Best Tent Camping near Mabelvale, AR
Searching for the best camping near Mabelvale, AR? Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Mabelvale. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Arkansas camping adventure.
Searching for the best camping near Mabelvale, AR? Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Mabelvale. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Arkansas camping adventure.
"Theres a flat spot at these coordinates. March so generally dry and no bugs, and a sweet low 50s morning. Nice!"
"Great spot to pitch a tent by lake Conway. Isolated but not too far out."
$80 - $100 / night
"VOTED BEST HIPCAMP IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS! "
"Located on the gravel Brown Creek Road in Perry County, Arkansas. The South Fork of Brown Creek runs behind this campsite."
"Didn’t have to drive too far down the road found a spot on the left. Nice stone camp fire circle, good flat spot for my tent, which is a four person."
"First was a couple miles from the main road (highway 7). Plenty of room but close to the road and some trash, decent for pulling in after dark though."
$125 / night
"Check them out and share your trip on the Dyrt!"
"It is located on a body of water (not the cleanest at least when I was there). It is a pretty small campground and I assume stays pretty quiet (so would be good for groups that want lots of privacy)."
"Clean, kid friendly campground with RV and tent sites available, 30 amp electric and water, bathrooms are kept clean and have showers."
Small open Campground with no specific sites (Tent Only Area). There is a small lot nearby to park then you must walk everything in. This can be anything from right next to your car to a few hundred feet away depending on where you want to set up. Picnic tables, fire rings and campground grills located throughout but again nothing is marketed as far as site numbers. The area allows for up to six camp permits per night. Could be good for smaller groups. It’s up away from the lake unlike the rest of the campgrounds in the park. There are restrooms nearby with flushing toilets and sinks. Also a playground is located close to the campsite. Overall it was clean but felt cramped among other campers and parking away from the tent made for multiple trips back and forth.
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.
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.
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.
PROS
Senior discount
Reserved on-line 365 days prior to arriving
Site #68 allowed parking RV 12 feet from water edge which was fabulous
Totally level site
Asphalt campsite pad
Pea gravel and grass around asphalt
Good night sky viewing
Squirrels ate from our hand
Saw ranger patrolling campground frequently
Waste containers every other campsite
Metal picnic table on concrete slab
One hook lantern pole
Metal fire pit with cooking grate
Pedestal BBQ grill
Clean restroom/shower and adequate TP and hand soap. Women had 2 showers, 2 sinks, 3 toilets
Weekend campground nearly filled to capacity
4 bars Verizon LTE
Hike to waterfall a bit tricky, but worth the effort
Hot Springs National Park 15 miles from campground; nice to watch the crowds from Superior Bathouse Brewery
Free water from the springs next to the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center- must have your own containers to fill
Enjoyed Red Oak Fillin’ Station so much we dined there twice
Diamond Head 19th Hole Restaurant, open to the public and very close to park entrance
CONS
Damn Canadian geese crap everywhere
Fire pit was filled with oversized logs and once removed there was unburned charcoal and lots of ash
Unable to move picnic table
Site#68 no shade what so ever
No privacy from other sites
Lots of speed boat and jet ski noise, even after sunset
Morning train noise
Power plant lights and humming noise
No security gate closure overnight
No WIFI
Popular dispersed campsite in the Ouachita National Forest. Only one site; not a campground. Located on the gravel Brown Creek Road in Perry County, Arkansas. The South Fork of Brown Creek runs behind this campsite. Located next to the trailhead for Brown Creek Cascade - a short 1/4 mile hike (includes a creek crossing). This campsite is suitable for tent camping, car camping, camper vans & truck campers. Two vehicles can easily fit on this level site. There are other dispersed sites along Brown Creek Road. The site is close to the road; there's a large mud puddle covering one of the 2 entrances to this site. 2-wheel drive passenger cars can make it to the site. Large pine trees on the site. Hammock camping is possible. No water (except for creek). No toilets nor showers. No trash - take out what you bring in. May need to hike a ways in the woods to find firewood. Large rock fire ring on site. No AT&T and T-Mobile cell service. Very quiet; no vehicles passed by during the night. The sound from the creek was soothing.
PROS
No reservation transaction fee
Senior discount
Quiet
Moveable metal picnic table on a concrete pad, pedestal BBQ grill, fire ring with cooking grate, and one hook lantern pole
Site 14 partially shady
Good condition asphalt parking pad with gravel and grass surrounding
Good view of lake from Site 14
Sites well spaced
Campground A toilet/shower building clean and sufficiently stocked. Heated but not air conditioned.
Site 14 more than long enough for trailer and tow vehicle
Dark sky friendly as there are no street lights in Campground A
Very nice 6ft wide asphalt bike trail from Campground B to Mather Lodge
(approximately 1.75 miles) CCC Hike and Bike Trail
New Visitor Center built 2021
Beautiful CCC built Mather Lodge
(restaurant added in 2012)
Grass throughout campground mowed
Firewood sold in the yards of residences along State Road 154
CONS
Site 14 extremely unlevel side to side
No privacy from other campsites
No entrance security gate to the park or any campgrounds as State Road 154 cuts thru the park
No park ranger drive thrus
Mather Lodge Restaurant OK. Don't expect much from the menu or service but it has a full bar
3 of our 4 day stay there was a religious group prophetlytizing at the Park Visitor Center WIFI only at Lodge and Visitors Center
NO TMOBILE service
Lake Sylvia recreation area offers a lot of fun and relaxation within an easy drive from Little Rock. We ate dinner in town at Izzy's on Highway 10, and got to the campground with enough time to set up before dark.
The primitive camping loop is especially attractive and not a single soul was utilizing it last weekend. Even those tent camping seemed to want access to the electrical outlets on the main loop. Or possibly the hot showers: the primitive sites have their own bathroom with lights and plumbing but the showers are not heated except in the main bathhouse among the hookups sites. The sites in the primitive loop are $5/night lower than the sites with water and electric.
The main camping loop is nice for small to medium campers. No Class A rigs here. Nobody claimed the campsite on either side, affording us plenty of privacy, and just a short walk to the bathhouse. We enjoyed the hiking trails around the lake, and hiking a short way up to the Ouachita Trail.
The swim beach is a great spot that is used as a day area. There are also fishing spots down the bank. The rules say that dogs are not permitted at the day use area, but we saw a couple of dogs with their owners and the ranger who drove by either didn’t notice or didn’t enforce it, I guess. Which isn’t a big deal, except that I wish they’d either enforce it or change the rules to match the practice. If it’s permitted I’d have brought my own dog to join in the fun instead of leaving it behind.
Several paces up a trail from the campground is a small amphitheater with a wooden stage. It looked like an awesome place to set up a portable projector for a movie night.
If this campground were open year round, I would give it five stars - with access to good hiking here (including the Ouachita Trail), it is a shame that the campground is closed in late fall and early spring. Its website even states that the best time to visit is Fall-Spring. Still a wonderful place to try; just make sure you check that it's open before you go.
We stayed here only as an overnight on our trip cross-country trip, but overall nice campground. It is about 20 min off the main highway. Things close up early here and once off main highway there really is nothing as you drive to the park. Make sure you come in with all of your supplies otherwise you will be driving back out a ways for groceries, supplies, etc. Everyone there was very friendly- families, seniors, etc. We were late check-ins and they were extremely accommodating by placing our paperwork on the check-in board for us. Even in the dark our site was easy to find. They offer RV, cabin rentals, and tent sites. We tent camp and the pad was of good size with a fire ring, picnic table and pea gravel. Most all of the tent sites are located with tree shade above them (note: not enough trees that you could hang hammocks or tarps though). There is a small pond that looked as though they allow family fishing in. "Grandpa's Griddle" is a small kitchen on site that they offer home-cooked breakfast to be purchased from in the morning. Mostly simple items: biscuits & gravy, breakfast sandwiches, eggs & bacon, etc. The restrooms / showers were all very clean. We did not go in to the National Park, but it looked very pretty from what we could see. The view of the mountains in the morning was very pretty to wake up to.
Pandemic note: Even though the pandemic was still going on (visited on 5/28/20-5/29/20), no one was really wearing masks here. We did since we were traveling but were the only ones I saw.
The photos are of the pond and some of the super cute vintage RVs that we saw there.
I would recommend staying here.
Tent camping near Mabelvale, Arkansas offers a variety of scenic spots where nature lovers can pitch their tents and enjoy the great outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Mabelvale, AR is Camp Robinson Dispersed Site with a 3.8-star rating from 5 reviews.
TheDyrt.com has all 15 tent camping locations near Mabelvale, AR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring