Best Tent Camping near Mabelvale, 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.

This park is pretty much spotless. I tent camped in the fall and loved it. All the tent sites have a gravel pad, picnic table and fire ring. Lots of trees to set up your hammock. They have a swim beach and small boat rentals in the summer. There’s a nice paved walking trail too. I highly recommend.

Lake is nice. Didn’t catch many fish though. Swim area is very well kept. Adorable pedal boats. Tent camping sites are right at the entrance on the road. You have to park in the parking lot and carry all your stuff to the camp ground. Definitely don’t recommend using a tent site at all. The entire park is very well kept and very clean. Park staff were very nice and helpful. Mountain biking trail is in good condition. North loop was even good for my 8 year old while I did trail running. Cute little state park.

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.

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

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!

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).

Great place for hiking and taking in nice variety of views at Arkansas's first state park. Cabins can be rented, RV & tent camping sites available. Modern bath houses with showers and toilets were clean. Cedar Creek flows through this park and Cedar Falls is impressive. We were there in late March and the creek was flowing good after recent rains. But it can be only a trickle during dry periods. Enjoyed the trail along the creek. Another nice view was from a point looking down over the Arkansas River and valley below.

My husband and I tent camped here in November. Pretty cold at night but the weather was perfect for the hikes which were absolutely stunning. We had a delicious breakfast with a view at the lodge. 10 out of 10 would recommend!

Stopped in while traveling with no reservation on my bike. The campground was full but they did find me a spot for tent camping for the night. The staff went out of their way to assist me with getting a spot, helping me with onsite facilities, and they even made phone calls to assist me with local road closings for my next days route. Very clean bathrooms and shower facilities. The laundry facility was nice and well kept. The park is set up more for RV use but once again they were very accommodating. Although I didn’t use the pool it did look nice a several kids made use of it while I was there. The only downside and only if you’re tent camping there is traffic noise due to being close to the interstate, however it is also convenient if just passing through.

My husband, myself, our dog and two friends tent camped for the weekend. We were lucky enough to have a site on the water. It's a nice park we hiked, rented a canoe and did some swimming. Very peaceful and nice campground. We will be back for sure.

I stayed at two different sites for two separate nights in a tent. Both of these sites had minimal space for tent camping and barely fit my tent, but it works. However, it was beautiful because I could sit and look/listen to the creek. The bathrooms were well maintained, landmarks for sites were obvious, and the volunteers that work there were incredibly helpful and nice.

Located along Forest Road 132 (Winona Scenic Drive) in the Ouachita National Forest, Saline County, Arkansas. Flatside Wilderness Area located across the road from the site. Access to the Ouachita National Recreation Trail located nearby. Free dispersed site, no facilities. Rock fire ring. Should be enough parking for 2 vehicles. Suitable for tent camping, car camping, truck camping & van camping. Mostly level. There was plenty of firewood left by the fire ring. Camped here in February; very quiet. Only 2 vehicles drove by. Had a few bars of T-Mobile service.

Beautiful, clean, great location. Camped here in Feb 2020, right on the river. Full hookups, mostly back-in but some pull throughs. Paved, level. Tent sites, too. Clean bathrooms, little camp store. Close to town. Would camp again.

I tent camped at site 61 in 2015:

• We were pretty close to all the amenities and the campsite checkin/store
• There is a nice, flat tent pad
• Grill and fire ring were nice
• Paved driveup spot
• It wasn't very crowded; the two sites across from us filled up, but that was about it

I would 100% stay at this site again.

I've reviewed this state park before but this time we stayed at the walk in tent sites and it was even better. The campsite was perfect. Steps from the water and shaded. The bath houses were nice and clean.

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.

The tent site that we had was great. (Site 37) It was right by the water with tons of room and a nice, level ground. Some hammock trees were nearby as well.There was a shared water spigot near the site.

You park in a small lot behind the tent sites and carry your things a short distance.

The bathrooms were clean, but they were quite a distance from the tents. This was my one and only complaint about this SP.

In the warmer months, starting in May, they rent out kayaks, paddle boats, and canoes. There is also a small concession stand you can order from.

My husband caught one fish while we were there from our camp site. It’s very handy being that close to the water.

There is a great hiking trail around the lake. About 3.5 miles if you combine the cabin trail with the Huckleberry trail. It was an enjoyable hike. There were people of all ages enjoying it.

We would definitely camp in this spot again!