Best Tent Camping near Hot Springs, AR

Definitely my favorite park in Arkansas so far. It’s a really big park at the lake with lots to do. I was there in the fall so I didn’t do any lake stuff but still had a great time tent camping. There’s a nice hiking trail to explore. Also, the bathrooms were the cleanest I’ve ever seen at a state park. All the tent sites have a gravel pad, grill, picnic table and fire ring. There are also walk in tent sites on the peninsula which are nice and quiet. If you get one at the end I’d say it’s probably 200 meters to the parking lot and bathrooms. I peeked into one of the cabins and they look really nice. They also have camper cabins that have heat/air but no bathroom. In all there are 93 RV/tent sites, 8 cabins and 4 camper cabins. The park is also near Hot Springs so there is lots to do.

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!

Nice clean Army Corps of Engineers site. Beautiful location on a peninsula that overlooks the lake. Swimming/beach area away from the campground. Two campgrounds, one for tents only and one for RVs. Bathhouses with hot showers. Rustic but clean. Convenient to Hwy 7 and not far from Hot Springs, Arkansas or Caddo Valley, Arkansas.

So I was super excited about this campground when I read about it online. It seemed perfect! The drive into the campground is very curvy and has lots of blind spots. When we arrived, there was no one on duty, so we just filled out a card and proceeded into the campground, following the map posted on the official website. That's where we ran into our first issue. The map was all wrong. We spent nearly an hour trying to find our spot. Finally, we asked the volunteer on duty. He showed us an updated map and we found out that our campsite wasn't even where we had picked it based off the old map. The tent sites are walk in only. They have electric but the closest water spigot is at the parking lot. The scenery is nice but the boats are loud, as to be expected of a lakeside campground. The bathrooms aren't very well maintained, the showers are gross, and the park goers tend to be obnoxious, revving their engines and hooping and hollering. We actually ended our trip the next day. Overall not a bad site IF you're here in a camper. Not suggested for tent camping.

The Hot Springs NP campground was closed for the season so we stayed at Lake Ouachita SP Campground for 3 nights. We are tent camper and this was the best it gets! The tent sites are well separated from the RVs and generators. The sit right on the lake so they can get windy but are peaceful and beautiful. Each tent site has a level pad for tents, picnics tables, and fire-ring. A small down-side, you have to park and walk your gear to your site but it's not terribly far or a big deal. The lake is beautiful and all tent sites have access to the water. It's a bit of a walk to the bathrooms but they are wonderfully clean (and heated). The camp store had decent wood for sale. The only thing to beware of is the crows. They are relentless and even took a bag of sealed, in it's original container, tortilla chips and tried carrying them away and pecking the bag open. So don't leave anything unsupervised (even in closed container or bags).

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.

Primitive campground without any hookups or dump station. Sites are beautiful. Quiet location but very convenient to the highway and about half an hour from Hot Springs, 5-10 minutes to Mt. Ida. Boat launch near the campground but not noisy. Bathrooms with running water in sinks, flush toilets, no showers. Fishing pier. First come, first served. No reservations here. You scan the QR code on the post to pay. Ranger comes through frequently to check so feels very safe.

A very well maintained and enjoyable campground! There are amny sites, ranging from tents to full hookups. Prices range from $15/night (tents) to $45/night (group sites). Despite being close to the main road, it was very quiet. There is no cell signal to speak of in the loop C tent sites, but closer to the front, near the swimming area & pavillion, I got three bars (Verizon). The swimming is great! There is a CCC platform to jump from into the pool. Hot Springs is 20 minutes, and this campground has access to trailheads nearby. Would Stay Again.

Stayed September 2021.

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 lot of RV and tent site camping sites. Nice scenery and the park host was very helpful. We stayed in area C (A, B, C are the different areas) on a super busy weekend and weren't to cramped. Spacious tent sites just off a creek with fire rings, picnic tables, and good proximity to clean toilet/shower facilities. Would visit again.

Quiet place. Clean, more primitive and not developed. Does have flush toilets. Great place to go tent camping.

The tent camping is so beautiful right on the lake! Very calm and peaceful. Beautiful scenery and the lake is super nice

It's it's a nice place to Camp RV but not for tent camping it would be better if they have places to put up a tent instead of on concrete.

Arkansas’ first and most popular state park. Lake with rental boats, trailer and tent site loops, lodge/hotel/cabins. Outstanding natural features, some of which are easily accessible. Very popular in the fall. Big waterfall with rugged trail to the bottom. Can’t see it all in a weekend!

Tent camped with a view of the lake. Facilities were well maintained. Hosts were very friendly. Easy to collect firewood. Definitely recommend even if you don’t have a boat.