Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Greers Ferry Lake

Dates: May 15 Sep 15   Booking

            Sep 15  May 15 Out of season

Travelers will find a very steep entrance road and the fact that this campground is very rural. Carry your supplies with you. Many sites are not level but there is the bonus that the sites are not on top of each other and there are some water sites. We had good service with Verizon.

This is an excellent camp for enjoying the song of the birds and the bounty of the lake. This campground offers 31 non-electric sites. Additional amenities include vault toilets and boat ramp. 

A dense mix of red cedar, black gum, red oak, elm, pecan and sweet gum trees forest the area, providing shade in the summer months and beautiful fall colors in autumn. Wildlife is plentiful around Greers Ferry Lake. Visitors commonly see white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, squirrels and a wide variety of birds.

 Greers Ferry Lake is an outdoor enthusiasts' dream, with boating, sailing, water skiing, swimming, scuba diving and fishing opportunities. Hikers enjoy the area's three National Nature Trails and one multi-purpose fitness trail. The William Carl Garner Visitor Center is just west of the dam, with exhibits, a children's touch table, and a replica of the world record 40 lb. 4 oz. brown trout caught in the Little Red River downstream of the center.•

Standard Nonelectric• Overnight• Boating• Camping• Hiking• Boat Ramp• Drinking Water• Picnic Table• Parking Area• Campfire Rings• Paved Sites• Pets Allowed 

With over 30,000 acres of water surface, the lake serves as a playground for all kinds of water sports. 

 Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information. 

LNT 

Better than when you found it

Stay safe  Happy travels

Very nice little campground just off Arkansas Hwy 25 by Greers Ferry Lake, Heber Springs, Arkansas. Actually, many of the campsites are along the beginning of the Little Red River. A lot of people were fishing here, and there is a fish hatchery here also, so better know the fishing regulations if fishing.
Campsites are fine, at least partly shaded for many sites, not huge, but at a great location. Nice short hiking trail along Collins Creek. Thumbs up for this place. Would be happy to hang out here again some day.

While in college, and subsequent thereto, I frequently visited Sugar Loaf Mountain for day hikes. The locations and names of “parks” are confusing on Dyrt so I would note that the camping area is called Sugar Loaf Park. I think this is a beautiful area of the state and the mountain is located W-NW Greers Ferry Lake and Dam. There is a $5 day entry fee if you drive in and $2 for walk in. The camp sites are $16 (no hookups) & $18 (30/20 amp) per night. Overnight camping is only allowed mid-May through mid-September but is otherwise available for day use year around. I personally think this is the preferred camping area around Greers Ferry Lake bc of the hiking and views, which I am more into. If that is your thing, Sugar Loaf is a solid spot for you to visit. Plenty to do and see within a 10-15 mile radius that can keep you busy for several days. Would recommend.

Dam Site is a nice campground on Greers Ferry Lake. The location is perfect for enjoying the lake, the Little Red River and all the other outdoor adventures that Heber Springs has to offer. We like winter camping, but it appears that they close off most sections of the park during the colder months. There is a newer private/suite style bathroom in the park. Much nicer than the old stall style.

Shiloh is one of many Corps of Engineers (COE) campgrounds around Greers Ferry Lake. It has lake access including swim beaches, a playground, and more. The sand tends to get dumped in ad-hoc piles, leaving the wide, concrete approach to the water slimy and slick. You'll likely place your chair directly on the concrete, for lack of a better place, so bring ample sun protection. Watch for poison ivy if you wander into the wooded areas. The group campsite area is nicely forested but is typically closed and some other sites near the water might be closed if there has been flooding.

Don't confuse 'Cove Creek' campground with 'Cove Lake' at the bottom of Mount Magazine, a couple hours drive to the west. This campground on Greers Ferry Lake is shared by RVers and tent campers. It does not allow advance reservations, which can work for or against you, depending on the circumstances. My favorite sites are: C13, C18, C19, C30. If you're coming with friends, make a beeline for the best doubles: C29+C29A (or, backup: C28+C28A) so you can camp side-by-side and are just a few steps down to the water for fishing, nature viewing, and floating.

• May - Sep
• Reservation accepted
• 60 Sites with electric
• 56 without electric
• Boat Ramp
• Drinking water
• Dump station
• Marina
• Showers and flush toilets
• Day use picnic area
• Address:  1350 Shiloh Road, Greers Ferry, AR  72067

Directions:  From Greers Ferry, go south 3 miles on SR 110 to park entrance

The camp host was very nice and doing a good job.  Super large marina.  Sites are nicely wooded which is great as long as you don't need the sun for a solar charge.  Some of the pads are rather short and uneven.  Some sites are angled quite a bit so leveling will become an issue so be prepared.  The sites are well marked so even if you arrive late you will be able to find your site.  Many of the sites are double sites and most still have a bit of distance with trees in the middle.  The double sites are nice if you are traveling as a group.  The swim beach had actual sand which made  for a real "beach" but it is not actually smoothed down so you need to look at it with one eye closed.  I have to give them an A for effort but it could be nicer.  The issue is when the rains come or they have to let the water level rise or lower it will tend to mess up the sand.

Fishing on Greers Ferry Lake is excellent.  Whether you are a local or a visitor fishing is a sport year round.  Every game fish natural to Arkansas is stocked and maintained by Arkansas Game and Fish.  Depending on the time of the year you are able to look forward to trophy size striped bass, walleye and trout.  You could even hook your share of channel catfish, bigmouth and white bass and crappie.  Bring your boat or rent a boat from the multitude of marina's around the lake.  Use a guide or take a chance and fish on your own.  Greers Ferry Lake is waiting for all to explore.  I didn't mention all the different types of boating, skiing, scuba diving, or SUP.  Outdoor adventures await.

Have Fun, Stay Safe

LNT

Leave it better than when you found it

General: This is one of (I believe) four Corps of Engineers campgrounds on Greers Ferry Lake and the closest one to Highway 65. It is a large campground with 91 electric and 55 non-electric sites. We spent a very quiet Sunday night in mid-October in Loop D (Site D8) which was right on Greers Ferry Lake. I imagine that in summer and possibly on weekends, this place would fill up, but we prefer camping in the off or shoulder season whenever possible. As with all Corps of Engineers campgrounds (not sure if this is a new Covid related policy), reservations were necessary. We were able to make a same-day reservation on the website (had trouble with the app; sometimes one works better than the other). 

Sites/Facilities: Each site has a metal picnic table, fire grate, and lantern pole. The sites in Loop D are a mixture of paved and gravel. All the sites we saw in Loop D appeared to be level. The next morning, I walked around the E Loop; many of the sites that faced the lake were sloped so be aware of this when reserving a site. Also, the E Loop did not have a bathhouse so depending on where your site is, you may have a bit of a walk to get to one. 

Bathhouse: The restrooms were clean but did not have paper towels or soap (there was a notice on the door warning of this). There were also showers but I did not use them so I cannot comment on them. 

Conclusion: This campground would be a huge draw for people who enjoy water recreation (boating, swimming, fishing, water skiing) but for us, it was a nice peaceful stay on a lake. And the price cannot be beat-$20 (or for us old folks with a Golden Age Pass, $10).

The Fairfield Bay/Greers Ferry lake area in general is my heaven on earth, and this marina/campground is smack dab in the middle of it. I’ve spent many, many wonderful days and nights here throughout my life. The marina has a very nice, well stocked shop with a little cafe around the corner. I remember one of my favorite things when I went there as a child was when they’d give me a bag of fish food to throw to the massive catfish off the dock. If you enjoy anything nature related this is the place to be! The lake is amazing and a wonderful place to fish or just boat around on. If you like hiking, you can go less than a quarter mile off almost any main road and see abundant wildlife, a meandering creek, sometimes even a waterfall! There are hiking trails literally everywhere, of all kinds of difficulty levels. I could think of no place I’d rather be right now than laid up in a hammock at this campground after a long day of fun! Highly recommend!!!

This is one of several campgrounds to choose from around Greers Ferry Lake that are operated by the Corps of Engineers (COE), and there are a few good reasons to choose it. A good amount of sand is dumped near the swim beaches, improving on the natural and concrete poured banks. There is a good breakfast buffet up the road at Janssen's. A bit farther away, the Little Red at Indian Hill's is well reviewed by foodies, though I haven't tried it. This COE campground has a nicer feel than the one at the Fairfield Bay Marina, yet is still within a reasonable distance to visit the marina for a ferry ride to the island Sugarloaf Mountain (a must-do 1-2 hour hike with terrific views of the lake). Although, I have not tried Sugar Loaf campground, which also offers a dock and marina within sight of the mountain. On the downside at Devil's Fork, most sites are a long walk away from the bathhouse with showers. The toilets that do not have a shower smell strongly of human waste by evening hours, so avoid campsites directly by them.

I spent many years in Arkansas while completing my undergraduate and graduate degrees, and I frequently visit as I live in NE Oklahoma. Heber, as we called it, was only about 40 minutes from the university and it was a frequent hot spot for all of us in the spring and fall. It isn’t all that accurate to say “Heber” is the location for camping. Instead, Heber is a small community about 60 miles north of Little Rock on Greers Ferry Lake. The lake is NW of the Little Red River Dam, which is likewise NW of Sugar Loaf Mt (also a great place for hiking). There are several campgrounds all around the lake, but one of the most popular is the Dam Site Campground. I say that to say, since this is a site for campground reviews, any “review” of camping at Heber Springs isn’t accurate. Instead you want to look for reviews on the Dam Site Campground, the Narrows, Cove Creek or the Red River Trout Dock. Nevertheless, I have tons of memories at Heber and the way I describe it to people is this: it looks like God stepped on a mountain, leaving a huge foot print, then filled it with water. Since the lake “shore” is largely straight rock face, this is the best way I can describe it. The water is beautiful. There is tremendous fishing and floating just below the dam on the Red River. It’s absolutely worth a trip - hands down. It’s also a place where you could plan a week long trip. Plenty to do, see, eat, etc. If you care, I think it may be one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in the fall. So to me, I’d go in the fall or late spring. Lastly, and my favorite, since there are cliffs everywhere around the lake, one of the favorite past times of students is to cliff jump. There are cliffs of various heights all around the lake, but there is one in particular that’s right at or just over 100 ft. It’s a right of passage at the university I attended. Fun times. Go; it won’t disappoint

Just outside Conway, AR. Easy access to sites, very clean park. Plenty green areas to throw frisbee or just play with pets.

So if you are wanting scenery, Shiloh park has some of the best mountain views for a campground around Greer's ferry lake. However.. I've lived here my whole life, and I've never met someone whose main job requirement is to WORK WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC meeting the needs and insuring a positive experience for whoever is using the campgrounds/ rec area etc, who lacks such skills to do their job. My experience with the park attendant has been a negative one BOTH occasions I've had to deal with her. The first being my child's third birthday party.. I called the number to the gate house multiple times to ask Ab renting the pavilion or to find more info ab doing so and no one would pick up. When we drove to the gate house to ask in person she informed us that we had to do it all online. When we checked out the website she sent us to it didn't inform us of anything to do with the pavilion. Just campsites to rent. We figured we would just rent a campsite close to the pavilion instead. We booked our site almost six weeks in advance online.. when we get there on the day of my child's party, our campsite was rented out to someone else she had taken upon herself to move from their original site. Our party was at 2. And everyone was already down at he swim area with my daughter . The gate attendant had to call a park ranger to handle her mess up whick..mind you took almost an hour of me waiting at the gate missing the first half of my child's party while everyone in the park waited for me in the heat of July, sweating my butt off having to stand outside the gate house. The second time I felt with her. It was just after labor day Sept. 12th 2020. There was a sign up at the gate that said the attendant would return at 5:30. My fiance and three legged service dog went down to the vacant swim area where NOONE was at and as soon as we get out of the car and I let my dog out, here comes the park attendant pulling up at an accelerated rate of speed. (Clearly not the park speed limit) and she rolls her window down to inform us that my dog could not be at the swim area. She didn't take the time to listen to me explain that I had papers and my dog was a service animal..and NOONE was around to make any complaints..however she did not acknowledge the meth heads a little down the way  that we passed on our way in who were sitting in their two cars parked by themselves in vacant camp spots most likely down their getting high with their music up. She is the most unprofessional person I've ever delt with in my years going to a public recreation area ever!! And I won't be back . Good luck to all who come in contact with her.

Buffalo national river is the first national river established in the US and let me tell you it's gorgeous!! There are many places to camp but we stayed at Buffalo Point. There are a few different loops to stay on, we stayed in A. Each site has parking, for car or RV all differing in length, and you walk behind the parking to an area with benches, picinic table, lantern hanger, and fire pit. The river is behind the sites and you can swim in it. I recommend swim shoes because its all rocks to get to it and entering in and out of the water. Behind A loop on the opposite side from the ramp before the curve in the river is a rope swing. Its across the river so you must be a strong swimmer to beat the current. The bathrooms are well kept and there is trash bins available. Pets are allowed too. The loop that we stayed in was first come first serve and there was a self pay station near the bathroom. If you are up early enough, you may see bald eagles flying around the river like we did!

It was a good campground to get away for a night or two! Had my 2 little boy cousins and my dog with us and we all had a good time walking down to the river to play. Great place to chill out and cool off!

It is beautiful back here, quiet. Easy setup area. No problems at all.

Edit: one thing I did miss. We had our little dog with us. We had to be a bit careful where we walked her as some areas had small stickers in the grass. Not a big deal but you'll want to be careful.