should be avoided. There is a small area to camp with one restroom in the center. It is incredibly crowded to stay in a tent and really should just be considered for a drop in if you have an RV. You should also look at reservations during peak seasons as the limited availability will make this park fill up fast. If you tent camp, I would suggest Cedar lake about 30 minutes away in Oklahoma with many more options to set camp. The pluses of this park are the views from the hotel and "Lovers Leap" but the overall hiking is something less than desirable as the trails are limited unless you choose to go the long route of an out and back of the Ouachita trail.

This is one of the most popular Oklahoma state parks we have been to. It has opportunity to hike, fish, canoe, golf, camp, and just relax. The sites all come with a fire ring and table but the tent site we were at was ungraded and not very level. The bathrooms were some of the worst that we have seen as well, so depending on the loop you are in be prepared. We had a pit toilet closest to our site and couldn't go near it. We did rent a canoe here instead of hiking some of the trail and found the river to be relaxing and fun, if not a little short. We were able to see otters here in the wild for the first time!

We camped in Fern which we really enjoyed. Ample space at campsites. River view is beautiful. Fern is in front of the horse depot and train. In the summer I would imagine this is a high traffic area so Acorn and Cypress may be more desirable. The whole area is beautiful and relaxing or has plenty of activities if you choose. No Wifi but cell signal was good. Tent campgrounds were nice also. Lake pretty but we liked river views better. Staff very friendly but make sure and register all vehicles or get a ticket. Use the AllTrails app. Fantastic handicap sites!

We typically don’t camp in regular campgrounds, we prefer more separation. We also have a large 20’ tent that makes it difficult to fit into regular square pad tent sites. These pads were huge and fit our tent, which was super nice because our original plans fell through. The sites had decent separation but the middle row of the Sandbar campground would be tight if there had been a lot of people. They did allow generators which is unfortunate because the river is so close. Part of what we love about camping is being in nature and hearing the sounds around us but one person’s generator use ruined the quiet..all day every day (they have quiet hours from 10pm to sunrise...but that was the only quiet we got). So that was the only bummer for us. The Rangers are incredibly nice and hospitable. Also super helpful. Overall a beautiful campground with large spaces.