Best Glamping near Shirley, AR

Our first time in Petit Jean State Park and hopefully not our last! The area is so beautiful and the park is clean. We stayed in one of the yurts. The kids enjoyed the geese right outside the door and at night, the deer came out only feet from the yurt. The yurt itself is was as expected. Only beds inside with one table, 4 chairs and a fan. It does have electricity inside but no water. Outside is a nice deck, propane stove, water faucet, fire ring, picnic table and bbq pit. It also has a canoe available for use with each yurt. The boathouse was not too far away and well maintained. There is a very nice pool on the grounds also. We really enjoyed the hiking trails.

We stayed in the yurts one time and it was nice but hot. Bring FANS. The yurt came with a canoe and life jackets. We loved that stay. My favorite stay is at the tent sites. We have stayed so many times. Several areas to hike with young children. Swimming pool available at a good price. The kids love the near by petting zoo. Lake available for fishing and boat rentals. Wonderful views all around one of my favorite spots.

My Favorite Place!! So much to do!! Love staying in the yurts!! Lots of trails to hike!! Extremely affordable!! Breath taking views!!

Very nice place. Friendly people. Good amount of space between campers. We were on Loop A number 16, so we faced a yurt and the lake. BEAUTIFUL hiking area!!!

This park is by far one of the most well taken care of parks I have ever visited. Accommodations for everyone. Tent camping, yurts, rv campground, cabins, the lodge rooms, if you can't find something that suits you its on you not the park. Lol. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Hiking trails for everyone. Waterfalls, caves, canoeing, fishing, and even have gift shops. So much to see and do here. Highly recommend.

This is very similar to a vacation resort. There are over 100 campsites that are reservable. You can also rent a yurt for $55 a night if you're interested in that! There are tennis courts, a swimming pool, picnic areas, and basically everything you've ever dreamed of finding in a campground. All sorts of facilities are available from showers to flush toilets. This definitely takes the labor out of camping and turns it more into a luxury. If you're interested in "roughing it" for a few days, you may want to try some backcountry camping elsewhere. If you want to take a few days off from the camping grind, this may be the ideal location for you.

This campground provides something for everyone. It has short to long hiking trails, views, waterfalls, lodging, yurts, plenty of camping spaces and the ability to do as much or as little as you would like. We stay in C or D usually as A is for campers and C and D appear to provide a little more space. Sites 112 and 111 were our favorite due to it being closer to the bath house and more space in the camp spot. The bathhouse is standard and doesn't have any remember-able feature. It does include a fairly clean shower and the rangers did come by and clean up every day we were there. I would recommend the boy scout trail if you are interested in fairly long hikes. It takes you all over the park and never has a dull part (other than about a mile of road walking but that is still pleasant as the road is a decommissioned gravel road). If you just want a short hike, I would recommend the Davies Bridge to the Rock House Cave. Not terrible elevation and a pleasant river hike to the cave. The bonus at the Rock house Cave is going on top of it and checking out the "turtle shells" on top!

Great place for hiking and taking in nice variety of views at Arkansas's first state park. Cabins can be rented, RV & tent camping sites available. Modern bath houses with showers and toilets were clean. Cedar Creek flows through this park and Cedar Falls is impressive. We were there in late March and the creek was flowing good after recent rains. But it can be only a trickle during dry periods. Enjoyed the trail along the creek. Another nice view was from a point looking down over the Arkansas River and valley below.

If in Arkansas, Petit Jean State Park is a must. With a ton of trails, lodge, restaurant, and waterfalls it is a nature lovers dream.

Super cool paths, views and community. Tons of historical value and it's obvious that Arkansas cares about it's forests, natural resources and outdoor communities. Tons of people everywhere no matter where you venture off to though.

Arkansas’ first and most popular state park. Lake with rental boats, trailer and tent site loops, lodge/hotel/cabins. Outstanding natural features, some of which are easily accessible. Very popular in the fall. Big waterfall with rugged trail to the bottom. Can’t see it all in a weekend!

Petit Jean is a beautiful park overlooking the Arkansas River Valley. Several different campgrounds offer diverse camping experiences. There are several hiking trails including the iconic Cedar Falls Trail; this strenuous but trail winds down into Cedar Creek Canyon to one of the tallest flowing waterfalls in the state, a photographer's dream!

The park has great amenities including a beautiful lodge with a nice restaurant and swimming pool. It can get pretty crowded on weekends and holidays but non-peak times offer plenty of space to stretch out. If you're up for rustic backwoods camping then you might want to keep looking, but the diverse amenities offer a great experience to families looking for a fun trip.

This is definitely one of our premier parks in Arkansas, especially if you have a family and need outdoor activities. We stayed in the D loop. The spot was almost a little tight for our 32 foot camper. It was hard to level as many of the other reviews said. It is a nice little loop though with the trees and shade. In fact there are enough trees that it was very easy to hang up hammocks! There were lots of tent campers on this loop and small to medium size campers. You will probably want to drive to the trail heads for hiking. If you’ve never been to Petit Jean, there are tons of attractions!

Petit Jean is the oldest state park in Arkansas and it has it all. Our family makes a trip to Petit Jean at least twice a year. So many trails, recreational areas and breathtaking views to enjoy. It is one of the best FAMILY state parks we’ve been too.

The sites in A and B loop are often booked a year in advance so plan your trips strategically. C and D loop are accommodating but will be a tighter fit for most rigs >30’.

The visitor’s center is being completely redone to enhance the experience. If you haven’t been, make the trip.

Quick info on alcohol. Petit Jean is in a dry county (yes that exists). If you aren’t bringing your own alcohol, make sure and stop at Petit Jean Liquor right off I-40.

• 17 Site with electric
• 16 Non electric sites
• Reservations accepted
• Fire Rings
• Dump Station
• Toilets
• Drinking Water
• Boat Ramp
• Picnic Tables
• Water Sites
• Paved Sites
• 475 Cherokee Park Road, Greers Ferry, Arkansas
• Directions:  From Drasco take Highway 92 west 7 miles till Brownsville Road.  Turn  left, travel 3 miles.  Keep up with your mileage as there will not be a sign pointing the traveler to the turn.  You will find a small white sign that directs you to Brittany Cove.  Turn left.  We put the address into the GPS (updated GPS) and it did not find the campground.  If you follow the above you will arrive at the campground.

This campground is very rural.  I would suggest buying your supplies at the nearest town.  Once you arrive at the campground you are about 11 miles to Drasco and Greers Ferry will be about the same distance.  Drasco has a small store and service station and Greers Ferry has a small grocery market.

The  sites are small but well shaded which is a bonus.  Fishing or boating would be the main draw for this location.  If you want to enjoy the peace and quiet this is your stop.  The view is beautiful with all the water sites.

• LNT
• Leave it Better Than You Found It
• Stay safe and Happy Camping

Petit Jean (pronounced “petty Gene”) is an incredible state park in a truly unique setting. Petit Jean Mountain rises straight out of the flat Arkansas Delta and is actually referred to as a “mesa” like those in the American West. The rock formations and unusual geology combined with the cool history makes the area very enjoyable and interesting. The campground is divided by Highway 154 but it’s not a heavily traveled route - in fact only park visitors are allowed after 10pm. We stayed in Area D, an older style campground with water and electric. We had a very difficult time getting set up even though the site is a “pull-through” - it just isn’t designed for today’s RV’s and travel trailers. There is a FHU area - Area A - but we were told reservations are more than a year out. We still enjoyed our time and loved the area! Take some time to go to Morrilton, the closest town with stores, coffe shops, etc. It’s a town on the rebound and we really enjoyed it. Probably the only spot for groceries within 25 miles of Petit Jean.

General: This popular state park offers many activities, although we did not partake in many of them, mostly because we were camping in the “shoulder” season. We arrived after the visitor center/office was closed but were able to find our site in the C Loop without too much difficulty. Garbage and recycling bins were located throughout the park; I appreciate the recycling effort all Arkansas state parks we have visited have.

Sites/Facilities: Our site was located on a “cul-de-sac” in Loop C and not too far from the bathroom. Each site in this loop had an electric hookup, a lantern hook, and picnic table. The sites in this loop were all very wooded which provided a decent amount of privacy between sites. It should be noted that some of the sites in the C loop (73-76?) were not level – we noticed this as we were leaving. The sites in the A loop are full hookup and directly on Lake Bailey and are more open (fewer trees). Site 16 is a large pull-through. It did appear that there was a fair amount of algae in the water. We did not explore the other loops. There is also an overflow camping area which I imagine would be full in the summer. 

Bathhouse: The bathhouse was very clean and had soap dispensers, but you should bring your own towel. I didn’t use the shower so cannot comment on this, however, the changing area was in the open and not very private. 

Activities/Amenities: There are many activities you can enjoy at this state park (most in season): swimming, tennis, basketball, a paved multi-use trail, hiking, plus a playground (not near the campground loops but you could access it via the paved trail). However, our main reason for staying here was to see Cedar Falls but that was not to be. The hiking trail was closed due to storm damage and very little rain meant you could not see the trickle the famed falls had become from the viewing platform. We did enjoy the short hike past the unique turtle rocks en-route to Rock House Cave. 

Conclusion: Since we arrived after the office closed, we had to check-in before 10 am the next morning. The staff was not the friendliest, insisting we might have an outstanding balance (we reserved online so this should not have been the case) and not very helpful in describing open hiking trails.

Very rural setting

went here on a fishing trip, and i pulled out so many rainbow trouts from this lake! The camp sites are close to the water, and the boat docks are easy to access. this definitely made for a memorable fishing trip, and i guarantee that I will be back!