Best RV Parks & Resorts near Ozark, 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.

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

Camped here on Wednesday May 15, 2024. In the Piney Creek WMA, part of the Ozark National Forest north of Hector, Arkansas. Large camping area at a high clearance ATV trailhead, FR1322A, just off Adams Mountain Road (gravel road).  The site has at least 2 established fire rings. Site is suitable for group dispersed camping. It looks like it can accomodate up to 3 truck camper size rigs. No problem with finding a level spot for our camper van. The ATV trail is a nice hiking trail into the forest. The trail has a handful of 4x4 obstacles along the way. A 1 1/4 mile hike takes you to a small unnamed waterfall, which may not be running during the dry season. The site is close to Adams Mountain Rd. We camped here during mid-week & only five vehicles passed by during the evening, with headlights briefly shining into the site. The area & fire rings were clean. Campsite surface is dirt, with lots of poison ivy in the surrounding foliage. Overall, this is a good spot; nothing special, but nice. T-Mobile 5G service (2 bars). Intermittent AT&T LTE service.

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.

The Petit Jean River, flowing from an outlet, divides this US Army Corp of Engineers campround into two areas. There are 38 campsites, with electricity and water hookups. This includes three multi-family sites. Fees range from $18 to $40. Reservations are made on recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777. First come, first served sites may be available outside the reservation season. The campground description at recreation.gov indicates that the campground is located on Blue Mountain Lake, but there is no lake access from here. A drive to Waveland Park is required for Blue Mountain Lake recreation. Most sites are waterfront; a few are just a short walk away from the Petit Jean River. Most sites have picnic table shelters. There are 12 sites and a restroom/shower house along the north bank of the river. The remaining campsites, along with a restroom/shower house, are on the south side of the river. The sites on the north side, except site #6, are in a open area offering little shade. The sites on the south side are along a forest and are more shaded. There is no privacy between campsites; several sites, especially on the south side, are close to each other. The north side restroom/shower house was closed. The south side restroom/shower house was very clean. The roads accessing and in the campground are paved. The campground is setup to accommodate RVs and big rigs, although tent camping is possible. Fishing in the river appears to be the main recreation activity. Walking access to the river bank is provided by stairs. Two playgrounds are at the south side camping area.

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.

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.