Best Tent Camping near St. Joe, AR

This is one of the largest KOAs I've stayed at and the kampground itself is very nice. The staff were great ands check in was super quick. Also, there's a rugged little trail that goes behind the kampground. It was a great little walk for the dog and I to stretch our legs after our long drive. 

The tent sites are all located at the back of the kampground around a circular pavillion. Each tent site has its own water facet, electricity, and fair internet which are somewhat redeeming for the negatives below. It's nice to have a covered picnic table and the lattice provides some privacy from the picnic tables of the other campers. Other than the traffic is very quiet in by 7:30 or so. Everyone seems respectful of each other. 

The tent sites are disappointing to me. They're small, close together, and nearer to the highway than makes for a good night's sleep in a tent. That makes them kind of pricey for what you get.

I'm tent camping because I want to be distanced from other people. I put mine up as far to the side as I can go, but I'm  still literally only 10 feet from the next tent. Other users mentioned grass on the sites. I haven't seen any grass around and site 5 has only stones on the tent pad. This site also has probably the worst view. It faces out toward one of the kampground roads and is in full view of the street light. The back sites seem darker.

I'd highly recommend this KOA if you're visiting Branson in a trailer or RV. The kabins also look really cute (and there are lots of them!). If I visited here again in a tent, I'd pick one of the two sites that face the woods.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

the drive in is something you have to be thoughtful about. I went with a group from my school and we had vans and it was a very rough gravel road. so this is definitely more of a tent camping spot. It is in a valley and is quite beautiful. we stopped there on our way from backpacking the buffalo river trail and it was a great stopping point. There are bathrooms but no showers. there is a fee to stay in the camp but is not ridiculous.

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,

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.

Steel Creek is home to the most iconiv and photographer bluff of the Buffalo National River, Roark Bluff. It is an absolutely gorgeous area and features a short trail to a vantage point for taking pictures of Roarok Bluff as well as access to other Buffalo River hiking trails.

Campground has tent sites, self-pay, and bathrooms with running water. Not as many sites have the trees for hammocking as some of the other campgrounds. Sites have picnic tables and firepits.

Easy access with paved roads up to the campground.G

It does get fairly crowded in the summer, so the best time to visit is a warmer spell during off-season.

Steel Creek campground is a beautiful grass savanna orbited by 500 foot bluffs. From the campsites is a short hike through large beautiful hardwood trees. A glorious river of milky blue green waters flows at the base of the bluff around the camp's peninsula. East of Ponca this is the closest area to car/RV camp. This camp is also horse camp friendly. Many trails come through Steel Creek for backpackers, horse trails, and of course canoe/kayakers dock and launch from here. I call this base camp because there are so many trails and historic options in this upper area of the Buffalo. My one and only con is the tent camp area is open to all the other tent campers. In other words your camping side by side. Aside from that its definitely worth it!

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!