Best Glamping near Hot Springs, AR

This weekend we camped at DeGray Lake Resort State Park in Bismarck, Arkansas. We had a blast! DeGray Lake has a lot to offer for groups large and small wanting to get away. It has several camping spaces with water and electric hook ups (about $22/night), yurts (about $55/night), a lodge (about $100/night), a marina to rent boats or buy bait, several daily activities for children or adults of all ages (some free and some about $5-15/person), horse riding stables (no experience required, about $30/ride 1 hour trail), a full golf course, playgrounds, pavilions, overall clean facilities, and a restaurant. Although our bank fishing experience wasn’t so great, I’m sure with a boat it would have been better. And for those that want to make the camping trip into the ultimate family vacation, this park is about a 30 minute drive from Hot Springs, AR where there is tons to do like restaurants, mini golf, shopping, and we even decided to get ice cream at Scoops (24 homemade flavors and delicious)! We will definitely be back for a visit!!

A short drive from Hot Springs you will find this park with amazing views. The best tent sites that are not close to the water are 82, 83 or 84; however, we recommend the ones closest to the water. The park has a marina where you can rent boats, kayaks and paddleboats.
Our site had a fire ring, a few trees for our hammock and the bathrooms were very clean.
We travel with our dog Lulu and she enjoyed the trails and the water too!

We stayed in the Yurt and it was  great.   The lake is beautiful and it was quiet.  There was actually a camp host nearby.  Didnt get to go fishing, but it looked very good.  Very close to Hot Springs depending on where you come in from.  We'll be going back.

One of the best lakes/ parks I’ve visited. I went to Arkansas to visit the Hot Springs National Park, and left wishing I had stayed longer in Ouachita rather than visit Hot Springs. Great camping site, enough space for two tents. Beautiful trails to hike and bike. The fishing was equally as good.

Gorgeous setting on pristine Lake Catherine close to historic Hot Springs. I was in lakefront site 123 for one night but would have liked to stay longer. The water front sites near the boat dock were my favorite and easy to back into. All sites appear to be spacious with grass and fire pits. The canoe, kayak and boat rentals are in good condition, the paved sites and roads are very smooth and level, the office/lodge and facilities are definitely above average here and quite modern. While the setting is gorgeous on its own, this park has spared no expense on their facilities. The pool and adjacent waterfall are 5 star resort level. The climbing and ropes course is enormous and will make any kid’s jaw drop in disbelief. There’s an affiliated zip line just outside of the park. The hiking paths are lovely and wooded, and the tent campsites are on their own in a grassy meadow away from the RVs. The Yurts looked very nice from the outside. The shower rooms are large and stone tiled, however it looks like the ceiling needs some drywall attention or is amidst a construction project during my stay.

Let me just start this out by saying, selecting a spot in Arkansas you are overwhelmed with options. State parks flourish and individual campgrounds seem to be countless. When traveling to the Hot Springs area It was a toss up as to which location would bear suit my journey, not only as a campground but as a part of the adventure. I elected to try Lake Catherine State Park, located just 10 miles outside of Hot Springs.

What sold me on this site were the numerous hiking trails, but what surprised me when I arrived were the lakeside water rentals located on premise as well as the actual beach recreation area.

I arrived later in the day and quickly made my camp in the primitive tent area. These sites have no water or electric hook ups however a very nice restroom facilities within 100 yards. They also boast a playground for the kids, not the only of the site. I was greeted by other campers and the sense of community was high at this facility.

My campsite included a table and grill and was nearby a fire ring. The area was much flatter than many camp areas and made for a quick site selection. In the distance deer grazed as the sun was setting.

The next morning I ventured toward the marina and was excited to find they have numerous boats for any level of experience available. Larger units available for full or half day use and smaller units for full or half day along with by the hour.

Hiking trails were my next stop after learning of the various skill levels including ADA accessible, moderate and difficult.

In addition to primitive camping the park offers RV and non-primitive tent camping. Also available are Yurt and Cabin rentals.

Office contains limited food and beverage options as well as supplies for lake visitors and a full picnic area overlooking the beach. Bathrooms and washrooms are scattered throughout the park and are kept impeccably clean with high water pressure.

Cell signal was good even on the remote trails during my stay.

This is by far one of the nicest parks I have camped not only on this journey but on any. Staff was knowledgeable about the park and others of the state and very helpful.

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Easy 5 of 5 Bunnies. I will return!

I am quite fond of the state parks in Arkansas and this was a clean, quiet, beautiful and safe location near Hot Springs. I was very happy that I could also bring my dog. When I reached my campsite my booking tag was already there and there was some firewood placed on the fire pit for me already. I was only a minute walk from restroom facilities. I also found it was very easy to book last minute after receiving a recommendation from a local barista.

Huge sites Beautiful waterfall Close to downtown Hot Springs

This is an absolutely beautiful state park 30 minutes Northwest of Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is massive with a Marina, multiple swimming beaches, RV and tent camping plus cabin rentals.

We stayed in campground Area A, on a concrete pad with tons of space around the camper. Many RV sites overlook Lake Ouachita, though ours didn’t.

If you are there over a weekend, I highly recommend taking the sunset tour by the park service at the marina. It is two hours, $10 per adult and stunning. With the recent heat wave it was also much cooler then the afternoon cruises.

Well kept park on Lake Catherine right outside of Hot Springs. It has a quiet remote feel with easy access to sightseeing in Hot Springs. I spent a day walking around Hot Springs, 3 days hiking trails in Lake Catherine State Park and a day at Garvan Gardens, all a short drive away. The park is immaculate and the grounds crew is really amazing, cleaning every site thoroughly before the next camper arrives. Trash pickup at your site every morning. Bathrooms and showers are very clean and at $1.50 per load the laundromat was one of the least expensive I’ve seen (and the dryers were great!) Wifi was good during the week and we were able to stream movies, except on the busy weekend evening when it bogged down. We had 2 bars cell service with T-Mobile. Check in was easy as was backing into our lake front spot. Would definitely stay here again!

Lots of Space, Shade, and access to mountain bike trails and downtown hot springs

We stayed here for a long weekend while visiting Hot Springs.  This campground is AMAZING!!!

First, almost all sites were within water distance.  We had a site that was 3 sites up from the water, but right next to some of the campground/state park hiking trails.

Second, this was only ~20 minutes to Hot Springs, but it felt like it was 5 hours away once you got there.  This was such a nice surprise! Talk about escaping the crowd!

Will definitely come back here!

Stephens Park is located on the Oachita Lake. We stayed here because we wanted to check out Hot Springs, AK the next day and it seemed like the closest option. There is a large bathroom area and a nice, large covered picnic area. I did not love this site, especially after learning about all the other sites available that were located on the lake. The proximity to Hot Springs did pay off though. Our site had a picnic table and a fire pit. While we got up and left early without any hikes, I think there were several hikes around the lake and in the area. We did go for a quick swim in the lake even though it was very very cold.

Our first trip to Hot Springs. The weather was perfect and our hosts went above and beyond to ensure we had the perfect spot for our stay. Facilities are clean and recently renovated. Staff ensure each space is clean and everything is working properly.

I really enjoyed my stay here! I spent a week in an E/W hookup site. The park was clean and quiet (even when full). People were generally kind and respectful. Facilities were well cared for and it was just a generally nice atmosphere. The staff were all very kind and friendly. There are a few close hiking trails with some beautiful views and of course it’s only about a 20 or so minute drive to Hot Springs National Park. The town of Hot Springs is fairly small, but the main drag along bathhouse row has a lot of cool little shops to browse. Cell reception with Verizon was good along with reception for my T-Mobile 5g internet. It worked even better with my booster. I would definitely stay here again. My only complaint was the hot water in the showers…it lasts for about a minute and then the rest of the shower is generally somewhat (not ice) cold. I took some record showers!

Lake Catherine State Park was absolutely beautiful! Well priced with full hook ups, lots of space and beautiful views. Plus it's still plenty close to Hot Springs. Hiking was gorgeous but depending on which route you take it can be kind of long. The waterfall was beautiful and worth seeing.

I really like this campground. Really pretty location. Great hiking trails, waterfall, a marina where you can rent a paddle board, kayak, canoe or pedal boat. It also has cabins, a camp store and seasonal riding stable so you can take a trail ride. It’s also convenient location to visit Hot Springs.

We got the prime spot for tent camping. It was a haul to get all our gear to the end but the have carts available to help. Stayed here and then would travel to the hot springs NP. Bathrooms were awesome but a little bit of a hike from where we were.