Best Tent Camping near Shirley, AR

This park is pretty much spotless. I tent camped in the fall and loved it. All the tent sites have a gravel pad, picnic table and fire ring. Lots of trees to set up your hammock. They have a swim beach and small boat rentals in the summer. There’s a nice paved walking trail too. I highly recommend.

Lake is nice. Didn’t catch many fish though. Swim area is very well kept. Adorable pedal boats. Tent camping sites are right at the entrance on the road. You have to park in the parking lot and carry all your stuff to the camp ground. Definitely don’t recommend using a tent site at all. The entire park is very well kept and very clean. Park staff were very nice and helpful. Mountain biking trail is in good condition. North loop was even good for my 8 year old while I did trail running. Cute little state park.

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

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!

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.

My husband and I tent camped here in November. Pretty cold at night but the weather was perfect for the hikes which were absolutely stunning. We had a delicious breakfast with a view at the lodge. 10 out of 10 would recommend!

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.

I tent camped at site 61 in 2015:

• We were pretty close to all the amenities and the campsite checkin/store
• There is a nice, flat tent pad
• Grill and fire ring were nice
• Paved driveup spot
• It wasn't very crowded; the two sites across from us filled up, but that was about it

I would 100% stay at this site again.

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.

The tent site that we had was great. (Site 37) It was right by the water with tons of room and a nice, level ground. Some hammock trees were nearby as well.There was a shared water spigot near the site.

You park in a small lot behind the tent sites and carry your things a short distance.

The bathrooms were clean, but they were quite a distance from the tents. This was my one and only complaint about this SP.

In the warmer months, starting in May, they rent out kayaks, paddle boats, and canoes. There is also a small concession stand you can order from.

My husband caught one fish while we were there from our camp site. It’s very handy being that close to the water.

There is a great hiking trail around the lake. About 3.5 miles if you combine the cabin trail with the Huckleberry trail. It was an enjoyable hike. There were people of all ages enjoying it.

We would definitely camp in this spot again!

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.

There are a handful of tent sites, a primitive bathroom, and direct access to the Buffalo River. 

There is limited shelter during bad lightning storms.  The road in is very dicey and a long way off the main road. Does provide a good place to take out or start a canoe trip and it is free.

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 was our second trip to Woolly Hollow. The first time was in April, and the trails and waterfalls were better maintained and more beautiful in April. We still enjoyed our trip though. They have great trails for hiking and mountain biking. There is a nice swimming area with a shop to order drinks/snacks. The park rangers and staff were super friendly and helpful. The bathroom facilities were clean. Although we stayed in the RV camp area, the tent camping area had some great sites, some right on the water.

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 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.

Coordinates: 35.50873, -92.81549. Group dispersed site located less than a 1/4-mile south of the Zing Trailhead on Charleston Road. Charleston Road is a wide, well maintained gravel road located in a popular national forest OHV area. This dispersed site is a level with a dirt and grass surface. The site can accomodate multiple vehicles; tent camping is possible. There is a large rock fire ring at the rear of the site. The site is open with little shade, making recharging with solar panels possible. Other than accommodating a group of OHV and offroad enthusiasts, and stargazing at night, there is nothing remarkable about this campsite.

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.

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!

Not sure if the pin location is correct, so here are the exact coordinates: 35.53654, -92.80322.  Small dispersed campsite just off Wilderness Trail Road. Wilderness Trail Road is a wide gravel country road located in a popular national forest OHV area. More specifically, the site is located on multi-use/OHV trail Brock Creek #42, Forest Road 2321 - just a few hundred feet south of Wilderness Trail (not in the trailhead parking lot, where camping is not allowed). Its a small, level dirt site, mostly shaded in a small clearing in the trees, close to the track - not private. It has a small rock fire ring. Tent camping is possible. It's a pull-in site which can accommodate one vehicle - truck camper and smaller. Except for being convenient to OHV trails, there is nothing remarkable about this dispersed site.