Shirley is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Shirley, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Shirley. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
$15 / night
"Whether you're into hang gliding, kayaking or just relaxing at camp, the hillbilly hideaway is here to provide a great basecamp for your Arkansas adventures. "
"This is a series of trails with multiple trail heads. Each trail head has a course gravel parking area and a very nice pit toilet. Bring lots of drinking water."
"This campground has no water or electricity but has 4 drive-up campsites with picnic tables, fire circle, and rock shelters that overlook the beautiful Illinois Bayou."
"The stone buildings are so nice to set up somewhat out of the weather and have functional fireplaces. The walk to the river is very easy. "
"This primitive campground was perfect for me and my dog. We stayed three nights in October 2020."
"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."
"Plenty of shade options. Restrooms are pit-style, so dont expect anything fancy. Did not see shower facilities where we were at."
"There are no designated campsites, just park in the parking lot, walk down to the river and find a spot."
TravelerThis recreation area is as close to off-grid as you can get with so many great options right off the pavement. This campground has no water or electricity but has 4 drive-up campsites with picnic tables, fire circle, and rock shelters that overlook the beautiful Illinois Bayou. I only recall seeing trash receptacles on the lower loop. An upper loop is accessible by hiking in. These are tent sites only with no rock shelters on the sites. The rock shelters have a large rock fire area. There's also a vault toilet on the lower loop. A pavilion onsite is reservable and has electricity. There's also several small trails through the campground but it's most fun when the water is low enough, to go down to the water and walk along the creek. The area is close to many great hiking trails and dirt roads to explore around Hector and makes a great home base. Just up the road is a great area to explore with Jeeps or ATVs. Look up Lindsey Mtwy. This area is not on many people's radar so it's possible that you may only see a local or two while you're here. I still had cell service with my Verizon network while I was in the campground but I lost service when I went down by the Illinois Bayou. Overall, this is a heck of a nice campground for the non-electric camper. If you visit the area, please leave no trace. :-)
LegendThe Bayou Bluff Recreation Area is now called the Bayou Bluff Point of Interest (POI). In summary, there are only 4 campsites, including a group site. Also, these sites are free, first come, first serve. Here's is info directly from the Bayou Bluff page on the National Forst Service Web site: "Effective October 2021, Bayou Bluff became a Point of Interest. The fees are suspended for camping and day use and is now open all year. Upper loop is closed to camping and will be eliminated completely. Use of the vault toilet, large pavilion, three shelters, and a small pavilion will remain. The pavilions are managed on a first-come, first-service basis. Trash services are managed by visitors as "pack-it-in, pack-it-out," and Leave No Trace ethics are posted on information kiosks. Active partner groups and volunteers are helping extend the life of the current amenities, excluding trash services." Also: "Open all year. No fees. Upper loop closed. Pavilions available on a first-come, first-served basis only. No trash services. Pack it in- pack it out." The NF page also indicates that there is no water available, but there may water in the group site. The vault toilets are clean, and the campground grounds appear to be reasonably maintained. I recommend only tent camping here, as well as car/truck/van camping. Sites appear to be too small for RVs & trailers.
TravelerToad Suck is a great campground- with some caveats. All of the sites are reservable and have concrete pads. This makes it impossible to stake down a tent but also provides a great level spot. There's no foragable wood at the sites, but there's a quick stop type gas station very nearby that sells it cheap and locally sourced. The bathrooms can be a trek from your site or right next door, depending on where you're staying, but theyre immaculately clean. They service them twice daily. It's right next to the lock and dam at Toad Suck on the Arkansas River so there's a constant roar of water and the sound of barges throughout the night and day. I don't mind it but keep that in mind if you don't like those sounds. The campsite is peaceful otherwise. Dogs are allowed! ABSOLUTELY NO ALCOHOL.
RangerThis 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.
RangerAverage space between sites. Level paved sites with gravel picnic area including picnic table, fire ring, lantern hanger. Some sites had covered picnic area. Limited shade, most sites don’t have trees. Good access to sites. Clean and private bathrooms. Each room had its own lockable bathroom with toilet, sink and shower. Garbage cans were outside of bathrooms, as well as dumpsters near the registration building. Friendly staff upon check in. Campground was patrolled regularly. No laundry or recycling. Nearby road with little road noise. Verizon cell signal was excellent. There is a dump station and potable fill station. No store or food for purchase on site. No hiking in campground, but multiple trails nearby. Boat ramp at campground and lots of wading fly fishing in river. Fish hatchery across from campground.
LegendGeneral: We were apprehensive about planning to stay at this campground as the nearby one in Blanchard Springs was closed, we could not make reservations, five of the 27 sites were closed due to potential flooding from Hurricane Laura, and access is via a three-mile winding dirt road (not recommended for large RVs but it was navigable for our campervan), so we made alternate backup plans. There was no need to worry, however, as there were plenty of open sites, including some overlooking North Sylamore Creek when we arrived on a Sunday afternoon in mid-October for a hike.
Sites/Facilities: Each site has a picnic table, fire pit, tent pad, and lantern pole. There is a central water source.
Activities/Amenities: This is a no-frills campground – no electric or water hookups, dumpster, playground, or flush toilets – just vault toilets. What struck me most was how quiet it was. There is access to the Sylamore hiking trail; you can hike five miles to the Blanchard Springs picnic area.
LegendWe hiked in to this campground from Blanchard and were pleasantly surprised. It is primitive in some aspects but not overtly so. They have vault toilets that were manageable and spickets for water. We grabbed a site that had a bi-level for the tent and picnic table. There was a fire ring as well. Overall, it has some stuff to do being by the river and a longish trail to explore. We may have been to tired to care about some of the finer details so we were pretty happy with this site!
LegendPROS
No reservation transaction fee
Senior discount
Quiet
Moveable metal picnic table on a concrete pad, pedestal BBQ grill, fire ring with cooking grate, and one hook lantern pole
Site 14 partially shady
Good condition asphalt parking pad with gravel and grass surrounding
Good view of lake from Site 14
Sites well spaced
Campground A toilet/shower building clean and sufficiently stocked. Heated but not air conditioned.
Site 14 more than long enough for trailer and tow vehicle
Dark sky friendly as there are no street lights in Campground A
Very nice 6ft wide asphalt bike trail from Campground B to Mather Lodge
(approximately 1.75 miles) CCC Hike and Bike Trail
New Visitor Center built 2021
Beautiful CCC built Mather Lodge
(restaurant added in 2012)
Grass throughout campground mowed
Firewood sold in the yards of residences along State Road 154
CONS
Site 14 extremely unlevel side to side
No privacy from other campsites
No entrance security gate to the park or any campgrounds as State Road 154 cuts thru the park
No park ranger drive thrus
Mather Lodge Restaurant OK. Don't expect much from the menu or service but it has a full bar
3 of our 4 day stay there was a religious group prophetlytizing at the Park Visitor Center WIFI only at Lodge and Visitors Center
NO TMOBILE service
LegendFor Full Video Review. CLICK HERE
While traveling through this portion of Arkansas I stumbled upon a small roadside for Gunner Pool Recreation Area just a short distance past Blanchard Springs. 3 miles down a gravel, but well maintained roadway, the campground sat nestled between to sections of the water way. On one side, slow moving water is met by the dam forming the blue toned pool and on the other a gentle flowing stream flanks the massive mountain side.
Along the camping loop, spaces are well separated and have plenty of room to spread out. Each site is equipped with standard camping amenities such as picnic tables, lantern hooks and fire rings. Vault toilets are centrally located in several areas of camp both on the upper and lower loops. In addition locking style garbage cans are placed near restrooms.
When I visited the Forest Service was on property trimming trees and clearing debris from recent rain. Their office is located just a short distance from the entry of the roadway, so they are often here to work on the property.
A little gem in the midst of the campground is located just across from the pay kiosk, the story of the property and the CCC camp which actually created not only this property but also worked on neighboring sites at Blanchard. Definitely check out the story!!
Tips:
Tent camping near Shirley, Arkansas offers a variety of scenic locations and outdoor activities for nature enthusiasts. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventurous getaway, there are several options to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Shirley, AR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Shirley, AR is Hillbilly Hippie Hideaway with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
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