Best Tent Camping near Salem, AR

Even though their website says they have tent camping they DO NOT

Park is clean and well run. Along the beautiful White River, trout heaven. 3 “cabins” available, these are park model RVs in permanent spots along the River. Tent sites with no hookups available, but not at rivers edge. You can put a tent on an RV spot. Programs available from park rangers. Store in campgrounds has most of what you may have forgotten. Tent sites have trees for setting a hammock, some better than others.

Have stayed here twice so far and love it. Price is cheap and they work off the trust system. They have electric and water camper hookups and tent camping. They also have a little bath house there too. Not 5 star lodging but the view over white river is breathtaking.

Mainly an RV campground with some tent sites. Camped with our camper van at site #35 along the White River. Long walk to the restroom from here. The RV sites have paved drives & offer views of the river. Most sites are small, feels crowded, although there were many unoccupied "Reserved" sites. No privacy between most sites; can easily hear conversations from neighboring sites. Table, firepit, water & electric hookups included. The restroom/shower house is clean & warm. Campground is popular with fishermen. Big Bluff hiking trail nearby; excellent trail. T-Mobile service is very good. Campground is clean & well maintained. To us, the layout of the RV sites along the river had a mobile home park feel to it. The 20 tent sites are in a wooded section away from the river. These sites appear to be spacious- more so than the RV sites.

This a a great park with direct access to the Buffalo River and hiking trails including one with a cave to explore. The Rangers are very helpful and a great resource for new visitors.

The park has RV sites, walk-in tent sites and group sites.

We had a great time camping Memorial Day Weekend. We tent camped. The campsite was really nice and everyone was very friendly. The visitor center is awesome and the park had several activities available. We went to an owl talk and a bear talk that was very informative. We also did the lake cruise. I would highly recommend this park.  This is my favorite camping spot.

Beautiful river among bluffs and forests. This campsite does allow reservations so it’s the safest bet for your trip through the park in the summer. There are some walk-in tent sites too but you won’t be very far from your car. Nice and simple campground, clean, actual hot showers.

This is primitive camping at its best. They have one vault toilet, 12 tent sites, and a water spigot. Right on the beautiful buffalo river. The sites were patrolled by rangers on a regular basis. However, the rangers were great and knew a lot about area. I can’t wait to go back.

We stay here 3 or 4 times a year, they have lots to offer. Bike/hiking trails, horse shoe pits, basketball court, a very large picnic area a store with thing's if you forget something, very nice bathrooms with showers. They offer tent camping area that's pretty nice, and rv camp site with Full hook ups and some with just water and electric. It's a must see, also, some site are available year round

This campground was wonderful! We needed a tent site for one night and we ended up getting a whole grove of trees to ourselves! It was a Saturday night and there was an open mic night and bbq. The atmosphere was light and fun and the people rocked! Very clean bathrooms and showers. The rates were very very affordable too! 10/10!!!

The staff here goes above & beyond! The campsites are close together but the amenities are worth it. Very family friendly. Right on the White River with easy access to the Buffalo River by boat, canoe, or kayak. Pool, playground, small store with essentials, boat rentals, ping pong, & more. Tent sites are mixed with smaller travel trailers. We would definitely recommend reserving a River front site! We rented a boat and explored the Buffalo River - it was very relaxing & amazing views.

This is an incredible place to camp. Your camp is where the White River and Buffalo rivers merge. If you enjoy fishing this has some of the best trout and bass fishing in the area. The resort has cabins, full hookup sites , tent sites, pool and play area for the kids. If you like to just float or fish they can help you with what you need. There is also boat rentals , fishing guides, just plain relaxing. The resort is family owned,

We have loved BP for 25 years. We have always tent camped but now we have a camper. This site isn't great for a camper/RV, but at least we were at Buffalo Point! I say it's not great for a camper for the following reasons: Your camper door opens into a BUNCH of brush/bamboo. The picnic table is on the wrong side (not the door side). Other than that, the good things about it are: like I said, you're at Buffalo Point and the river is right below you . You are RIGHT next to the boat launch/swimming area. All that to say, if this was the last site available, we would take it again, it's just not our first choice.

PROS- First the floating was excellent on the northfolk River. Great wildlife along the way including cranes, turtles, ducks, fish. Fantastic on site restaurant with bar and grill that has Saturday karaoke and Friday live bands. The best showers with privacy and cleanliness. Has extras on site like cornhole, basketball, Foosball, and a pool table. The campsites were large. The tent sites were shady and grassy with even ground and near the river. CONS- The RV sites have zero shade and very little grass so it's mostly clay mud on the ground, which would have been fine but since it rained it made a giant mud soup mess. The cost is higher than the recreation government sites online for camping.

We tent camped at the Buffalo Point Campground in loop B for a few days. These sites are the closest to the river and the swimming area. The sites are pretty close together, but there were a few that had more room (next time). You can not access the river from these sites. There is a view of the river through some brush.

We rented from Wild Bills and floated to Rush. It was gorgeous! We saw tons of wildlife and were the only ones on the river on a Thursday morning.

The sites being close together and the lack of a super flat area for our tent is the reason for the 4 star. Plus the bathrooms were a little dirty, but they had great pressure and hot water.

Don’t miss out on the Indian Rockhouse trail and the concession restaurant. Get the broasted chicken breast and jojo potatoes. Trust me. Plus a piece of peanut butter pie!

This is our go to get away! If you like canoeing and kayaking… it’s here. Like hiking… plenty of trails. Want to just site by one of the cleanest rivers around and enjoy the Ozarks… this is it. We’ve tent camped and trailered here for more than 15 years.

The camp grounds are well maintained by the NPS. The showers and restrooms are a bit, um, rustic. Sites can be hit and miss depending on the time of the year. Be sure and view the campsite online and consider the direction of the site. Some get full sun in the morning but most are shaded in the evening due to the mountain. Also, sites on the river side are frequented by raccoons at night and mosquitos depending on the weather.

I would still pick Buffalo Point as a definite place to stay.

This campground is located just past a low water bridge. There is NO cell service in the park. The camping area has a great swimming hole, beach and shaded hiking. Some enjoy jumping off the rocks/cliff, but I would not recommend it. RV sites with water and electric and full bathrooms/showers. Their is another nearby camping area that has has RV sites, bathrooms, tent sites and group sites. The Rangers and very helpful and informative. There is also parking for backcountry camping/hiking nearby. 

The main trail connects to a network of trails over fifty miles long. There is also a pound with a dam and old mill structure not that far away. There are guided cave Tours with paved walkways and elevators, plus more rugged off-trail caving tours as well. The visitor center is very informative and has a small gift shop. We come here year round for swimming in the summer, hiking in the fall and spring, and caving in the winter.

Blanchard Springs has great camp sites, great hiking, multiple access to swim/wade into water, plus great caving opportunities! There is NO cell service in the park. 

The back camping area has a great swimming hole, beach and shaded hiking. Some enjoy jumping off the rocks/cliff, but I would not recommend it. RV sites with water and electric and full bathrooms/showers. 

The upper camping area has RV sites, bathrooms, tent sites and group sites. The Rangers and very helpful and informative. There is also parking for backcountry camping/hiking. The main trail connects to a network of trails over fifty miles long. There is also a pound with a dam and old mill structure. 

There are guided cave Tours with paved walkways and elevators, plus more rugged off-trail caving tours as well. The visitor center is very informative and has a small gift shop.

We come here year round for swimming in the summer, hiking in the fall and spring, and caving in the winter.

On a two day float with kids, made a reservation for tent camping at Buffalo Point for the overnight.  I hadn't been there before, but it looked beautiful and on a nice beach at the river.   Plus with two pre-teen girls, I thought a chance for a bathroom and maybe some ice cream at the store would be a nice break.

The beach is nice, and right before you get to it there's some cool rock formations to paddle your kayak in and around, BUT the campsites are a good hike uphill from the river.  Even if you're comfortable leaving your canoes out of your sight on the beach (I'm not), you've still got to haul all your gear up a pretty good hill and depending on your site, multiple hikes to move your gear unless you're going backpacking light. 

We still hiked up to the overlook which was a nice way to stretch our legs, but ultimately decided to stay at a gravel bar further downriver.  The sites in the campground were shady, the roads were all in good shape, and the river is always beautiful, so if I'm not floating I'll definitely go back.

I completed my undergrad and graduate degrees in Arkansas about 30ish miles north of Little Rock. While living in Arkansas, my brother and I traveled all over the state, including a visit to the Blanchard Springs Caverns and recreation area. Hiking through the caverns and around the recreation area is phenomenal. The caverns make you feel like you’re looking at something made my aliens. It’s really pretty amazing. It’s also enormous inside the cave. For us, it was a day trip excursion. However, we did explore all around the recreation and campground area. I’ve camped all over Arkansas and what I’d say is that this is probably a great place for primitive tent camping and/or backpack/hammock camping. I have three small boys and it wouldn’t be my first choice for a family camping trip, albeit very very cool. The campground is small, maybe 30 or so spots and heavily wooded. The terrain isn’t conducive to kids unless you’re ok constantly being concerned about injuries. There are lots of cool swimming holes, moving water and falls nearby with it’s close proximity to Mirror Lake and Sugar Loaf Mt. definitely worth a trip if you’re close by, but not something I’d make a multi-hour trip for. Also wouldn’t stay there more than maybe two nights. I’d say if you’re camping somewhere relatively close, work in a day trip to Blanchard Springs. If you are like me and have kids, and you’d have to travel anything beyond an hour or two to get there, it’s not worth it. There are too many beautiful places in AR and you’d probably drive by more than one of them to get to Blanchard Springs. I’m giving it 3 stars for that reason alone. If I were rating based solely on the sites, activities, etc. I’d give it 5.

Check in Check out 2 pm

Maximum stay– check to see from Memorial Day through Labor Day

$15 per day no hook ups 1 site with electric $20

Open all year 

No reservations     FCFS 

Tent camping or small RV/trailers

Dump station Picnic table toilets hot showers drinking water grills lantern poles

High water can lead to campground shut down. There are two group camp sites that are by reservations only for a minimum of 8 and maximum of 50. Call 877-444-6777 for reservations or info. 

You will find a trailhead connecting the campground to the North Sylamore Creek Hiking Trail. There is also access to the Syllamo Mountain Bike Trail. If the cavern is open, right now it is closed due to COVID, it is an excellent cavern to visit as it is a “live” cavern. It is still growing and evolving. A must visit is to see Mirror Lake which was created by a dam built by the CCC. Along the same path you will discover the remains of an old mill. Mills once dotted the Arkansas hills but few remain. A hike to the“Blanchard Springs”. The water that is coming out of the rocks is actually coming from inside the cavern. 

The road to Blanchard Springs is steep going in but the road is in very good shape. To get to the campground you will have to cross a “low water bridge” that is made of concrete and the creek flows over the concrete. Adds a bit of excitement for the kids if they have never been across one.

Carry in all the supplies you will need so you will not have to leave the area until you are ready. The creek is amazing, clear and cool.

LNT 

Better than when you found it

Stay safe Happy travels