Best Tent Camping near Greers Ferry Lake

This recreation area is as close to off-grid as you can get with so many great options right off the pavement. This campground has no water or electricity but has 4 drive-up campsites with picnic tables, fire circle, and rock shelters that overlook the beautiful Illinois Bayou. I only recall seeing trash receptacles on the lower loop.  An upper loop is accessible by hiking in. These are tent sites only with no rock shelters on the sites. The rock shelters have a large rock fire area.  There's also a vault toilet on the lower loop. A pavilion onsite is reservable and has electricity. There's also several small trails through the campground but it's most fun when the water is low enough, to go down to the water and walk along the creek. The area is close to many great hiking trails and dirt roads to explore around Hector and makes a great home base. Just up the road is a great area to explore with Jeeps or ATVs. Look up Lindsey Mtwy. This area is not on many people's radar so it's possible that you may only see a local or two while you're here. I still had cell service with my Verizon network while I was in the campground but I lost service when I went down by the Illinois Bayou.  Overall, this is a heck of a nice campground for the non-electric camper. If you visit the area, please leave no trace. :-)

• Open All Year
• 91 Sites Water/electric
• 50 amp available
• 55 Non Electric
• Reservation accepted (877-444-6777)
• 3850 Highway 330E, Clinton, AR  72031

Boat Ramp, drinking water, dump station, marina, day use picnic area, playground, fire ring/grill, fish cleaning station, picnic table, restrooms with flush toilets, and showers

Choctaw is located several miles outside the town of Clinton Arkansas.  I would advise stocking up before leaving home or in Clinton.  Located in the gently rolling hills of the Ozarks.  The roads are in good shape but like most roads in Arkansas they could be considered, not narrow, but not exactly wide.  The campground is located right off the road so watch for your turn.  Choctaw is one of the few parks in the Greers Ferry complex that is right off the main road.

The site numbers are well marked on the entrance of each site.  Some sites are more level than others and some are shorter than others.  Longer rigs will have to pay close attention to the size of the sites.  Area is well wooded giving a large amount of shade and a lot of needles and leaves.  If you don't carry a good broom you might want one to sweep your pad.  Trees are mainly pine so shade will continue through winter.  While we were there it was time for mowing but generally COE parks are well maintained

Little Red River and the Greers Ferry Lake produce an amazing outdoor experience.  Sitting all along the banks of Greers Ferry Lake you are able to have your pick of any number of COE campgrounds and private campgrounds.  Choctaw is a good example.  

Arkansas is called "The Natural State" and it does live up to its name.  Greers Ferry is located in Cleburne County Arkansas with several small towns dotted around the lake.  There are between 30,000 to 40,000 acres of crystal clear water depending on the season and the rains.  You may fish, scuba dive, water ski, SUP, kayak, canoe, swim or just relax at your campsite.  Your choice but is geared toward the outdoor life.

Fishing is the sport of the day here.  You will find some of "The Best" fishing in the south with some bragging "In The World".  The lake holds the record for bass at 27 lbs 50 oz.  Tournaments begin in April and go through October.  Whether you are a local or a visitor fishing is done year round.  Every game fish native to Arkansas is stocked and maintained by the 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.  That is not to say you shouldn't hook your share of channel catfish, bigmouth and white bass and crappie.

Have fun.  Stay safe.

LNT

Better than when you found it.

Happy Trails

The Bayou Bluff Recreation Area is now called the Bayou Bluff Point of Interest (POI). In summary, there are only 4 campsites, including a group site. Also, these sites are free, first come, first serve. Here's is info directly from the Bayou Bluff  page on the National Forst Service Web site: "Effective October 2021, Bayou Bluff became a Point of Interest. The fees are suspended for camping and day use and is now open all year. Upper loop is closed to camping and will be eliminated completely. Use of the vault toilet, large pavilion, three shelters, and a small pavilion will remain. The pavilions are managed on a first-come, first-service basis. Trash services are managed by visitors as "pack-it-in, pack-it-out," and Leave No Trace ethics are posted on information kiosks. Active partner groups and volunteers are helping extend the life of the current amenities, excluding trash services." Also: "Open all year. No fees. Upper loop closed. Pavilions available on a first-come, first-served basis only. No trash services. Pack it in- pack it out." The NF page also indicates that there is no water available, but there may water in the group site. The vault toilets are clean, and the campground grounds appear to be reasonably maintained. I recommend only tent camping here, as well as car/truck/van camping. Sites appear to be too small for RVs & trailers.

Toad Suck is a great campground- with some caveats. All of the sites are reservable and have concrete pads. This makes it impossible to stake down a tent but also provides a great level spot. There's no foragable wood at the sites, but there's a quick stop type gas station very nearby that sells it cheap and locally sourced. The bathrooms can be a trek from your site or right next door, depending on where you're staying, but theyre immaculately clean. They service them twice daily. It's right next to the lock and dam at Toad Suck on the Arkansas River so there's a constant roar of water and the sound of barges throughout the night and day. I don't mind it but keep that in mind if you don't like those sounds. The campsite is peaceful otherwise. Dogs are allowed! ABSOLUTELY NO ALCOHOL.

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.

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

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).

Average 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.