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This state park sits on one of the prettiest and clearest lakes in the state of Arkansas. The area that I will be focusing on is the primitive tent sites. There is a loop on a peninsula that are reserved for walking in your gear to a tent site. These sites have GREAT views of the lake. A few of the sites even have access to the water for swimming, fishing, or putting in your kayak.
The sites are pretty close together and not very level. The more level sites are in the loop nearest the parking area. There are two shared water spigots. One near the parking area and one near the end of the peninsula. There is no electricity at these sites. The two best sites, in my opinion, are sites 7, 8, and 9. They have great access to the water and wonderful views of the lake. If you decide to camp here be warned that the sites are not very large. We typically bring a canopy for our outdoor kitchen, these sites are not large enough for a big canopy. Also, this lake tends to be very windy. There are trees around the sites, but the fire pits on sites 7-9 are very exposed. This poses are problem when trying to build a fire.
There are plenty of activities to do while visiting this SP. Some of the activities may still be suspended due to Covid 19. In July they have a boat tour that costs $10 per person. They take you out to "Bird Island" to see the purple martins. It's a neat tour. There are also plenty of hiking trails, swimming, fishing, and other typical state park activities. You can't go wrong with the views here, but there are some things to consider.
Park Rangers were nice and helpful, the other campers were great! The area could use some weeding and mowing. The bathhouses could use some cleaning. I do wish there was a play ground area for the kids. Overall a decent stay and would book again but in a different site. We had a great time. Site 34 backed up to a “swampier area of the lake” as it rained it got closer to camp and nearly took out the fire pit of the site next door.
D26 Back-in full hook-ups, fire ring & picnic table. 2 nights - Memorial Day weekend. Good spot, close to bath rooms/shower house/cafe. Pretty level - just 1 leveling block was all we needed for our pop-up. Lots of amenities- cafe, fishing pond, small general store, playground and off leash dog area. Staff was very friendly. Escorted you to your spot and helped us back in. Shower house was always clean. Loved the dog park! We are just starting to travel with our 2 boxers and was so nice to have an area for them to run a bit. Cons - spots are very close, no privacy. Each spot has a very bright “porch” light that is on until Midnight
It's it's a nice place to Camp RV but not for tent camping it would be better if they have places to put up a tent instead of on concrete.
Just this past weekend, my husband and 3 kiddos set up camp at Degray for a couple of nights. As I write this review, AR state parks are currently the ONLY parks open in the state under Covid-19 restrictions and they are only open to self contained RVs (Re: with bathrooms). That said, I can only imagine that the bathrooms are nice and well maintained because the grounds, trash collection areas, and dump station were nice and well maintained.
This is not a small park. There are lots of sites, but somehow they’ve maintained enough wooded space between each site to feel fairly secluded. Had we had our bicycles with us we could have explored more. As it was, we had walkable access to two (three if we would have walked further) hiking trails and the water. The water was just beautiful. We fished and skipped stones and if it had been a touch bit warmer, we would’ve even taken a dip in the water too.
Overall, we will definitely be back. I remember coming to Lake Degray as a teenager to swim but was even more impressed coming back as a camper with kiddos.
As the oldest State Park in The Natural State, in my opinion, Petit Jean sets the standard to which other parks should aspire. We frequently visit Petit Jean every year (2-3 times) and often joke that it serves as “home base” for our camping adventures. It’s just that good. If we’re unsure about where to head next, we always fall back on Petit Jean. By analogy, I view Petit Jean like a PB&J or a grilled cheese. Both are solid options every time, and you can’t go wrong with either. The same is true of Petit Jean. The campgrounds are generally clean and well kept. I also really like the spacing of the sites, as sometimes the sites in state parks make you feel like you’re right on top of your neighbor. Loop A is typically filled with larger campers, as those sites have sewer, and those sites are generally much larger than other areas. Since we have a PUP, I personally prefer Loops B or C. I have camped in D but it is the oldest camping area in the park and it shows. The bathhouse in that area isn’t as nice. Conversely, the bathhouses in Loops B and C are great. Even if the only site available is in D, I’d say it’s still absolutely worth going. The bathhouses are nice and clean, the amenities are numerous, and the scenery is unbelievable. The trails are fantastic, playground is great, and the food at the Lodge is phenomenal. We make it a point to eat in the Lodge at least one night of any trip. However, I would add, there is also a breakfast buffet in the mornings that’s a can’t miss for the price and convenience. Essentially, it is unequivocally the perfect park for a family with kids. However, it’s also perfect for anyone who may think they may want to go camping. In fact, even the most experienced camper would love this park and what it offers. It’s an absolute can’t miss and anyone debating whether they should go should pull the trigger immediately! (NOTE: I would note that you should be aware of a HUGE car show that occurs in the park every Fathers Day weekend. It is absolutely packed and unbelievably loud with old cars and motorcycles. If you go on Fathers Day weekend, do not expect any peace and tranquility whatsoever - you won’t find it.).
Took my littles and we had fun panning for a hot minute but the trails were good, the playground was good and the facilities were very clean! Something way out of our normal!
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!
Very nice a clean little park. Nice views and love the river stream flowing along the camp sites. Great hiking just up the road to look over Blakey Dam.