Best Equestrian Camping near Oden, AR

Coordinates: 34.78571,-93.15988. Visited in early May 2025. Located along Forest Road 772, about 1 mile north of Forest Road 11 in the Ouachita National Forest. Some minor erosion on FR772 where small creeks cross the road. FR11 is in good condition at the time of this visit. The camp is on the western edge of the Deckard Mountain Walk-in Turkey Hunting Area. The camp serves as a small primitive camping area for equestrian riders on the network of interconnecting loop trails that comprise the Bear Creek Equestrain Trail system. These trails are also open to hikers. The trailhead is located at the rear of the camp. Free. Four sites (2 official national forest sites with metal fire rings plus 2 dispersed sites with rock fire rings), available on a first-come/first-based only. Hitching posts are available in the camp. A small creek runs along side the camp. The grounds of the camp do not appear to be maintained, but the sites were clean. There is a very clean vault toilet located at the rear of the camp; it was well supplied. Tent and hammock camping are possible. Sites are mnostly shaded making solar rechargiong and Starlink access a challenge. I received no T-Mobile cell service. The camp itself is not aesthetically pleasing, but it is located deep in a beautiful forest with easy access to a trail system. Note that, when I last checked, the Ouachita National Forest Web site no longer lists this site as a campground.

This weekend we camped at DeGray Lake Resort State Park in Bismarck, Arkansas. We had a blast! DeGray Lake has a lot to offer for groups large and small wanting to get away. It has several camping spaces with water and electric hook ups (about $22/night), yurts (about $55/night), a lodge (about $100/night), a marina to rent boats or buy bait, several daily activities for children or adults of all ages (some free and some about $5-15/person), horse riding stables (no experience required, about $30/ride 1 hour trail), a full golf course, playgrounds, pavilions, overall clean facilities, and a restaurant. Although our bank fishing experience wasn’t so great, I’m sure with a boat it would have been better. And for those that want to make the camping trip into the ultimate family vacation, this park is about a 30 minute drive from Hot Springs, AR where there is tons to do like restaurants, mini golf, shopping, and we even decided to get ice cream at Scoops (24 homemade flavors and delicious)! We will definitely be back for a visit!!

We stayed at an RV site at Cameron Campground, #2. Nice shady spot with a picnic table, grill and fire pit. Was also a space for a tent. The picnic table had a few steps up to it.

This site is at the entrance, we might have preferred something at the back. Everyone coming in or out drove by our spot. But the neighbors were all very quiet.

The bathhouse had two showers, several toilets.

Several signs up say beware of bears, but we didn't see any.

We saw LOTS of deer.

Be prepared for a long winding road up the mountain. It's not overly steep, but it takes a while to get ANYWHERE in this part of Arkansas.

Went to Cove Lake (11 miles away, about a 20 minute drive) to fish, but didn't stay long, and didn't catch anything. Cove lake has camping but no hookups.

Nice campsites, lakeside, lake view and in the woods, YURT rentals have the best location, DeRoche Ridge second best if you want to be right next to the lake. They also have a lodge if camping isn’t your thing or if you don’t have equipment. YURTs look very nice and have lots of amenities. There’s a full service marina with pontoon and regular boat, kayak, canoe, paddle board and pedal boat rentals. A restaurant and spa at the lodge and many hiking trails. Two gift shops. Bicycle rentals. Disk golf and 18-hole golf courses and horseback riding stables. It’s a really great place. We love it!

From our stay in Mar 15 2021. Lots of activities here, we stayed at the De Roche Ridge campsite area, love the view of the lake no matter which site you stay and enjoyed beautiful sunsets from ours. Full hookups, level pads, clean and well maintained picnic benches, fire pits and grills.

Enjoyed brunch at the Lodge's restaurant, beautiful view of the lake here. They had cleaned all play areas and set up toys for young kids.

We enjoyed paddle boating, horse back riding and disc golf. Each trail had a information board where you can scan a QR code to know more about the trail, what made it unique and what to look out for while you are out there. This was new to us and kept us curious.

Some trails were soggy but it had been raining for a few days making it difficult to get past. Some signs indicating this could have helped us stay off the trails.

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.

Mount Magazine has it all! The official campground has full service hookups with appropriately spaced sites and newer restrooms. There is an unofficial overflow campground with a well kept pit toilet that offers the best view from the campgrounds over the Arkansas valley. If you prefer cabins or a suite, they have that too with amazing views that overlook hang gliding cliffs and a pleasant valley below. For hiking, you can choose a short loop up to the top of the mountain, medium day hikes or a longer 2 day out and back to the bottom of the mountain. This place is a must see if you live anywhere close to the park.