Ozark-St. Francis National Forests is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Ozark-St. Francis National Forests. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Ozark-St. Francis National Forests camping trip.
$25 - $40 / night
"Our first time in Petit Jean State Park and hopefully not our last! The area is so beautiful and the park is clean. We stayed in one of the yurts."
"PROS
No reservation transaction fee
Senior discount
Quiet
Moveable metal picnic table on a concrete pad, pedestal BBQ grill, fire ring with cooking grate, and one hook lantern pole
Site 14 partially"
"The State Park systems in the US are some of our favorite places to find beautiful camping spots, but Lake Dardanelle State Park in Arkansas tops most of them all."
"The park is clean and decently maintained. Great welcome center with aquarium displays that are quite informative."
$15 - $25 / night
"I elected to try Lake Catherine State Park, located just 10 miles outside of Hot Springs."
"grass around asphalt
Good night sky viewing
Squirrels ate from our hand
Saw ranger patrolling campground frequently
Waste containers every other campsite
Metal picnic table on concrete slab "
"Definitely my favorite park in Arkansas so far. It’s a really big park at the lake with lots to do. I was there in the fall so I didn’t do any lake stuff but still had a great time tent camping."
"This is an absolutely beautiful state park 30 minutes Northwest of Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is massive with a Marina, multiple swimming beaches, RV and tent camping plus cabin rentals."
"Location good. Site: one tent camp site. Which was Off to self. Had covered picnic table (all of which was positive to us) Power and water. Bathrooms; great."
"Super friendly staff,lots of trees, little store with ice cream. Nice game room with a pool table. Laundry room and a little workout room behind the store. Small fenced in playground and a huge pool."
$35 / night
"All of the campsites have a large level tent pad, table, fire ring, and plenty of shade. The restrooms/showers are a 4.5 out of 5 for state park facilities. "
"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."
"Stayed 2 nights in a basic one room cabin. Had a double bed and bunk bed. Heat /air and cable tv."
"It is about 20 min off the main highway. Things close up early here and once off main highway there really is nothing as you drive to the park."
$45 - $95 / night
"Nice, quiet park. Laundry facilities nice and clean. Clean showers. Nice dog park. Management friendly. On lake, so some boat noise."
"Great space on our lot, WiFi for Verizon and ATT were great. Very accommodating staff, super friendly. Clean laundry facility. Would definitely visit again. Allowed to receive packages and wash my rv."
TravelerMagazine Mountain is the highest peak in Arkansas at 2,753 feet. Mount Magazine SP sits at the top of Magazine Mountain. It has 18 RV campsites of varying length, all with water and most have sewer. Two have 50 amp service with the rest having 30. All of the campsites have a large level tent pad, table, fire ring, and plenty of shade. The restrooms/showers are a 4.5 out of 5 for state park facilities.
Mount Magazine SP also has a lodge with a restaurant and and 13 cabins if camping is not your thing.
The park has about 15 miles of hiking trails. The trails are mostly shaded and well defined. Remember you are on a mountain so there will be elevation changes as you walk. We hiked about half of them.
Mount Magazine boasts as one of the top spots for fall foliage. Our visit was in late August so something we will have to come back for, but with the many species of trees I have no doubt it would be beautiful.
Other amenities of the park are multiple picnic areas and a hang glider launch area. Picnic areas are nice. We did not partake of the hand glider launch. No I am not afraid to die, just see no need to rush into it.
Just outside the SP is the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest with 170 miles of OHV trails. Rubi (our Jeep) had fun. Ok we did too.
Mount Magazine SP is a very nice place to visit and one we look forward to coming back to.
RangerStayed 2 nights in a basic one room cabin. Had a double bed and bunk bed. Heat /air and cable tv. They advertise WiFi but we didn’t get good reception even though our cabin was very near the office/pool/bathroom. Clean and well kept. Porch swing, fire ring and water at the site. Friendly staff. Clean facilities. Pool is small. Dog play area and kids playground. Good location for exploring hot springs area.
RangerDefinitely my favorite park in Arkansas so far. It’s a really big park at the lake with lots to do. I was there in the fall so I didn’t do any lake stuff but still had a great time tent camping. There’s a nice hiking trail to explore. Also, the bathrooms were the cleanest I’ve ever seen at a state park. All the tent sites have a gravel pad, grill, picnic table and fire ring. There are also walk in tent sites on the peninsula which are nice and quiet. If you get one at the end I’d say it’s probably 200 meters to the parking lot and bathrooms. I peeked into one of the cabins and they look really nice. They also have camper cabins that have heat/air but no bathroom. In all there are 93 RV/tent sites, 8 cabins and 4 camper cabins. The park is also near Hot Springs so there is lots to do.
GuideThis is an absolutely beautiful state park 30 minutes Northwest of Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is massive with a Marina, multiple swimming beaches, RV and tent camping plus cabin rentals.
We stayed in campground Area A, on a concrete pad with tons of space around the camper. Many RV sites overlook Lake Ouachita, though ours didn’t.
If you are there over a weekend, I highly recommend taking the sunset tour by the park service at the marina. It is two hours, $10 per adult and stunning. With the recent heat wave it was also much cooler then the afternoon cruises.
TravelerOur first time in Petit Jean State Park and hopefully not our last! The area is so beautiful and the park is clean. We stayed in one of the yurts. The kids enjoyed the geese right outside the door and at night, the deer came out only feet from the yurt. The yurt itself is was as expected. Only beds inside with one table, 4 chairs and a fan. It does have electricity inside but no water. Outside is a nice deck, propane stove, water faucet, fire ring, picnic table and bbq pit. It also has a canoe available for use with each yurt. The boathouse was not too far away and well maintained. There is a very nice pool on the grounds also. We really enjoyed the hiking trails.
LegendLet me just start this out by saying, selecting a spot in Arkansas you are overwhelmed with options. State parks flourish and individual campgrounds seem to be countless. When traveling to the Hot Springs area It was a toss up as to which location would bear suit my journey, not only as a campground but as a part of the adventure. I elected to try Lake Catherine State Park, located just 10 miles outside of Hot Springs.
What sold me on this site were the numerous hiking trails, but what surprised me when I arrived were the lakeside water rentals located on premise as well as the actual beach recreation area.
I arrived later in the day and quickly made my camp in the primitive tent area. These sites have no water or electric hook ups however a very nice restroom facilities within 100 yards. They also boast a playground for the kids, not the only of the site. I was greeted by other campers and the sense of community was high at this facility.
My campsite included a table and grill and was nearby a fire ring. The area was much flatter than many camp areas and made for a quick site selection. In the distance deer grazed as the sun was setting.
The next morning I ventured toward the marina and was excited to find they have numerous boats for any level of experience available. Larger units available for full or half day use and smaller units for full or half day along with by the hour.
Hiking trails were my next stop after learning of the various skill levels including ADA accessible, moderate and difficult.
In addition to primitive camping the park offers RV and non-primitive tent camping. Also available are Yurt and Cabin rentals.
Office contains limited food and beverage options as well as supplies for lake visitors and a full picnic area overlooking the beach. Bathrooms and washrooms are scattered throughout the park and are kept impeccably clean with high water pressure.
Cell signal was good even on the remote trails during my stay.
This is by far one of the nicest parks I have camped not only on this journey but on any. Staff was knowledgeable about the park and others of the state and very helpful.
🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰
Easy 5 of 5 Bunnies. I will return!
LegendPROS
Senior discount
Reserved on-line 365 days prior to arriving
Site #68 allowed parking RV 12 feet from water edge which was fabulous
Totally level site
Asphalt campsite pad
Pea gravel and grass around asphalt
Good night sky viewing
Squirrels ate from our hand
Saw ranger patrolling campground frequently
Waste containers every other campsite
Metal picnic table on concrete slab
One hook lantern pole
Metal fire pit with cooking grate
Pedestal BBQ grill
Clean restroom/shower and adequate TP and hand soap. Women had 2 showers, 2 sinks, 3 toilets
Weekend campground nearly filled to capacity
4 bars Verizon LTE
Hike to waterfall a bit tricky, but worth the effort
Hot Springs National Park 15 miles from campground; nice to watch the crowds from Superior Bathouse Brewery
Free water from the springs next to the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center- must have your own containers to fill
Enjoyed Red Oak Fillin’ Station so much we dined there twice
Diamond Head 19th Hole Restaurant, open to the public and very close to park entrance
CONS
Damn Canadian geese crap everywhere
Fire pit was filled with oversized logs and once removed there was unburned charcoal and lots of ash
Unable to move picnic table
Site#68 no shade what so ever
No privacy from other sites
Lots of speed boat and jet ski noise, even after sunset
Morning train noise
Power plant lights and humming noise
No security gate closure overnight
No WIFI
GuideWe stayed here only as an overnight on our trip cross-country trip, but overall nice campground. It is about 20 min off the main highway. Things close up early here and once off main highway there really is nothing as you drive to the park. Make sure you come in with all of your supplies otherwise you will be driving back out a ways for groceries, supplies, etc. Everyone there was very friendly- families, seniors, etc. We were late check-ins and they were extremely accommodating by placing our paperwork on the check-in board for us. Even in the dark our site was easy to find. They offer RV, cabin rentals, and tent sites. We tent camp and the pad was of good size with a fire ring, picnic table and pea gravel. Most all of the tent sites are located with tree shade above them (note: not enough trees that you could hang hammocks or tarps though). There is a small pond that looked as though they allow family fishing in. "Grandpa's Griddle" is a small kitchen on site that they offer home-cooked breakfast to be purchased from in the morning. Mostly simple items: biscuits & gravy, breakfast sandwiches, eggs & bacon, etc. The restrooms / showers were all very clean. We did not go in to the National Park, but it looked very pretty from what we could see. The view of the mountains in the morning was very pretty to wake up to.
Pandemic note: Even though the pandemic was still going on (visited on 5/28/20-5/29/20), no one was really wearing masks here. We did since we were traveling but were the only ones I saw.
The photos are of the pond and some of the super cute vintage RVs that we saw there.
I would recommend staying here.
LegendPROS
No reservation transaction fee
Senior discount
Quiet
Moveable metal picnic table on a concrete pad, pedestal BBQ grill, fire ring with cooking grate, and one hook lantern pole
Site 14 partially shady
Good condition asphalt parking pad with gravel and grass surrounding
Good view of lake from Site 14
Sites well spaced
Campground A toilet/shower building clean and sufficiently stocked. Heated but not air conditioned.
Site 14 more than long enough for trailer and tow vehicle
Dark sky friendly as there are no street lights in Campground A
Very nice 6ft wide asphalt bike trail from Campground B to Mather Lodge
(approximately 1.75 miles) CCC Hike and Bike Trail
New Visitor Center built 2021
Beautiful CCC built Mather Lodge
(restaurant added in 2012)
Grass throughout campground mowed
Firewood sold in the yards of residences along State Road 154
CONS
Site 14 extremely unlevel side to side
No privacy from other campsites
No entrance security gate to the park or any campgrounds as State Road 154 cuts thru the park
No park ranger drive thrus
Mather Lodge Restaurant OK. Don't expect much from the menu or service but it has a full bar
3 of our 4 day stay there was a religious group prophetlytizing at the Park Visitor Center WIFI only at Lodge and Visitors Center
NO TMOBILE service
Cabin camping near Ozark-St. Francis National Forests in Arkansas offers a perfect blend of nature and comfort, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the great outdoors while enjoying cozy accommodations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Ozark-St. Francis National Forests?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Ozark-St. Francis National Forests is Petit Jean State Park — Petit Jean State Park with a 4.7-star rating from 105 reviews.
What is the best site to find cabin camping near Ozark-St. Francis National Forests?
TheDyrt.com has all 24 cabin camping locations near Ozark-St. Francis National Forests, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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