Robyn Michelle S.
Scout
ScoutMill Pond Village RV Park
Nice
Nice quiet neighborly (most) pet friendly laundry showers wifi pool community gathering
Glamping near Chidester, AR
6 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
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DeGray Lake Resort State Park houses upscale glamping accommodations across three distinct campgrounds in Arkansas, about 70 miles southwest of Chidester. The park offers both standard campsites and distinctive yurts overlooking DeGray Lake, providing an elevated outdoor experience with comfortable beds, electricity, and climate control. Each yurt includes furniture, lighting, and private decks with lake views, while maintaining proximity to clean bathhouses with modern facilities. The resort atmosphere extends beyond accommodations with thoughtful touches and scenic waterfront locations. As one guest noted, "The yurts are in the best location with the most beautiful views, perfect for glamping."
Visitors at DeGray's glamping sites enjoy direct access to the clear waters of the 13,800-acre lake, with opportunities for kayaking, fishing, and swimming from beaches near the accommodations. The resort features guided boat tours, horseback riding trails, an 18-hole golf course, and ranger-led activities throughout the year. Hiking trails showcase Ouachita Mountain views and abundant wildlife, while the on-site lodge houses a full-service restaurant with panoramic lake vistas. A visitor mentioned, "Sweet little getaway with nice cool water. The restaurant was super kid-friendly with helpful staff and the most beautiful views from the lodge." Glamping reservations should be made well in advance, particularly for summer weekends and fall foliage season.
Best Glamping Campgrounds near Chidester (6)
1. DeGray Lake Resort State Park — De Gray State Park
"Lots of activities here, we stayed at the De Roche Ridge campsite area, love the view of the lake no matter which site you stay and enjoyed beautiful sunsets from ours."
"Well maintained, lodge on site, family and pet friendly."
2. Crater of Diamonds State Park Campground
"clothes and shoes while out in the search area."
"clothes and shoes while out in the search area."
from $15 - $50 / night
Check Availability3. Ozan Point - De Gray Lake
"This quiet campsite is more tailored to primitive/tent camping with spread out spots including picnic tables and grill pits."
4. Alpine Ridge - De Gray Lake
"The bath house was super clean and the shower was good and hot with plenty of pressure. The step down into the shower kept the other area from getting so wet."
"Nice bath houses. The shower water pressure is amazing and aintenance cleans daily. Lake was low at the time, but the beach area is nice."
from $26 / night
Check Availability5. Murfeesboro RV Park
"The staff is very friendly. Stay 2 nights or longer and you can get a free demo of how to sift for diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, which is just down the road."
"This place has been great, we stayed for two nights and got to rent out equipment for free to go diamond mining and the woman on staff was very friendly and helped us out with a last minute reservation"
6. Mill Pond Village RV Park
"Nice quiet neighborly (most) pet friendly laundry showers wifi pool community gathering"
Drive Time
- 1 hr 10 min from Texarkana, TX
- 1 hr 22 min from Hot Springs, AR
- 1 hr 38 min from Little Rock, AR
Recent Glamping Photos near Chidester, AR
4 Photos of 6 Chidester Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Glamping Reviews near Chidester, AR
84 Reviews of 6 Chidester Campgrounds
- BBrent Y.Scout
Ozan Point - De Gray Lake
Seculision
Really nice spot. With good swimming hole. Flush toilets were clean. No lights though but had power. Camping only no rvs or campers. Super peaceful. Water on site. Nice Boat launch
- KKerri C.
GuideMurfeesboro RV Park
Great place to stay
I stayed 2 nights and enjoyed the time I was there. The grounds are nice and well maintained. The staff is very friendly. Stay 2 nights or longer and you can get a free demo of how to sift for diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, which is just down the road. They also lend out, for free, equipment to use to hunt for diamonds (if you stay 2 nights or longer).
I stayed at tent spot 2 and it was a great choice for staying in a tent, nice and shady. I car camp with an attached SUV tent and was able to have my set up arranged how I needed it. There were electric outlets at the site. The bathrooms were clean and air conditioned. I will definitely stay here again if I’m in the area. - B
Brian K.
RangerCrater of Diamonds State Park Campground
Return to the Crater
Campsites are spacious and can get noisy on the weekends. Security makes routine drive by rounds and very friendly. There is WiFi but kinda lousy and phone service is iffy. Bathrooms are ok but looks like they hose the floors and don’t mop and dry.
Lauren M.GuideCrater of Diamonds State Park Campground
Great State Park to relax at
We stayed 3 nights and really like it here. Quiet and relaxing. Get to explore the diamond fields in the day. Fire pit at night. A few short walking paths. Kids had a great time meeting new kids. Dogs allowed at the diamond fields. Site 7 is uneven for a long 5th wheel. Other sites might be better, but we made it work.
Ray & Terri F.
LegendDeGray Lake Resort State Park — De Gray State Park
Very quiet and secluded CG
We have a 36 ft Class A with a Cherokee Trailhawk tow and stayed in site 12 for 1 night in mid September. The CG is clean and well maintained but showing its age. The CG roads are paved, but narrow, winding, and fairly bumpy in spots. Few if any of the sites in this section of the CG were anywhere close to level and our site, one of the few pull-throughs, was one of the worst, I mean seriously sloped even after ratcheting up the front levelers as far as they’d go. The CG is very quiet and peaceful. There was only one other camper in this section of the CG while we were there.
AT&T coverage was basically nonexistent with 1 bar of LTE service but very little if any throughput. The CG is heavily wooded, so Starlink was unusable.
alicianlvRangerCrater of Diamonds State Park Campground
Diamond Mining Fun
What a lovely state park campground. Sites are just close enough not to be crowded. Facilities on site were clean and well maintained. Nice to have a hot shower after mining for diamonds. Will make note that best time to come is October-November. Visitor center was somewhat dated, would have thought they would have basic food stuff and more camper supplies. Other than that it was a nice place and we will come again!
PS if you have a dog who likes to dig this is a nice place for them to help you dig.
Wayne J.
TravelerCrater of Diamonds State Park Campground
5star campground 4star site
I’ve reviewed the campground before, for other sites. Most are level and plenty of room/parking length. This site 30 is cramped and has a passenger side tilt to it. I have a 26’ (tip to tail) TT and a crew cab pickup… they will not fit in the campsite end to end, much less with some room to get in to the tailgate. Once unhooked, I had to angle the truck in to overlap the tongue of the TT. Ended up with a 3 inch riser to level the trailer side to side, which puts the first step about 17 inches up. To add to it, there is no level surface much further than the step before the site slopes off steeply with pine needles. The site just seems like the Park wanted to jam another spot in to make 45$ extra a night on busy times. I would not recommend site 30, to anyone. Tent campers would be even worse off, as the tent pad area is back closer to the road.
- Wayne J.Traveler
Crater of Diamonds State Park Campground
Great full hookup campground
I keep coming back here to dig for diamonds. There are cheaper campgrounds in the area, but the State Park grounds are top notch. Very level camper pads, stable power and water and everything is well maintained. There are multiple bath “houses” — single shower room style privacy, not a large room with curtains. A playground in the sites for kids to play on also.
The only downsides that come to mind are the iffy WiFi (the reservation system is pretty accurate on which sites have “good” WiFi and which do not) that is decent for casual web browsing but not likely to be streaming possible. And then a mixed pro/com is that satellite connections (direct or Starlink) is going to be rough due to the wooded aspect of the sites — although the trees do help keep the camper cooler. 🤷🏻♂️
Guide to Chidester
DeGray Lake Resort State Park offers a range of camping and glamping options in Arkansas, located within a 70-mile radius of Chidester. The park spans across 13,800 acres, with elevations ranging from 174 to 248 feet above sea level. The region experiences hot, humid summers with temperatures regularly exceeding 90°F and mild winters where overnight temperatures can drop below freezing.
What to do
Wildlife photography opportunities: At DeGray Lake Resort State Park, visitors can capture exceptional wildlife images. "Depending on where you are in the park you can see the Ouachita mountains in the horizon. Great place for photo enthusiast with Beautiful sunsets and an abundance of wildlife," shares Tina B.
Diamond mining adventures: The Crater of Diamonds State Park Campground offers a unique opportunity to hunt for precious stones. "The Crater of Diamonds State Park is an exciting place full of rich history and, of course, finding lots of rough diamonds... this park sets itself apart from anywhere else by allowing visitors to keep any diamonds that they find," explains Prospector J.
Lake swimming access: The clean waters at Alpine Ridge - De Gray Lake provide excellent swimming spots. "Some spots are reservation only and run about $20 or less depending on the hookups... even a swimming beach (when the lake is up)," notes Cultivating Fire L.
What campers like
Secluded waterfront sites: Ozan Point - De Gray Lake offers quiet camping away from crowds. "This quiet campsite is more tailored to primitive/tent camping with spread out spots including picnic tables and grill pits. For $10 a night (March 1 - October 31), this was a nice rest stop to cool off for a swim and hang out away from city noise and light," shares Cultivating Fire L.
Clean, maintained facilities: Campground cleanliness ranks high on visitor priorities. "The CG is clean and well maintained but showing its age. The CG roads are paved, but narrow, winding, and fairly bumpy in spots," notes Ray & Terri F. about their DeGray Lake experience.
Variety of trail options: Multiple hiking trails with educational features enhance the glamping in Chidester, Arkansas region. "Each trail had a information board where you can scan a QR code to know more about the trail, what made it unique and what to look out for while you are out there. This was new to us and kept us curious," mentions P about DeGray Lake.
What you should know
Weather-dependent mining conditions: When planning a trip to Murfeesboro RV Park near the diamond fields, timing matters. "The best time to take a trip to the Arkansas diamond fields is after a heavy rainstorm, but keep in mind that you will get muddy during your visit so always wear the appropriate clothes and shoes," advises Prospector J.
Connectivity limitations: Cell service and internet access vary widely across the region's campgrounds. "AT&T coverage was basically nonexistent with 1 bar of LTE service but very little if any throughput. The CG is heavily wooded, so Starlink was unusable," reports Ray & Terri F. about DeGray Lake.
Seasonal water levels: Lake access can change throughout the year. "Lake was low at the time, but the beach area is nice," reports Duke L. about Alpine Ridge, highlighting the importance of checking current conditions before planning water activities.
Tips for camping with families
Amenities for kids: Many glamping options near Chidester, Arkansas cater specifically to families. "We enjoyed paddle boating, horse back riding and disc golf. They had cleaned all play areas and set up toys for young kids," mentions P about DeGray Lake.
Diamond hunting with children: Make diamond searching educational and age-appropriate. "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!" shares Becca H. about Crater of Diamonds.
Multi-generational activities: The Mill Pond Village RV Park provides a convenient base for family explorations around Hot Springs. Located near numerous attractions, it offers full hookups for families traveling with different accommodation needs.
Tips from RVers
Site selection for leveling: Choose your site carefully at DeGray Lake. "Few if any of the sites in this section of the CG were anywhere close to level and our site, one of the few pull-throughs, was one of the worst, I mean seriously sloped even after ratcheting up the front levelers as far as they'd go," warns Ray & Terri F.
Shower facilities worth noting: Bathroom quality varies between campgrounds. "The bath house was super clean and the shower was good and hot with plenty of pressure. The step down into the shower kept the other area from getting so wet," reports Brent & Lisa A. about Alpine Ridge.
Reservation timing: Plan ahead, especially for popular campgrounds during peak seasons. "Be sure to reserve well ahead of your desired dates," advises Jason W. about DeGray Lake, noting that the popular sites fill quickly, particularly during summer months and weekends.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping
campsite near Chidester, AR?
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Chidester, AR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Chidester, AR is DeGray Lake Resort State Park — De Gray State Park with a 4.6-star rating from 31 reviews.
What is the best site to find
glamping camping near
Chidester, AR?
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Chidester, AR?
TheDyrt.com has all 6 glamping camping locations near Chidester, AR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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