Best RV Parks & Resorts near Norman, AR

Catherine’s Landing is a great RV park with lots of amenities and things happening. This park is an RVC Outdoor Destination property which is known for their “resort” amenities. The park is set on 400 acres with one mile bordering Lake Catherine and about eight or nine miles from downtown Hot Springs. 

All roads, sites and patios are paved and this is definitely a big rig-friendly park. Every site has water, 50/30 amp, sewer, cable, and wifi. Fire pits and picnic tables accompany all sites. There are a variety of sites ranging from waterfront back-in, pull-thrus, or interior back-in. Waterfront sites have a nice view of the lake from the back of the site and access for fishing. The park also has yurts and cottages (some of which are pet-friendly). Adjacent to the yurts is a nice, large covered picnic area with grills, a dish washing station. 

Lots and lots of amenities here. Hiking trails, swimming pool, fitness center, lounge, playground, dog park, zip-line, boat rental, boat launch, store, and disc golf. Some amenities (boat rentals and zip-line) are an extra charge. 

Hot Springs is a nice little town nestled in the Ouachita Mountains with interesting history and natural beauty. We found plenty to do from hiking the National Park to learning about the bathhouse history to discovering the gangster influence. We spent four nights and could have stayed longer with all that the town offers. Most people come here to bathe in the soothing warm mineral waters but there is also a horse racetrack, science museum, off road track, water/theme park, alligator farm, and a few museums. Hot Springs National Park has miles and miles of great hiking trails and a great place to spend an afternoon. The town of Hot Springs is very dog-friendly and we found many places that would allow them in and on the patio for lunch.

Pros:

• Very nice, clean, well-manicured
• Lots of amenities
•  Paved level sites with paved patios 
• The dog park was a decent size for running and mingling with other dogs
• The hiking trail(about 3 miles) was a big plus and got used a lot. 

Cons:

• Price. We booked late and didn’t have too many sites to choose from we had to pay for a waterfront site

D26 Back-in full hook-ups, fire ring & picnic table. 2 nights - Memorial Day weekend. Good spot, close to bath rooms/shower house/cafe. Pretty level - just 1 leveling block was all we needed for our pop-up. Lots of amenities- cafe, fishing pond, small general store, playground and off leash dog area. Staff was very friendly. Escorted you to your spot and helped us back in. Shower house was always clean. Loved the dog park! We are just starting to travel with our 2 boxers and was so nice to have an area for them to run a bit. Cons - spots are very close, no privacy. Each spot has a very bright “porch” light that is on until Midnight

This is to update my previous post. We are now in the Old Cowhide Cove Campground. We have a beautiful spot backed up to the lake with a wonderful view. There are two widely separated camping areas: New Cowhide Cove and Old Cowhide Cove. We ae in OLD Cowhide Cove so this review is specific to that area. Very adequate campsites are well spaced with picnic table, fire ring., 50 amp electric and water. There is a well situated dump station right on the way out. Even though the sites are long enough for most rigs, there is a paved parking area between most sites. Old Cowhide Cove Campground is a small area with only a few sites--a plus for me.

I highly recommend this campground. The unreasonably late check-in time is a responsibility of the COE. There was no one to check us in which was no problem for us as we had advanced reservations and an assigned site which was easy to find and presented no difficulty in backing in.

This is a nice place with a combination of pull through and back-in spots. Our site (and I’m assuming others) is level with well-packed aggregate. The sites are fairly spacious for this type of layout.

The park is located 10-12 miles outside of Hot Springs. Even though it’s along a highway, it’s quite a ways up a hill and through the woods. We had no issues with road noise at night.

If you want a built-in grill or fire pit, then you’re not going to be happy because they don’t have them. I saw a lot of folks had their own small grills. I also saw a full-size black stone griddle at the rec room, but did not ask if it was available for everyone to use.

If you are ever driving through Arkansas a trip to Mount Magazine State Park is a must. Mount Magazine is the state’s highest point topping out at 2,753 feet and delivers sweeping views of broad valleys, lakes, winding rivers, and distant mountains. The rugged rock outcroppings protrude from the densely wooded forests. What makes this park even more spectacularly beautiful is that it is surrounded by National Forest lands encompassing glorious acres of woods. 

In the late 1800’s, the railroad made travel easier and people were drawn to the area for its cooler weather and awe-inspiring scenic beauty. Resort lodges and restaurants sprang up and the resort “Town of Mount Magazine” began. Soon a post office, parks, streets and a dance pavilion dotted the town. The town took a turn when drought, erosion, and the Great Depression brought the town to collapse. The 1934 Resettlement Act purchased all the private land on the mountain and was shortly transferred to the U.S. Forest Service. In the late 1930’s and 40’s, the Works Progress Administration built campgrounds, trails, cabins, and a lodge were constructed. A fire destroyed the lodge in 1971. In 1998, Arkansas State Parks entered into a cooperative agreement with the USDA Forest Service to develop Mount Magazine State Park. The lodge reopened in 2006 and graces the same beautiful setting as the original structure. 

We found this park very relaxing which is kind of amazing because there is so much for outdoor enthusiasts to do making it hard to sit still. There are miles and miles of hiking trails, horseback riding, hang gliding launches, cycling, and some of the most dramatic locations for rock climbing and rappelling. The diverse mountain ecosystem offers amazing bird watching and wildlife viewing and provides habitat for over 90 species of butterflies. Many were brightening the woods when we were there. We were there at a time when wildflowers were blooming so the forest floor was lit up with color. The higher altitude and cooler weather on the mountain meant that trees had not leafed out yet but a look down in the valley was a stark contrast with trees fully leafed out. The park has a relatively small campground with a meek 18 sites with full hook-up (two of which are 50 amp). Campsites are well-spaced with gravel pads and patios with fire pits and picnic tables. We so enjoyed hanging around our campsite but for those that don’t camp you will be perfectly comfortable in the lodge or cabins. 

The Lodge at Mount Magazine has breath-taking views and some rooms have spa tubs on their balconies to enjoy the view. Thirteen cabins dot the ridge line offering the same awesome views and Jacuzzi tub options on your balcony. At the lodge is The Skycrest Restaurant which is a nice treat for those not wanting to cook. We decided to have drinks one evening on the veranda enjoying the setting sun lighting the valley. The next day we popped in for lunch where $6 got a plate of open-face prime rib sandwich, mashed potatoes, salad, and squash casserole. Pretty good deal if you ask us. 

This state park so worked for us. It was the combination of the reading in a quiet wooded campground, being able to go to the lodge for a drink, lunch and great view and spending hours walking in the woods. The park is a good 30 minutes drive from the nearest town so you may want to stock up so you can just relax on the mountain.