Best Tent Camping near Ozark Lake

Amazing State Park with something for everyone

I have been to Devil's Den State Park twice now and this is my favorite state park in Arkansas. Devil's Den State park has something for every camper, no matter how you prefer to camp. Tent camping, hike in camping, RVs, cabins, they have it all. Want to bring your horse, you can do that as well. Devil's Den has some great hiking and mountain biking trails, from short to long. If you only do one trail be sure that is the Devil's Den Trail, you won't be disappointed on this 1.5 mile trail. If you want a longer trail there is the 15 mile Butterfield Hiking Trail. Devil's Den campground includes 135 campsites ranging from basic tent sites to full hookups for the RV crowed and horse sites. Campground are all paved with paved parking pads. Individual sites have tent pads, picnic tables, fire rings and a first for me, hooks for hanging your lantern. Flush toilets and showers are included. If you like to swim they even have a pool. Park has a store to provide your food needs. Sites all appeared to be well spaced. If you want complete privacy the word is get one of the walk in sites, you will have a bit of a walk but the reward is complete solitude. Lee Creek runs through the park and a 8-acre lake which allows fishing and boating with canoes and pedal boats. You need to reserve your site before hand or at the visitor center. One thing I do like is if you arrive to late to register at the visitor center, then you can just grab an empty site for the night, you just have to register the next day by 10am.

Ranger Review of Banner& Oaks Bull Tan Hat

Got the Bull Tan hat and have been wearing it for about a month now. Hat fits great, looks great. This is a very well made hat with quality materials and made in the U.S.A. It has held up amazing well in all weather conditions, sun, heat, rain and even snow and continues to hold its shape. I have a lot of hats and this one is one of my favorites.

Camped here mid-week on May 28, 2024, just after Memorial Day weedend. The Spring Lake Receation Area is open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. The recreation area is gated between 10pm and 6am. It has a day use area, and a campground which is a long walk or short drive away from the day use area. The day use area has picnic tables, grills, beach and a central restroom/shower facility. Day use fee is $4. The small campgound is situated in the woods along Spring Lake across from the day use area. Camping fee is $15 ($7.50 for federal pass holders). Sounds from folks enjoying the day use area can be heard in the campground during the day, but it's very quiet during the night when the day use is closed. The campground has 13 sites. All of the sites can accomodate tent camping. Each site is unpaved and has a level tent pad, table, metal fire ring and lantern pole. Most of the sites are small with little privacy between sites. The sites are in the woods and have a view of the lake, with some actually on the lake shore. Our site, #8, has a short walking path to the shoreline - good for bank fishing. The campground has two single unit vault toilets which were reasonably clean. For showers and flush toilets, campers will have to use the central restroom/shower facilites in the day use area. The campgound has two water spigots, and trash reeceptacles. There is also a playground with swings and a group pavilion in the campground. There are no hookups at the campsites. I don't recommend this campground for RV camping; Cove Lake Recreation Area is a better choice. Because of the campsite sizes, levelness and ability to access, I believe sites 1, 5, 7 and 8 can accomodate van, RTT or SUV camping, and possibly small towables such as a pop-up or tear drop campers. In my opinion, all of the other sites are too small with tight access and not level enough for anything other than tent camping. Our site, #8, had a level pad which accomodated our camper van, plus a smaller seperate tent pad. The camp host was very friendly and provided good information. There is an iron ranger with payment envelopes at the campground entrance; cash and checks are accepted. There was no AT&T and T-Mobile reception, although cell reception may be possible at other locations around the lake. I came across three possible disperse camping spots around the lake (see separate listings). Overall, this is a beautiful campground. It was quiet and peaceful during the night. I would stay here again, especially in the Fall.

Camped in site #10 in mid-November 2024. Site 10 is non-electric; paid $7.50/night with senior pass. Overall clean campground, well maintained and managed, in pretty hardwood forest. Not busy during my stay. Sites have picnic tables, tent pads and clean metal fire rings. Site 10 was level. The campground includes a clean restroom/shower house, one clean vault toilet at the far end of the campground, trash dumpsters and drinking water; all of these facilities and services were available during my stay in November. Campground can accommodate tents, camper vans, car camping and RVs. Some sites are electric. There are no water and sewer hookups. Campground road is paved as well as Highway 215 from I-40 accessing the campground. Sites are mostly shaded, but there is no privacy between sites. Shores Lake trailhead is located in a parking area in the campground. Day use area nearby with good fishing in Shores Lake. Campground hosts Donna and Eddie were wonderful. I really liked this campground.

A gorgeous park in the Ozarks National Forest close to the civilization in Fayettville Arkansas. This place reminded me of Lake Lure from “Dirty Dancing” with its historical buildings and beautiful lake. Super quiet at night, there were about 18 campsites in the campground (none with electric or hookups), all reservable. This was somewhat a problem as I lacked reservations. While the campground was almost empty (there were only 5 other campers), there were only two sites that were “open” for the night. An impending storm kept many from showing up, and by morning there were only 3 tents still set up. Each site had a nice tent pad that according to the campground host drained well (except for one site on the hill, can't remember which site number, which fortunately wasn’t available), grills, and fire rings. I ended up with site #10 with a great view of the lake. In fact the only thing really separating me from the lake was a nice bit of lawn and the lake trail. The hosts had put up solar lights along the path through the trees to the bathroom, which would have been helpful if not for the relentless rain that kept everyone from wandering about in the dark. In the morning I didn’t have to share the shower house with anyone except the spiders as only 3 other campers stuck it out through the night and their sites were closer to the other shower house. While not modern by any means, the shower house was clean and the water was hot. Just know that you will need to push the water button several times to get a good rinse as it only seemed to run the water for about 2 minutes a push. I didn’t drive over to check out the cabins, but I understand that you can rent a historical cabin if tent camping isn’t your thing.

This review is for the Butterfield Trail in Devils Den. You have to hike in to get to theses spots. If you start at the traditional Devils Den and park at the pedestrian bridge you have a nice challenging hike up to the back country portion of the park. You start hiking along a river and after a mile or so you start your upward journey. The trail is generally in good shape but if it has been raining, beware as some of the trail is also used for horses which makes the trail sometimes tough to make it through as it gets pretty mushy. My favorite spot is about halfway through right on a river that flows a blueish color that doesn't make you want to even filter and drink the water. The spots are level and secluded but you sometimes find trash as people don't abide by the leave no trace principle. I bring all my own water on the trail but there are a few spots you can filter. We have found many snakes here and some are poisonous. BEWARE! The geography has is pretty unique and flash flooding is common. Be very aware of your surroundings and watch the river if you are in a rain storm. You must check in at the ranger's station before you do any back country camping in the park. The trail is a pleasant longer trail in the area and is a must but I would recommend trying this trail in the Spring or late fall.

My best friend and I stayed October 22-25. I was looking for a quiet, small campground with minimal amenities and cool features that was driving distance to good hikes. This was perfect. Only six spots. Fire rings and low to the ground grills. Vault toilets near the entrance. Short walk to the river as it was dry season and lots of beautiful fall leaves. Close to a more developed campground with flush toilets and showers if ya need ‘em. Some noise from the road but pretty minimal compared to other places I’ve stayed. Coyotes passed by close our first night and it was neat to lay in my tent listening to them. Slight struggle with ants but possibly just set up my tent in an unlucky spot. If you prefer your nature with as few humans in it as possible, then I highly recommend this spot.

White Rock Mountain Recreation Area, in the western Arkansas Ozarks, has a campground with 9 tent sites. One of these is a large group site. 8 sites are arranged along a gravel loop road. In addition to tents, these tent sites will accommodate a camper van; the best sites for vans are #1 thru 4. These are level. Sites 5 thru 8, on the west side of the loop, have great views, but are probably not level enough for van, truck and car camping. Each site has a level gravel tent pad, grill, table & fire pit. The sites are not large enough for RVs. The forest roads leading to the recreation area are rough in places, but passenger cars can make it. Amber, our host, is fantastic. She delivers firewood to your site after purchase. The vault toilet is clean. Pump water is available. No hookups. The campground appears well maintained. The OHT runs though the recreation area. There is a really good hiking trail that loops around the rim of the mountain, offering fantastic views of the Ozarks. T-mobile cell service is available with sporadic LTE data service.