Best Tent Camping near Helena-West Helena, AR

I have stayed at this campground twice.  The first time (2022) was a rainy day and I didn't feel like setting up a tent in my reserved space, so I upgraded to one of the very nice, and at the time quite new cabins for about $75 total.  I loved the winding drive down to Helena-West Helena. It was beautiful, the rain was not too bad.  The cabin was wonderful.  I had such a happy experience that time, I returned to car camp last year (2023) on my way west. I did not bother setting up a tent, but rented an RV space. It was fine. . . lots of mosquitos in the evening (mid-September) and a construction crew was renting out an RV spot across from me.  There were no other campers, but I felt safe.  The bathrooms (unisex) were not nearly as clean as the first visit, but were ok.  The guys across the way were quiet and respectful.  The whole thing was ok. . . but I did have the thought expressed in another comment that there is just too much concrete and asphalt in this place.  Maybe they are concerned about keeping the jungle at bay, so they paved it . . . but consequently it feels like a parking lot with a beautiful periphery. Is also was pretty expensive for what I needed ($42), since I sleep on a cot in my SUV and don't need electricity, water, dumping, etc.  But that is my fault for not asking for a tent site.

I decided to head there at the last minute, and called the office right before closing to rent via telephone (should have asked for a tent site, cheaper).  I did not have to make the 14 mile drive to Marianna to check in. 

The crew staying in the RV across the way, left vert early in the morning.  It was cool and shady in my spot, so I moved my vehicle to sunny spot (tent area!) and had a nice leisurely breakfast before heading out.  It was mid-week, and nobody else was there.  A ranger (?) drove through pretty early (before I moved my car) and said hi. She knew i had rented a spot.  Very friendly, just as the folks in Marianna had been when I went there in 2022. 

All in all it is a good spot. Quiet and safe.

Decent camp ground if the grounds were better maintained, lots of trash at all of the sites. We tent camped and the tent pads were ok nothing to brag right home about but functional. Your also nut to butt with all the other sites, talking some are less than 10ft apart. Also there was a mondo dump left in 2 of the toilets at the rest room near our site.

We had originally planned to stop here for a night based on good reviews. But once arriving & doing a quick drive thru changed our minds. Tent camping area is just small grassy area behind laundry house. Had to drive all the way thru to even see the river. We did see a tugboat on our drive thru though. Just seems too run down & not cared for. Now rv spots by the water looked nice- but not a good place for tents.

This place is a gem if you’re a tent camper. We have camped here once, but most of the time it is closed. I am not sure why. Nice little spot with about 8 tent sites. No hookups of any kind for campers. Bathrooms are currently closed, but we’re nice when we stayed there, but old. Drinking water is available. A short walk to Sardis Lower Lake. There can be a bit of traffic noise as it is nestled between two roads.

The view and proximity to the water is truly what makes this spot. All sites are tent sites so you have to be parked in the parking lot but we were the only ones there in early January so was easy to park as close as possible to a spot. There are restrooms at the entrance, all sites have a table, trash can and grill. We went in the off season so it was free!

This is a small campground, consisting of five tent sites. The websites states you can bring a small camper here, but in wouldn’t try it. The bathrooms are run down and have a port a potty feel. The roads in are horrible. There are people riding off road vehicles in the lake bottoms quite often.

Now, that having been said... the view is great. You can see out across the lake. There is plenty of space to hike and explore. It is a free campground, so really, one can’t complain.

The tents sites are cheap but this is really for someone passing through. You basically share a feild with a few picnic tables, no fire pits from what I saw. The bathrooms/shower were okay but you get what you pay for. Other than that, the walk over to the view of the river is gorgeous.

I checked into this park while looking for a place to stay in Memphis, it was a very secure facility right on the state line of Mississippi and Tennessee and it appeared to have good reviews so I wanted to see if they offered tent camping since I had seen nothing about that. I arrived and the staff was very friendly however they were also very thorough in stating it was RVs only.

I went ahead and told them I am a ranger for the Dyrt and also a travel blogger and was interested in passing on the knowledge to other campers potentially looking in the area and they took me on a tour bragging on the facilities which had spacious road that were fully paved and well maintained. The restrooms were large and equipped for handicapped accessibility and there was a neighborhood vibe about this location.

Spaces were a little close together but it seemed as though most of the people here were retirees in larger rigs who didn't want the responsibility of having a lot of space in their immediate "yard". They offer nightly rates along with weekly and monthly however I believe that most are taking advantage of the monthly.

The person giving me the tour, the campground host, did mention that a lot of people misunderstand their RV policy and come in with pop ups or teardrops and those usually are not acceptable. So that s a major thing to know when coming here, you must be in a RV as defined by these standards.

I noticed that the site was incredibly clean. They offered additional storage for sports equipment and other items, a rec center and office and for each site both cable and wifi are available.

All in all this park was great, but not allowing tents or certain types of RVs did knock it down a few notch simply because not everyone would be able to take advantage of this site. I was overall happy to have checked it out for my fellow travelers and maybe one day when I RV across America I will be able to visit again.

Check Out The Official Website Or Make Reservations

This is a nice little spot because of the view. No hook ups of any kind, this is a tent only kind of place. That being said, there was a really sketchy looking van parked with a tent hanging out. They looked to have been there a long while. Bathrooms are closed, and have been for some time. For $8 you could do worse.

December 14, 2021 Primitive camping. Only one other camper [tent] in campground. Toilet clean considering Primitive camping. Some sites are a bit too close for my liking. Overall I would return to this campground

I would not recommend this campground for tents. Mosquitos are the worst.

Tent area had to many insects which made it difficult to set up camp. No fires in the area due to grass nor fire rings. RV sites look great since you can be near the river