Best Cabin Camping near Malvern, AR

We absolutely love it here. Wonderful trails,fishing,cabins and camp sites and tons of photo opportunities. The waterfall was flowing a little on the low side. That's not unusual since it is the end of summer. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. I highly recommend taking the family.

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.

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!

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.

Lake Catherine State Park, like all Arkansas state parks, is immaculately clean!  Most RV sites have close access to the water and there are small stationary docks to park your boat. 

 A short trail leads you to a waterfall or take the longer trail for a fun hike through the woods.  Swimming, fishing, boating and kayaking are all a part of the fun. 

The cabins are rustic but well-appointed.  All cabins have water views.  

No matter the time of year, Lake Catherine State Park is a wonderful place to visit.

Both camping or renting a cabin are great choices at this fun lake. The amenities are great, the cabins are very nice, and the lake has places to swim or rent boats.

Simply Beautiful we loved our cabin on the lake. The view was amazing!! We did a lot of fishing and caught lots of fish and turtles. They have a great place to swim and a play ground for the kids. Stuff was very nice and place looked like it was kept up well. Only down side was the power plant across the lake and how hard it is to find your cabin at night due to no lighting what so ever.

We loved our stay.  Our cabin was beautiful.   The park rangers gave us a pontoon boat ride.   They sent us in the directions to find a glorious swimming hole and waterfall.   Wish we stayed longer.   Almost forgot about the nice beach area.

Cabins were awesome, hiking was beautiful and kayaking the lake was fantastic! By far the best part of the trip was the events hosted by the Park... almost my whole family participated in eating mill worms at the edible bug workshop!

We came on Saturday and are leaving on Friday. We stayed in Area A, all the sites are full hookups. The bathhouse is very clean and warm (useful since it was in the 40s). The campsites are spread apart with lots of trees for hammocking. The spots by the water had docks every couple of sites. There aren't a lot of trails but several of varying distance and difficulties (1 is ADA compliant). The waterfall is very pretty and looks like a great swimming hole in summer. There is a marina for renting boats. Cabins and yurts are also available. The only draw back is that Arkansas seems to be completely void of fish.;)

The cabins are beyond wonderful to stay in and well worth the price. Beautiful scenery and tons of activities for the whole family to enjoy. The rangers were great and offered a variety of informational classes and hikes. We will be back!

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.

Camping in the state park of lake ouachita in a tent. never. been. better. was on site T04 for tents and basically sites t01-t11(maybe 12) are on a small peninsula with the lake on both sides. you can go swimming in the lake right off the back of your campsite. they have charcoal grills at each site as well as a fire pit that has a grill over itnfor cooking things over the fire. there is a concrete pad with a picnic table as well as a separate pad on compacted dirt for your tent and then plenty of space in your campsite for other things. you can’t beat the views. the bathrooms are the cleanest an moat upsated Ive seen in a camp ground (and I’ve worked in one) and the showers are great. never felt afraid of wild animals roaming the sites while walking to the bathroom in the dark or anything. the staff in the office is friendly. they offer boat rentals for cheap as well as expeditions to partake in. theres also camper and rv sites and cabIns available, a marina to bring your boat, and fun activities for kids! theres a few different trails to hike around the campground. we went on a moderate 4 mile hike and walked to the trailhead from the campsIte. a great hike with awesome views of the lake and you dont have to drive to the trailhead! couldn’t recommend this place enough!

Adorable charming park with lots of history and natural beauty like waterfalls. Friends had made camping and boat tour reservations about 6 months in advance, that’s how nice and popular this area is! We got one of the super cute “rustic” cabins, each one has different things like number of beds, dogs allowed, showers, kitchen setup, etc. so call ahead. Not too far from grocery which is always a plus when traveling with kiddos and multiple families.

Lake Degray has two (that we know of) very nice swimming areas. Grandkids has a blast. Life jackets were available as well. The park offers a lot of shade and was very well kept. We saw lots of deer and other wildlife. There are plenty of trails and just a lot to do. They have cabins which are beautiful. The bathrooms are quite nice. There is a marina and they rent party barges. Just overall a great experience and a beautiful location.

This park is beautiful, wooded, many amenities.  There are lakefront, lake view, and other sites. There are full hookup, electric and water only, and tent areas. There are cabins, a lodge, and an amphitheater. The lake is beautiful. There is plenty of wildlife, including deer, squirrels, and others.  It is located near Hot Springs to the north,  I 30 to the south. Garman Gardens is near. There seems to be a nice breeze most of the time. Our only problem was the water source was on the opposite side from the electric hookup.

Gorgeous lake front sites! This place is really popular in gluten summer time, so expect to book a year in advance. There are a couple of coves with waterfront sites that also have full hook ups. It was worth the year long wait!

The water is crystal clear and we could swim right from our campsites! We also took a Ranger led sunset cruise on the water. Excellent $10 excursion! We normally like the hike the trails, but it was too hot for hiking during our visit.

The also have cute camper cabins, an awesome walk in tent site area and clean bathrooms.

This park is on a little peninsula that juts out into Lake Ouachita, the largest lake system in AR. It’s near the edge of the giant National Forest and close to Hot Springs National Park. The lake is beautiful with very ragged edges and islands so there is a lot to explore by boat, plus two or three hiking trails that take you to a lovely overlook. There are a few different areas to camp, some are very close to the water and some are a little further.

Yay: ranger programs, educational displays, swimming beach, cabins and traditional tent/RV camping. You can rent boats onsite and you will want to! Clean and renovated facilities, nice and simple.

Nay: campsites are not very private, make sure you have a boat!

Surprise: Exceptionally lovely views, good wildlife, amazing sunsets.

We used this State Park as our base camp for visits to Hot Springs National Park and Garvan Woodland Gardens

We stayed in the walk-in section of the park. It was not a far walk from the parking lot and easy to transport gear. There was also a bathroom with-in close walking distance.

The campsites themselves had a tent pad, a table, and fire ring. There were two communal water spouts along the path that were shared by the 12 sites.

The sites aren't too close to each other, which allows you to have some privacy.

Each site can have a maximum of 8 people on each one.

The walk-in sites are on a peninsula, which makes for great views, but the wind can be an issue.

The Park itself also has a play ground, a marina, a beach, a spring, cabins, and geocaching.