Best Cabin Camping near Parks, AR

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.

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.

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. 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.

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 is a beautiful State Park with great hiking trails. We hiked Signal Hill (highest point in Arkansas) and the North Rim Trail. Both were beautiful. This is a great place for families to camp. There is a welcome center with a small gift shop. Our campsite was spacious with water and electric although we were tent camping. Shower and bathroom facilities were nice and clean. They also had a place to hang glide. We checked out some of the cabins for future options, and they looked amazing with beautiful views.

Cabins were awesome, hiking was beautiful and kayaking the lake was fantastic! By far the best part of the trip was the events hosted by the Park... almost my whole family participated in eating mill worms at the edible bug workshop!

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.

Pioneer Campgrounds has hosted 8 family reunions and 7 Boy Scout / Girl Scout Troops in 2023. Great place to camp. Clean cabins, brand new bathrooms, large dining hall and kitchen area.

Camping in the state park of lake ouachita in a tent. never. been. better. was on site T04 for tents and basically sites t01-t11(maybe 12) are on a small peninsula with the lake on both sides. you can go swimming in the lake right off the back of your campsite. they have charcoal grills at each site as well as a fire pit that has a grill over itnfor cooking things over the fire. there is a concrete pad with a picnic table as well as a separate pad on compacted dirt for your tent and then plenty of space in your campsite for other things. you can’t beat the views. the bathrooms are the cleanest an moat upsated Ive seen in a camp ground (and I’ve worked in one) and the showers are great. never felt afraid of wild animals roaming the sites while walking to the bathroom in the dark or anything. the staff in the office is friendly. they offer boat rentals for cheap as well as expeditions to partake in. theres also camper and rv sites and cabIns available, a marina to bring your boat, and fun activities for kids! theres a few different trails to hike around the campground. we went on a moderate 4 mile hike and walked to the trailhead from the campsIte. a great hike with awesome views of the lake and you dont have to drive to the trailhead! couldn’t recommend this place enough!

Great place to camp, been coming here my entire life and it has changed very little in that time. Boating, fishing, swimming, cabins available, lots of trails to hike. Just minutes from Mt Magazine and the town of Paris. Friendly staff.

The cabins are beyond wonderful to stay in and well worth the price. Beautiful scenery and tons of activities for the whole family to enjoy. The rangers were great and offered a variety of informational classes and hikes. We will be back!

Mt Mag is a wonderful place to visit. It is one of the highest places in Arkanas. The campground is level and spaced out to have a little privacy. The cabins and lodge are beautiful and a great place to watch storms roll in and a great view of the valley below. The trails are challenging but very beautiful.

Always go to the CMA rally's but have stayed offsite usually, we rented a bunk cabin for the USCA rally and I loved it price was right  accommodations perfect BUT IF YOU HAVE CEDAR OR PINE ALLERGIES be warned, my wife couldn't  as it made it most unpleasant for her.

 I LOVED IT nice quiet relaxing  as another person stated I dont know why its not packed

I drive truck, always have a hard time getting in/out of places with a semi and usually end up not getting to camp. The main pavilion in the center of the grounds is HUGE! theres INSTANT hot water, no waiting for 10 minutes for luke warm water. About a dozen of each... toilets, showers, urinals. 2 or more great big handicap accessible showers. Quite a few cabins. The few people we encountered were super cool and eager to see if we needed help or had questions. 4 stars because there's no lake.

We used this State Park as our base camp for visits to Hot Springs National Park and Garvan Woodland Gardens

We stayed in the walk-in section of the park. It was not a far walk from the parking lot and easy to transport gear. There was also a bathroom with-in close walking distance.

The campsites themselves had a tent pad, a table, and fire ring. There were two communal water spouts along the path that were shared by the 12 sites.

The sites aren't too close to each other, which allows you to have some privacy.

Each site can have a maximum of 8 people on each one.

The walk-in sites are on a peninsula, which makes for great views, but the wind can be an issue.

The Park itself also has a play ground, a marina, a beach, a spring, cabins, and geocaching.

This park is on a little peninsula that juts out into Lake Ouachita, the largest lake system in AR. It’s near the edge of the giant National Forest and close to Hot Springs National Park. The lake is beautiful with very ragged edges and islands so there is a lot to explore by boat, plus two or three hiking trails that take you to a lovely overlook. There are a few different areas to camp, some are very close to the water and some are a little further.

Yay: ranger programs, educational displays, swimming beach, cabins and traditional tent/RV camping. You can rent boats onsite and you will want to! Clean and renovated facilities, nice and simple.

Nay: campsites are not very private, make sure you have a boat!

Surprise: Exceptionally lovely views, good wildlife, amazing sunsets.

Gorgeous lake front sites! This place is really popular in gluten summer time, so expect to book a year in advance. There are a couple of coves with waterfront sites that also have full hook ups. It was worth the year long wait!

The water is crystal clear and we could swim right from our campsites! We also took a Ranger led sunset cruise on the water. Excellent $10 excursion! We normally like the hike the trails, but it was too hot for hiking during our visit.

The also have cute camper cabins, an awesome walk in tent site area and clean bathrooms.

Mount Magazine is a mountaintop oasis in NW AR. It is definitely NOT a family SP. It is structured for adults to enjoy a peaceful, tranquil, serene campground. The campground is small and has a typical setup with 30/50A, water, fire ring and picnic table. There are only 18 sites and are booked WELL in advance. We had to book our site almost a year in advance.

There is not much to do in the campground. There is access to hiking trails and to Signal Hill (the highest point in AR). The lodge is gorgeous and the restaurant has a buffet on Friday nights that is very good. There was an annual yoga retreat the weekend we were there which crowded the lodge, but the cabins and lodge have beautiful views of the valley.

Mt. Magazine is an amazing park (for adults), and make an effort to get there!

Given that the gorgeous Cossatot River has a State Park but its campgrounds are up a few miles of hilly gravel road and offer no plumbing or electricity, you may be searching for more comfy accommodations as a jumping off point to hike or kayak. Lake Gillham campground is unfortunately too far away to be convenient. The CRSP park rangers may mention this RV park, if you inquire, or you might find it yourself on a map. The location is convenient enough - just a few minutes' drive down the road from the Visitors Center. The owners are very friendly and helpful. The setting is adequate: it's close to the road and offers fire ring, picnic table, and a gravel pad. The thing that ruined our stay were some of the regular clientele who were downright creepy/frightening. Think, disintegrating trailers, abusive yelling late at night, unkempt heavy drinkers with leering eyes. In spite of the pluses, I would not feel comfortable staying here again. Perhaps the cabins are distanced enough from the RV part to feel safe.

Magazine 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.