Best Tent Camping near Mount Ida, AR
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Best Tent Sites Near Mount Ida, AR (40)
1. Hickory Nut Mountain
Ouachita Lake, Arkansas11 Reviews•46 Photos•282 Saves- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- Tents
- Group
- Standard (Tent/RV)
2. Albert Pike Recreation Area
Langley, Arkansas6 Reviews•33 Photos•71 SavesNestled in the forested splendor of the rugged Ouachita Mountains, this recreation area is located in the southern portion of the national forest. Visitors are invited to hike the nature trail or experience the excitement of a canoe trip on the Little Missouri River.
Day use/swimming only.
- Pets
- Fires
- Tents
- Group
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Trash
3. Cossatot Falls Campsites — Cossatot River State Park - Natural Area
Wickes, Arkansas12 Reviews•71 Photos•128 Saves- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- ADA Access
- Tents
- Group
4. Shirley Creek
Oden, Arkansas2 Reviews•9 Photos•15 SavesThe picturesque and scenic Ouachita River is one of the most beautiful and clear rivers in the Ouachitas. Beginning in the Ouachita Mountains near Mena, AR, the Ouachita River is a popular floating and fishing river as it flows easterly through the Ouachita National Forest, eventually becoming part of Lake Ouachita and Lake Hamilton near Hot Springs, before continuing its journey south towards Louisiana.
Beginning near Pine Ridge, AR, the Ouachita offers about 45 miles of floatable river until it become Lake Ouachita near AR Hwy 27. Along this stretch, there are seven landing sites, five of which are float camps. These float camps include Shirley Creek, Rocky shoals, Fulton Branch. Dragover and River Bluff. All five float camps are free to the public. These Float camps typically have openings, even on some holiday weekends when other campgrounds are full. Only rarely are these float camps filled up.
Shirley Creek Float Camp is located off of AR Hwy 88, west Pencil Bluff, and is situated right on the banks of the Ouachita River approx. 6 miles downstream from the Pine Ridge Access. This float camp offers six camping sites, as well as picnicking sites, a vault toilet and canoe access to the river.
Shirley Creek Float Camp is typically open Spring through Fall for overnight use, and is available for day use only the rest of the year.
- Tents
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Toilets
6. Irons Fork Primitive Camping
Ouachita Lake, Arkansas2 Reviews•6 Photos•19 Saves- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- Tents
- Group
- Picnic Table
7. Straight Creek Campsite on the Eagle Rock Loop
Langley, Arkansas2 Reviews•12 Photos•49 Saves- Pets
- Fires
- Tents
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Trash
- Picnic Table
8. Rocky Shoals
Pencil Bluff, Arkansas2 Reviews•11 Photos•10 SavesRiver access on Ouachita River.
- Pets
- Fires
- Tents
- Toilets
- Alcohol
9. COE Lake Ouachita Buckville Campground
Ouachita Lake, Arkansas1 Review•3 Photos•3 Saves- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- Tents
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Picnic Table
10. Big Brushy
Oden, Arkansas1 Review•4 Photos•16 SavesAttractive wooded setting on stream bank.
- Pets
- Phone Service
- Tents
- Group
- Tent Cabin
- Glamping
Recent Tent Reviews in Mount Ida
874 Reviews of 40 Mount Ida Campgrounds
Fred S.
Legend
Forest Rd 179 Creekside Dispersed
Large creekside dispersed site
Coordinates: 34.82029,-92.82184. Large creekside dispersed campsite located on a rocky, bumpy track, about 150 yards east of Forest Road 179 (aka Wildcat Mountain Rd). If going southbound on FR179, the track is on the left immediately after crossing a bridge. The track may look sketchy to some drivers, but I drove down it okay in my Subara. Good spot for car camping. The site itself is very rocky, so it may be uncomfortable for tent camping. There are trees for hammock camping. There are 3 large rock fire rings. This site is prone to flooding. The site appears to be popular and well used. There are no hiking trails, but the access track passes the site and continues along the creek - good for an easy stroll. Tried fishing here, but no luck. I do know from previous experience that there is fish in the creek. The creek is nice for a summertime dip when its running high. The site is mostly shaded; may be difficult to get a Starlink connection. I received no cell service. This is a pretty nice site, offering some privacy from the forest road and a wonderful sound of the creek.
- Fred S.Legend
Forest Rd 179 Dispersed
Large Dispersed Site by Beautiful Forest
Coordinates: 34.84016,-92.82538. Located along unpaved Forest Road 179 (Wildcat Mountain Road), about 3/4 miles south of junction with Forest Road 132. The forest road was in good condition during my visit. A 2-wheel drive passenger car should be able to reach this site. It is a large campsite, close to forest road; no privacy from the road. The site is a dirt surface with a very large rock fire ring. Mostly level. Tent and hammock camping possible. No T-Mobile service. Has AT&T 5G service. Shaded; connection to Starlink will be a challenge. Beautiful forest with a very small pond behind the site in the woods. May be able to back a truck camper into the site; I don't recommend anything larger. Pretty area; nice area for a stroll in the woods. There is a hiking trailhead near FR132 with a dirt parking space. This is a really nice, clean site if one doesn't mind the lack of privacy from the forest road.
Charles H.
Traveler
Mount Magazine State Park Campground
Flying High
The experience begins with the climb: the road winds up and around the bends and crooks of the mountain. The entrance and welcome center is grand and very accepting of anything from small vehicles to large diesel pushers. The camping spaces are large and accommodating, most are level and can fit almost anything you travel in. The amenities were clean and - while dated - all in good working conditions. The various trails are well marked and offer several levels of technical expertise. At the top you can camp or stay at The Lodge - which offers a myriad of services from food to catered events.
But the views ARE the reason to experience this park! They are simply delicious!
Forest K.Traveler
Big Fir Primitive Camping
Wrong coordinates
The directions/ coordinates are wrong. Go to contact info or look it up on Google Maps.
James B.
Ranger
Twin Creek Campground
Nice stay for one night
We decided to stay here for an overnight after being in Hot Springs area.
There was only one other camper. The fee is $14 a night, not the $12 listed on sign. There is a pay kiosk that takes cards The campground was very clean and had many many trash cans.
Bathrooms clean and had running water and flush toilets. Cell signal was poor with Verizon. Found an opening and Starlink worked great.
Logan R.
Scout
Forest Service RD 153 Ouachita National Forest
Overland site
First off the coordinates are 34.80858, -93.07552 This campsite has amazing 360 sunsets and sunrises. A bit rocky for tent campers but should have no trouble finding a spot for a 4 man tent. There is also limited level ground but not bad. This site has room for 2-3 rigs. If ya needed to squeeze 4 you definitely could. There is a good breeze as it is on the top of the ridge which would be great in summer but can get a bit nippy in the colder seasons so keep that in mind. Nice sound of the breeze in the trees to put you right to sleep and extremely rare traffic so minimal reminders of society!!! I’ve rambled a bit but this site genuinely ticked all the boxes for me. Made for a beautiful evening.
- Forest K.Traveler
Buckville - Lake Ouachita
Nice boon-docking area
Our family has camp here the last 4 years, sometimes twice a year. We like it for the family and grandkids because of the swimming area and pit toilets, which allows us to stay for about 3-4 days at time, you need to bring your own toilet paper and water. There used to be a store a couple of miles up the road from here, but the last time we camp, it was closed due to the spouse passing away. If you like boon docking, Kayaking, and fishing in a quite area, this is the place for you. Bring your Kayak and go Island hoping!
little B.Scout
Lake Catherine State Park Campground
I love the tranquility
I really love this place because it’s so peaceful. This is why I like places with forests and lakes. I work in cities, block blast always so noisy there…
- CChris A.
Guide
Lake Ouachita State Park Campground
Great State Park
Lots of Space, Shade, and access to mountain bike trails and downtown hot springs
Twyana S.Guide
Bear Creek
Primitive beauty
This park is a wooded area beside a lake. Campsites have a picnic table & grill. No electricity or water. No concrete parking pads. However almost all sites have a view of the lake. Beautiful views. Two pit toilets were clean & smelled ok.
Alice S.Legend
COE Lake Greeson Self Creek Jim Wylie Recreation Area and Campground
Wooded With View of Lake
This site was difficult to find. It is listed on the highway with a sign but on GPS it wasn't listed. The proper address is 4101 US-70, Kirby, AR 71950.
You book through recreation.gov but it is actually listed under Self Creek campgrounds. When booking just lok for sites listed on LOOP JW.
This is a good site for tents, campervans, and smaller rvs. There are sites for larger rvs but not many. It may be difficult to find a level spot if you're in a larger vehicle. There is only one site directly on the water. The remainder are on the wooded hill but still have a beautiful view of the lake.
The bathhouse has flush toilets and showers but is very old. They maintain it well and it is cleaned regularly. The toilets are perfectly fine but the showers are just old and a bit icky. I would suggest for showers going to the Daisy State Park. They have newer and nicer showers.
- Twyana S.Guide
COE Lake Greeson Self Creek Jim Wylie Recreation Area and Campground
Unable to Locate
The GPS coordinates are wrong for this one but I couldn't locate the correct site. Tookus down a gravel road that wasn't bad until it turned to mud.
- Twyana S.Guide
Self Creek
Lots of Choices
Large campground with lots of different areas to camp. They have sites in the woods, next to the water, and out in the open.
The bathrooms were clean and well maintained.
- Twyana S.Guide
COE Lake Greeson Star of the West
Arkansas Beauty
Amazingly beautiful and cheap. Bathrooms are vault toilets. They smell bad but the room is clean.
- Alice S.Legend
Daisy State Park Campground
Very Nice but Busy
They have a lot of campgrounds but most are very close. Not a bad thing for those social butterflies but a little tighter than I like. Their bathrooms and showers are really nice. Clean and spacious.
It's definitely worth a visit but make sure to book well in advance. They sell out quick.
- Alice S.Legend
COE Lake Greeson Star of the West
Good Location But Better Options Available
The price here is now $10 per day but if you have America the Beautiful Pass it's half price.
Couple downsides are that the bathrooms are pit style bathrooms and kind of nasty and unless you snag one of the sites far back in the woods you are pretty close to the highway so some noise.
It is my understanding that they are scheduled to update the bathrooms in the next year or two but until then I'd definitely suggest going to Arrowhead Point. It's right down the road, same price, quieter, and nicer bathrooms.
- Alice S.Legend
Arrowhead Point — Lake Greeson
Affordable and Comfortable
This location is right on the lake with quite a few camp sites available. The only down side is they have only one site available with electric and hookups. Everything else had no electric or hookups.
The electric site is $22 and all the rest are $10. If you have a senior pass they are half off though. It's first come first serve.
A nice boat ramp is on site as well as a swimming beach. The beach isn't really big and I visited in October so not sure how nice it is or deep but still a good option to have.
The bathroom has flush toilets and are decently clean. No showers but the state park right down the road has showers you can use for free.
Overall, I really like this place. It's quiet and peaceful. And most important, doesn't hurt my pocketbook too bad.
- Alice S.Legend
Miners Camping & Rock Shop
Good For Primitive Camping Terrible Bathrooms
My first impressions of this site were terrible. The Bathrooms are extremely old and honestly seem like they're rotting down. The playground area is small but jot terrible. The area for rvs is pretty cramped with no privacy. Luckily while talking to some folks there they directed us on down the road. There are two more sections specifically for primitive camping that are really nice. There are a couple picnic tables and fire rings. There is also a nice pond. The cell signal isn't terrible but it's a bit hit and miss for internet.
Overall, I would suggest it but don't expect to use their showers or bathroom. Go a couple minutes down the road and use the state parks showerhouse. It's really nice.
- Alice S.Legend
FR132 - Crossroads Site Dispersed
Super Simple But Has Signal
WARNING Stay on the good gravel roads. GPS took me down 4 miles of an old log trail that I wasn't able to turn around on. Spent thirty minutes cursing GPS and contemplating my life choices. I was headed for one of the other sites but was so tired when I saw this one I took it.
The site is at a crossroads so quite convenient. Only room for one vehicle. It does have a stone ring for a fire pit. The main draw however is that there is pretty good signal with Verizon here which is really rare in the area.
Susan L.LegendDaisy State Park Campground
Definitely worth a stay!
I never start a review like this, but this park had the cleanest bath house/restrooms I've ever experienced! 2 stalls in the shower in this loop and they each had a clean shower curtain, a bench, hooks to hang stuff. Immaculate. Better than some hotels!
Stayed in site 104 in the loop by the boat ramp. Nice shade and long parking pad. Sense of privacy. The sites that back to the cove had terraced areas, so if stairs aren't good for you then skip, but the arrangement made for a large area to spread out relax. This site had an additional parking pad next to it that was right next to the tent pad. Handy for ent campers to unload or boaters for boat, plus there were extra parking spots in the cul-de-sac leading down to the boat ramp.
The lake is sometimes smooth as glass. Kayaks for rent and this is a must do. Visitor center was being remodeled at the time of visit. 2 short hiking trails. Great state park!
- Susan L.Legend
Tompkins Bend
COE Lake Ouachita camping
I tend to like COE campgrounds. However, this one was a different experience for me. It's laid out in a way that it seemed like there was no space between sites and no berms or green cover to give the feeling of some privacy. The site next to me parked their truck about 10 feet from my site on the dirt between us. Boats on trailers are parked in between sites on diagonal or however to make them fit.
Narrow, windy road into park is nicely paved. Nicely shaded, almost level gravel/asphalt site (not very wide with a tree on one side that would obstruct a rig with slide, awning side is tight too) with picnic bench, fire ring, lantern pole and BBQ.
Also, the lake is very low right now. I was told that the state is drawing down the lake for hydro power and because there hasn't been any rain in awhile it's starting to show. It was fun to walk the lake bed and look for rocks and minerals that are usually covered by water. Not much else to do if here if you don't have a boat. Otherwise, a nice place to sleep while visiting the area.
Lindsey M.Guide
Hot Springs Offroad Park
Cheap, Convenient, & Fun!
Car camped at tent site to visit HSNP and trail ride. Staff were plentiful and friendly. My only issues were noise from a fast road near my site, walking distance from sites to restrooms, and most sites seemed quite tight for SUVs/trucks to park within. Even so, I highly recommend checking out this place. I really enjoyed my nights here and hours in the woods!
Greg D.Guide
Cove Lake Complex
Quiet and wooded
Nice quiet campground with a nice lake, vault toilets, no electricity or water Wildlife in the area. We were able to listen to a Barred Owl before going to sleep, mature pine trees giving a lot of shade
.! E !.Guide
Hot Springs National Park KOA
Perfect!
The tent site was perfect! With fire pit, power, and water. The bathrooms and showers were nice and clean.
- WWendy M.Traveler
Edgewood
Sites 21-24 are very close together
We stayed in tent site 22 for a weekend camping trip. You can’t tell by looking at the Recreation.gov reservation site but tent pad 22 is one of 4 in a grouping of tent sites. 21-24 are so close together. If you are with friends or a large family group then it would be ideal but if don’t want people right on top of you then pick another site. Thankfully, we had some cool neighbors but it was a very noisy and bright spot to camp. Also, your neighbors have to walk through your campsite to get to either of the two water spickets that serve all 4 campsites. There is no where to park your boat unless you rent an RV spot and there is no boat ramp in the camp ground. All of the spots were very shady and cool. We had a good time but we wanted to warn others so you know what you are getting into.
- Arthur S.Traveler
Brown Creek Cascade Dispersed Campsite
Nice weekend
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. Bring a chair if you want a comfortable seat, also hard to find decent wood to burn, had to walk a bit to find. Not many cars drive down the road, saw some people hiking, also Sunday morning there were hunters out, so hearing gunshot pretty close to camp. All in all though it is good to be with nature and I’d go back to this spot or find another one on the road. I didn’t go very far down the road have more to explore!
Brian G.GuideLake Catherine State Park Campground
Great State Park!!
Very beautiful place to stay!! Our site on the lake was very beautiful and every site on the water has a small dock you can fish off. Bugs were not bad at all. Would recommend this place to anyone.
Guide to Mount Ida
Nestled in the heart of Arkansas, Mount Ida offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for adventure and tranquility.
Tent campers like these nearby activities
- Enjoy hiking and breathtaking views at the Straight Creek Campsite on the Eagle Rock Loop, where you can immerse yourself in the beauty of the Ouachita National Forest.
- Experience the serene waters and fishing opportunities at Ozan Point - De Gray Lake, perfect for a relaxing day by the lake.
- Explore the trails and natural beauty surrounding Irons Fork Primitive Camping, ideal for those seeking a peaceful retreat in nature.
Local attractions worth visiting
- Discover the charm of Cedar Glades Park, where you can enjoy picnicking and hiking, although overnight camping is no longer permitted due to past abuses.
- Visit the nearby town of De Queen for supplies before heading to Straight Creek Campsite on the Eagle Rock Loop, ensuring you’re well-prepared for your adventure.
- Take a scenic drive along Highway 27 to reach Fourche Mountain Campground, where you can enjoy a quiet night under the stars.
Tent campers should check out these features
- At Bard Springs Campground, you’ll find a beautiful natural setting, though it is currently closed for repairs.
- Jack Creek Recreation Area offers a picturesque environment with a day-use area nearby, perfect for swimming and hiking.
- South Fourche provides a well-maintained site with picnic tables and a canoe/kayak ramp for easy access to the river.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Mount Ida, AR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Mount Ida, AR is Hickory Nut Mountain with a 4.3-star rating from 11 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Mount Ida, AR?
TheDyrt.com has all 40 tent camping locations near Mount Ida, AR, with real photos and reviews from campers.