Best RV Parks & Resorts near Natural Dam, AR

A little older of an area. Stayed in site B10. Close to level. We have a 36' 5th wheel, tow vehicle, plus another vehicle. Easy entry into site and large enough for all vehicles. Asphalt with concrete patio. There is a picnic table and fire ring. 50/30/20A We can kind of see the river from this site. Very roomy sites in the woods with plenty of shade. Mostly dirt ground. Older but clean restrooms. We didn't use them. There are single person combined toilet and shower rooms at the front of park. There are mountain bike/hiking trails all over, even a little bike park with ramps and jumps. Playground and boat ramp. No sewer hookups, but there is a dump station. Lots of mosquitoes in the evening. Although some sites need maintenance and the restrooms are old, this is a nice park. We stayed 2 days and would definitely stay again.

This is KOA, not my favorite place to stop, but they have good, basic facilities, sort of like Motel 6. They are just off I-40, so it was convenient for a one night stop. The sites were level, and were Pull-Thru so we didn’t even unhook. Full hookups, Some shade, a dump station. The shower/bathroom was clean. There is a small store. They also have cabins and tent sites; Free Wi-Fi, cable tv, a pool and playground, and a pond for fishing. There is a small Kamp K9 (dog park). When we were there everything was wet, and the smell of wet creosote from the log yard next door was terrible.

When I came here I had but one reason to check out this area, the abandoned once amazing Monte Ne.  As a bit of a novice urban explorer I was intrigued by the history of this once giant which featured the first indoor swimming pool in the state, hosted a presidential function, boasted a gondola to ferry those visiting the facilities and was a part of a man’s manifesto of greatness.  Then it fell to hard times and eventually to ruin much like so many other locations.

So what makes this area so intriguing?  The ruin is now being slowly swallowed by Beaver Lake and the once grandiose walls are now somewhat of an embraced location for street art.   

Rogers has several locations you can camp, but this is the closest to the site itself.  I was excited to check it out and as I drifted further and further away from the Rogers city it started to look more and more remote.  While there were some homes which scattered along the roadsides there wasn’t much in way of civilization.  

Then I happened upon my location of the Monte Ne RV Park, a quaint and secluded space which embraces the peaceful location of Beaver Lake and makes for a perfect idealist setting for relaxing. While it isn’t the most updated campsite I had seen it by far was not the worst and the staff in the front more than made up for any short comings of some weary benches here and there.

The typical person staying here while traveling is enjoying hiking and fishing along with boating and other outdoor based activities.  It was a perfect location for access to the lake and though there were several people there, it didn’t seem crowded because the spaces are nice sized.  There are more than a few long term campers here as well and much like any campsite which allows long term camping you can tell the difference in the residence spaces as they have skirtings on their RVs and plants outdoors.

I was able to find a tent site and settled in and was very pleased that it was very quiet.  I met a couple that was also traveling and had been there a couple nights and they had said they had been out exploring a bit in the area and were quite pleased, even made a couple suggestions for me for my time at the location.

My site was typical in that it had a picnic table and fire ring.  It did include electricity, which typically I am not concerned with but it was nice to have so I could charge my devices and edit some video. 

Closer to nightfall I noticed several people were outdoors using their grills and moving around because the temperatures were a bit better.  It was nice to see the community I was around and again the staff came around to check on everyone which was a very nice touch.  

The positives of this campground:

• TENT, RV and CABIN options

• Shady sites - on hot days this can make all the difference

• Friendly Staff

• Free WIFI

• AT&T Good Signal

The negatives of this campground:

• Slightly outdated, needs some paint and some upgrades on some tables and benches

• Trash - unfortunately when I drove in I noticed trash as one of the first things I saw, this looked like it had been tossed by people coming in and out instead of using trashcans

• Bumpy Road

Well worth the stop to get to be so close to checking out Monte Ne.  If I was to return to Beaver Lake this would for sure be on my list again!!

This is a lakeside campground with 2 primary sections terraced so that most campsites have at least a partial lake view. All sites are water/electric with sites 51 thru 57 offering 50 amp and the remaining sites 30 amp. Some of the 30 amp sites share water connections. There are 2 boat ramps and a playground. The dump station is just outside the gate and is in good working order. Cookson Bend has the potential to be a beautiful campground but lacks facility and grounds maintenance. Unfortunately, this is well below the COE's typical standards.

Follow route alerts by taking AR170 at West Fork from Interstate 49! 

Do not go to Visitor Center to check in while towing. Go to campsite, unhitch, and then go to Visitor Center. 

Fayetteville for Walmart, Target and other box stores + Braun's Ice Cream

Jakes in West Fork Harps grocery store & fuel 

PROS 

Senior discount 

No fee to make my own on-line reservation

Dark sky friendly 

Quiet during weekday stay

Campground E has lots of trees 

Campsite asphalt parking pad level 

Metal picnic table (on concrete pad), pedestal BBQ grill, metal fire ring with cooking grate that consumed half of the ring and metal lantern hook 

Good space between most campsites 

Campground E trash bin at every other campsite 

Clean toilet/shower facility 

Ample TP, hand soap and an electric hand dryer in toilet facility Campground E

Climate controlled toilet/shower facility. Felt great on a 38 degree morning! 

Park ranger drive thru campground during daylight hours 

Good signage throughout park concerning burn ban 

Good assistant park superintendent presentation at the park amphitheater regarding the CCC constructing DDSP 

Nice hiking trails 

Squirrels will eat from your hand
 in Campground E

CONS 

No cell service. Pay phone at campground toilet/shower facility 

Only free WiFi is at camp store by the pool. We purchased WiFi from park vendor Viasat $20 unlimited for 3 days for one device 

Cannot see or hear creek from site 89 

Sewer connection at rear of site pad 

No privacy from any other campsite in Campground E 

Cannot move site picnic table 

No camp host

This was our second stop at the KOA in Fort Smith AR. They have many improvements since out last stay. The campground is convenient to I-40. It’s far enough away to not have traffic noise. The sites are level, there is a pool, Propane, fishing pond, and camp store. Also hiking trails. Also some tent sites. There is a whole new section for Class A and large 5th wheel campers now. The are located behind a highway department facility, and last visit the smell of the treated power line poles was overwhelming. No problem this time. This is one of the few campgrounds I’ve been to that have a storm shelter!

Stayed here for two nights over New Year's Eve. Campground had only 3 spaces occupied the first night, and we had it all to ourselves the actual night of NYE. To be fair, it was raining and cold weather was projected to move in.  However, several campsites did not appear to have been occupied at all since fall, judging by leaf cover, so in spite of the flush toilets/showers, this may not be an overly popular campground.  We have a small teardrop, and our fellow campers were using a tent and car camping; Site 16 appears to be the only site here suitable for 5th wheels, and its appeared to be a tight squeeze to back in. No hookups at any site.

None of the sites have views of the Mulberry River, but there is a lovely put-in spot for canoes/kayaks that right on the loop with the rest of the sites.  All sites can also easily access the comfort station - which is located across from the day-use parking area.  We saw two water spigots - 1 across from the day-use, and one at site 16 - available for fresh drinking water.  We brought water in with us, so didn't taste test.

All sites have tent pads, fire pits and picnic tables, although several of the picnic tables are not in the best shape. Best draining sites appear to be in the 20s, on the north side of the loop, with 15, 19 and 23 appearing to have good vehicle access and good drainage.

We stayed at site 13, which appears to be reasonably popular, as there was little trash, and less leaves.  Its a short walk and mild bushwhack through a ravine to reach a small cliff overlooking the river, and you can hear the rapids from the tent pad - very soothing! However, after 24 hours of straight rain, this site also turned into a muddy lake, making packing up an interesting endeavor.

No camp host, and I think the rangers checked on us daily, but we never had a conversation.  There were several deadfall trees located in close range of all campsites, so you can cut your own firewood easily -  PLEASE don't be that person who destroys a live tree just because you don't want to walk (we saw a few trees suffering from hatchet wounds at our site).

Hubby mentioned the men's restroom was quite dirty, but I thought the women's side was clean enough. No hand soap provided.  Bear-proof trash receptacles located throughout loop, with most of them at the restroom.

Overall - loved that every site was located amongst the trees. Virtually no wind - in spite of a cold front moving in - and every site was mostly free of trash and debris left by previous campers. Would recommend to anyone looking for luxury among the Ozark USFS accommodations in the winter, if you're not looking for a spot for your 5th wheel or travel trailer.