Best RV Parks & Resorts near Ponca, AR

This is camping, not an RV park. Gravel roads and uneven RV spots with uneven picnic/fire pit areas. One or two trees between most campsites, but very open. My site had 30 amp electric, water, and sewer. It had cable tv, which I didn’t use. Ask about 50 amp electric. Bathrooms looked clean but they are located by the general store on the way to the river. River was completely wooded with a large dock and moorage. I did not notice laundry facilities. There is a general store, but nobody to help you park. Lots of space, so that wouldn’t be a problem. Do expecting level your rig as most spots are uneven.

While the resort is surrounded by River and trees it’s a short drive into civilization.

This is primarily a dive shop/convenience store that has a campground and rooms for rent attached to the property. It is clean, quiet, and a pleasure to stay at. Most RV sites are 30-amp with water, but most do not have sewer connections. There is a dump station, but larger RVs may have a problem getting in through the pull through. I have an 18-ft travel trailer and didn't have any problems.

The water is good, but pressure is a little on the low side. There are free showers and toilets available, as well as a pool on site. The store is open weird hours but has a pretty good selection. If you are a scuba diver, they are a full service dive shop. Make sure you get a full tank of air though--the guy filling ours only gave us about 2600psi in ours.

Located within the Branson West area, Compton Campground is a part of a larger property which also includes a small hotel. The property is located very near to Silver Dollar City and offers those wanting to take a break from the hustle of the main strip of Branson a shaded retreat with less bustle. 

The property is smaller than some campgrounds in the area, with narrow one way traffic and spaces placed throughout offering both tent and RV style camping options. While larger RVs can fit here, the tight turns of camp do pose a bit of a problem when it comes to driving through with these rigs. 

We visited Compton Campground and noticed it does get a bit congested on busy holiday weekends. The access point is great for navigating out toward the lake or into town and when the Silver Dollar City Property is open it is one of the locations closest to the entry. For this reason you will want to check online for reservations or call ahead. 

Something which sets this campground apart from others is the nice shelter areas located at the rear of their outer loop campsites. Each of these is large enough for a small table or chairs and the coverage is nice for both shade and shelter from the potential rains. 

Sites are designed with connections and also have picnic tables and fire rings located toward the rear of each site, leaving plenty of room for placement of not only your camping rig or tent but also your car for parking. 

While this location does welcome tent campers it is more frequented by RVers because of their amenities which include cable TV, local channels included, and high speed WIFI access in addition to a pool. There are both showers and restrooms and a coin laundry which make this a wonderful stop for an evening, weekend of even week. They do not have long term stay which also in my opinion adds value because you have less chances of encountering someone who doesn’t maintain their area to a standard which is appropriate for camping. 

The surrounding area of Compton Ridge is lush and green and really feels like you are in the Ozarks. They embrace the vegetation of the area which makes it feel like a mountain retreat. On days when the park is less crowded being able to appreciate this area would be nice as squirrels and birds play amongst the branches. 

While this campground does feature a lot of amenities and the feeling of nature, the sites on a busy weekend are a bit closer for my personal liking. Especially with so many larger rigs and the many pop out features, the spacing makes it appear a bit claustrophobic between sites, although the additional spacing at the rear does make the lots appear large enough to spread out in that direction a bit more. This would be a campground I would visit on a random day of the week instead of a weekend.

We have always loved coming to the Silver Dollar City campgrounds. We have been doing this for over 10 years now. We usually stay in the cabins, and this is our first year taking our fifth wheel. I was worried about the height, clearance and trees since our RV is is over 13 ft tall and 45 ft long. The trees were well trimmed and I had no problem getting into our pull-through spot all the way in the back. The people here are always friendly and helpful. We love the quiet woods atmosphere. Great little playgrounds for the kids and the pool. The pull-through spot was a little uneven but not as bad as it looks. It would be nice if they were paved. It usually rains this time of year (May) and the unpaved spots can get a little messy in the rain. The pull-through spots are alternating so you are facing your neighbor's door and not their sewage. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. We always come here for the Bluegrass Festival at Silver Dollar City. The park is great and worth the season pass if you plan to go more than one day.

This was a terrific campground. It was a little tricky getting to the campsite with a big rig. We had to unhook our toad before taking the road down. There is a ridiculous low-hanging HUGE sign on the road leading to the campground (NOT the campground’s fault) that you had to drive around in order to get down the correct area. 

The campground itself is really lovely - right on the lake. There is a swimming beach, but we were there off-season, so too cold for us to enjoy. The sites were well spread out and private. The camp hosts were so nice and really kind to our children. The older man reminded me a bit of Sam Elliot (without the voice) and had lots of stories to share of his days traveling, hiking, and back country camping.

This is a really cool area with lots to discover. We will definitely return.

Amenities: water, sewer, 50 amp, level site, lots of trees, some wildlife (including a luna moth!)

Things not included: no WiFi, but AT&T service was good, no laundry facilities

CLICK HERE for Info on Branson

For those looking for a campground near Branson which offers access to top attractions as well as Table Rock Lake, Indian Point is worth a consideration. The park itself is only a short distance from the 76 Strip and has quick access to Silver Dollar City, even sharing a tram system with the park. 

The campground is well spaced and offers shaded sites for a variety of sizing options from tent camping to larger pull through sites. Each site boasting the standard amenities for travel of a fire ring and picnic table. Many also have connections available and include both water and electrical offerings. 

The site offers a dump station for those RVers needing the service and day use areas for those wanting to visit for fun day at the lake without the commitment of an overnight stay. Picnic Shelters are available and can also be rented for special events and larger groups. 

Restrooms here vary and have both standard restrooms and shower houses. The set up itself is very nice and looks to be much more improved than some parks in the area offering a bit more privacy from the typical sites which have only curtain doors. The facilities instead look very well maintained and have private restroom and shower units for those using them. Although they are still recommending as much distancing as possible and use of your own isolated restrooms when applicable. 

When I visited I noticed the sites are not all created equally in way of parking, some were very lengthy and could easily allow for more than one vehicle while others were lucky to have a small parking area for a car and tent. My advice is to defiantly look and book online before coming to the park before any trip to ensure your spacing. For those not doing so, additional parking is located throughout the park in small pull out areas near restrooms and closer to the boat ramp areas. 

With recent closures of many outdoor areas, this location has opened its doors to tourists once again for the season and with that it has quickly become a popular destination. For this reason you will want to book ahead of time and be prepared to face larger than usual crowds when using the public spaces. 

Rains also can dictate your usage of certain portions of the park as the level of the lake can climb and engulf the swimming beach and outlets to the marina. Upon my visit I noticed the swimming beach was completely under water and thus the facilities near it were not able to be used. The marina was very busy despite many of the walkways being underwater slightly or a brief walk through water to get to. 

The overall feel of this campground is very homey as the people visiting all seem to be very family friendly. The limitation of alcohol keeps man of the party goes away from this park and it allows for quieter evenings and more family based fun inside the park itself with the vast open spaces. 

In addition to the lake and campground themselves, there is a small general store located just across from the camp to make those last minute pick ups a bit easier to find versus running back into town. This is extremely helpful for those who need something small but don’t want to have to drive far to get it. A small restaurant is also located in this area. 

Tips: 

• If you are staying here book online and really look at the map when doing so to ensure your sizing needs are met in way of parking. 
• Venture into Branson for live shows and music, activities and more!! 
• Take a hike on one of the many hiking trails in the areas and explore this region of Missouri!! 
• Check the weather before securing a waterfront site. Lake levels are displayed on the Table Rock website and you will want to make sure you are not visiting when lakes are overflowing to the point of cutting down your adventure. CLICK HERE FOR LAKE LEVEL

This campground is one that is hands above the rest when it comes to upgrades and amenities. With that said it also is a bit higher in price point so when it comes to finding something in the area it is best to ask if you want or need the additional luxuries.

Much like other KOA parks this one offers group activity spaces. A pool, playground, outdoor bbq area, group pavilions and an indoor gathering space are wonderful when available. However when we visited due to the slow roll out of openings due to the things going on in the world, these features were not available.

So then it comes to looking at the more standard and basic services. There are campion options for all styles of camping including tent, RV and cabin campers. The RV areas are the majority of the space however ai was impressed by how many cabins and the size range of cabins they had on site.

Tent camping is located toward the back of the property and was a bit lacking however the space provided was nice for spreading out and still having some covered areas for cooking and dining. There is a shared pavilion/kitchen shelter in this area which offers water and electricity. The tent pad areas are grassy and well maintained.

All visitors have access to fire rings and picnic tables at their sites and trash pick up service is available daily.

KOA offers those who can connect high speed WIFI and cable. As a tent camper the WiFi is great even though I can’t use the other. This helps me to find the best attractions in the area quickly and both upload or download content. The overall cell signal here wasn’t bad though so it just was an added boost bonus!!

This campground has a small store area but is also located very close to the main areas of town for more complete shopping needs. They also have both a dump station and propane for those needing to fill or empty.

I noticed that since they are close to the lake they had an option to rent a pontoon here as well, something I hadn’t seen at other parks in the area. This boat can be towed from the park to the lake and is equipped with a truck to pull it!!

This campground has thought of pretty much everything!!!

When I came here I had but one reason to check out this area, the abandoned once amazing Monte Ne.  As a bit of a novice urban explorer I was intrigued by the history of this once giant which featured the first indoor swimming pool in the state, hosted a presidential function, boasted a gondola to ferry those visiting the facilities and was a part of a man’s manifesto of greatness.  Then it fell to hard times and eventually to ruin much like so many other locations.

So what makes this area so intriguing?  The ruin is now being slowly swallowed by Beaver Lake and the once grandiose walls are now somewhat of an embraced location for street art.   

Rogers has several locations you can camp, but this is the closest to the site itself.  I was excited to check it out and as I drifted further and further away from the Rogers city it started to look more and more remote.  While there were some homes which scattered along the roadsides there wasn’t much in way of civilization.  

Then I happened upon my location of the Monte Ne RV Park, a quaint and secluded space which embraces the peaceful location of Beaver Lake and makes for a perfect idealist setting for relaxing. While it isn’t the most updated campsite I had seen it by far was not the worst and the staff in the front more than made up for any short comings of some weary benches here and there.

The typical person staying here while traveling is enjoying hiking and fishing along with boating and other outdoor based activities.  It was a perfect location for access to the lake and though there were several people there, it didn’t seem crowded because the spaces are nice sized.  There are more than a few long term campers here as well and much like any campsite which allows long term camping you can tell the difference in the residence spaces as they have skirtings on their RVs and plants outdoors.

I was able to find a tent site and settled in and was very pleased that it was very quiet.  I met a couple that was also traveling and had been there a couple nights and they had said they had been out exploring a bit in the area and were quite pleased, even made a couple suggestions for me for my time at the location.

My site was typical in that it had a picnic table and fire ring.  It did include electricity, which typically I am not concerned with but it was nice to have so I could charge my devices and edit some video. 

Closer to nightfall I noticed several people were outdoors using their grills and moving around because the temperatures were a bit better.  It was nice to see the community I was around and again the staff came around to check on everyone which was a very nice touch.  

The positives of this campground:

• TENT, RV and CABIN options

• Shady sites - on hot days this can make all the difference

• Friendly Staff

• Free WIFI

• AT&T Good Signal

The negatives of this campground:

• Slightly outdated, needs some paint and some upgrades on some tables and benches

• Trash - unfortunately when I drove in I noticed trash as one of the first things I saw, this looked like it had been tossed by people coming in and out instead of using trashcans

• Bumpy Road

Well worth the stop to get to be so close to checking out Monte Ne.  If I was to return to Beaver Lake this would for sure be on my list again!!