If you're looking for a place to pitch your tent near Texarkana, look no further. The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Arkansas camping adventure.
$8 / night
North Shore Park is the largest day-use area on Wright Patman Lake, a 30,000-acre lake set amidst the piney woods of northeast Texas. With a sandy swimming beach, accessible boat ramp, reservable group picnic shelter and numerous other amenities, the park provides a fun, enjoyable day at the lake for a wide variety of visitors.
This facility provides easy lake access for boating and fishing activities, as well as plenty of on-shore fun. Picnickers enjoy swimming and relaxing on the beach. Children have plenty of options to keep busy, including basketball and sand volleyball courts, a playground and horseshoe pit. Anglers make use of the fishing pier and accessible boat dock and ramp in search of bass, catfish, crappie and sunfish.
The group picnic shelter can accommodate up to 30 people. It is conveniently located next to a restroom with flush toilets and the swimming beach. There are 60 first come, first served picnic sites as well, though water and electricity are not supplied to these sites. There are no overnight campsites available in the park but Clear Springs Campground is one mile away.
The park overlooks the lake and is set among a thick forest on the sandy shoreline. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages approximately 55,000 acres of public forestland around the lake, providing habitat for wild turkey, bobwhite quail, squirrel, white-tailed deer, waterfowl and migrating bald eagles, pelicans and ducks. Some poisonous snakes inhabit the area.
The Texarkana region is full of activities such as shopping, movies, restaurants and local historical sites. Shreveport, Louisiana offers river boat gambling, horse races and numerous festivals, including the Four State Fair and Rodeo and the Jump, Jive and Jam Festival.
$30 / night
Oak Park is a day use area located just below the dam on Wright Patman Lake in northeastern Texas. Its picnic shelter and ball fields make it a great location for larger groups and special events.
This facility is a relaxing and spacious location for group gatherings and picnics. Wright Patman Lake hosts a wide range of recreational activities to allow visitors to get outdoors and enjoy the area, including boating, fishing, hunting, hiking, picnicking and wildlife viewing. Several boating, fishing and swimming facilities can be accessed in nearby parks around the lake. Anglers enjoy fishing for bass, catfish, crappie and sunfish. A model airplane flying field is located next to the park.
Oak Park offers one group day-use picnic shelter with water and electric hookups. Several family picnic sites are available on a first come, first served basis. A swing set, sand volleyball court and baseball diamond are located next to the shelter. No swim beach is available in the park.
Oak Park is named for its large oak trees that create a peaceful, nostalgic setting and shade for picnickers. Though it is not directly on the waterfront, the shelter is a short walk or drive from the scenic shoreline. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages approximately 55,000 acres of public forestland around the lake, providing habitat for wild turkey, bobwhite quail, squirrel, white-tailed deer, migrating bald eagles, pelicans and ducks and other waterfowl. Some poisonous snakes inhabit the area.
The Texarkana region is full of activities such as shopping, movies, restaurants and local historical sites. Shreveport, Louisiana offers river boat gambling, horse races and numerous festivals, including the Four State Fair and Rodeo and the Jump, Jive and Jam Festival.
$25 / night
Guide
20.00 a night for two people in tent camping. I’m in van and they allowed me to van camp. Tent sites have electric. So bought an extension cord and took full advantage for a small heater. It’s by the road. So some road noise then the cows moo.. other then having to pay. This is a great spot 2miles max from crater of diamonds state park. That place was packed on top of each other. Much prefer here!
Traveler
This is one of a few camping areas on the Wright Patman Lake. It’s a set up for RV camping more than tent camping. If you choose to tent camp, you will most likely be camping on an asphalt parking pad in most of the sites. Very open campground, not much privacy or seclusion. Since it’s only 15 minutes from our house, we occasionally choose this campground for a quick weekend getaway when we aren’t able to go up into Arkansas or Oklahoma. Clean bathrooms and showers, friendly staff, but not a place to go if you want to get away from everyone and everything, and enjoy nature.
Scout
Th Atlanta State Park was beautiful! Our White Oak Ridge campsite was a great location for tent camping and easy access to the lake for kayaking.
Legend
Tent, RV, and Cabin options available. Tent site range up to $25 nightly, $38 nightly for cabin, and up to $30 nightly for RV. Full RV hook ups, up to 30amp. Pet friendly, wooded, and has playground. Campground is close to Crate of Diamonds SP
ScoutI've camped here a couple of times. I think the park is mostly used as a boat ramp, and party spot. Quiet during the week. Access is via county road, and might be difficult with an rv. Most sites would be hard to get a big rv into. Most sites not level. I tent camp on a motorcycle, so it's fine.
GuideThis was a nice campground. We had a tent site on the bluff. The trails we're good and there was plenty of shade at the sites. I would recommend bringing a citronella candle there were a lot of bugs at night. it could have also been because we went in August.
GuideLogoly is a tiny state park located just outside of Magnolia, Arkansas. There is limited tent camping but it provides an excellent location for a quiet and "private" experience. The park is very clean and appears relatively unused. Traffic is very low. The area is surrounded by trees and the location itself is limited in amenities. There is a nature house nearby that is open to the public for free during operating hours. It houses various small animals such as a crocodile, snakes, spiders, and lizards. Logoly is good for kids who need a tame introduction to nature. With trails, its a good place to take a day trip.
Legend
Fee: Day use $5.00
Sites: 4 gravel (no hook ups)
Fee:$8.00 per night Open: Year round
Beware of alligator
Pit toilets, bank fishing, boat ramp, trash, lantern poles, picnic table
This is a very small campground with just 4 tent sites but is a beautiful space. Well maintained but it really is only for tents where you will find shade provided by the nice mature trees.
LNT
AIS Clean, drain, dry
Travel safe
Legend
The sites were nice and spacious but it lacked a dedicated tent site that we could find. We used a site with water and electric hookups and the sites came with a table and fire ring. You are close to the diamond hunting area but other than that it lacked on hiking options. It was worth a weekend to check out but I doubt we would stay here again.
Guide
We booked this campground last minute on a trip and being the last stop it was great to have a quite area. We were in site 12 which was a group site but it was all the had. We were tent camping and had plenty of flat area for our tent and we were far enough away from neighbors that it was quite. Only bad thing is that the water and power were across the pad which was not a big deal but we did not have a long enough extension cord to reach the tent for the air mattress.
The bathroom and showers were nice but a little out dated.
Guide
I thought I’d stay here because it said it was free on the app: IT IS NOT FREE. It’s cheap though! $12/night and you can book on the recreation.gov app.
If you want to tent camp or sleep in your car, only book sites 1-5. The others don’t seem to have flat spots for much of anything. Perhaps hammocking would work!
Upon arrival when I noticed the not-flat site I had booked, I easily switched my site via my booking to site 1, which is the best for car sleeping and in my opinion the best site at the campground. It is set off from the others and has a large flat grassy area. If it is busy it may be less desirable as it is right on the parking lot, but I’d still take it. That being said, I didn’t see a single soul while I was there.
Flush toilets, running water, and a spigot to fill up are provided. There is a boat ramp right by site 1. It was quite buggy even in early April, but I managed to keep moving and make a fire so the smoke would help the bugs stay away.
It is easy to find, and there is ATT cell service, 1-2 bars.
I’d definitely stay here again and hope to have time to explore more!
LegendCrater of Diamonds State Park is a place where you literally play the fun and exciting game of“finders, keepers.” The prize here being diamonds! In the middle of nowhere Arkansas(a.k.a. the town of Murfreesboro) is a field of 37 acres where for $10/day you can dig to your hearts’ content looking for diamonds making this the only diamond mine in the world open to the public. And don’t think this is a gimmick. Over 75,000 diamonds have been found in the“Crater” with an average of 600/year. The largest diamond found in North America was found at Crater of Diamonds topping out at 40.23 carats. In 1998, the Strawn-Wagner Diamond weighing 1.09 carats was graded by the American Gem Society as a 0/0/0“D” Flawless perfect diamond– a“one in a billion diamond”– and found right here in Arkansas.
The park was established in 1972 “to responsibly manage and interpret this unique site and to provide a meaningful diamond mining experience for all guests and future generations.” We find that pretty funny because we have never come across a state park whose intent is to provide a meaningful diamond mining experience mission. All the more reason we wanted to go! The parks campground is set among beautiful pine trees and offers full hook-up sites large enough to fit our 45’ RV without a problem. The campground has 47 nicely shaded RV sites with water/electric/sewer hookup(many of which have tent pads and five walk-in tent sites. The campground has two modern bathhouse with hot showers; one bathhouse includes a laundry and both were very clean and cared for all day long. If you need a dump station one is conveniently located as you leave the campground. There is also free Wi-Fi in the campground. There is a nice hiking trail that leaves from the campground and loops back around after venturing through the forest and along a river. It is not a long trail but a nice walk and we never saw anybody on it while we were there. Now back to diamond hunting. The“crater” is essentially a plowed field that is the eroded surface of a volcanic crater containing a variety of rocks, crystals, and gemstones. The field is plowed periodically to expose underlying layers of dirt and gems. The visitor center has interactive exhibits highlighting the unique history of the park and geology of Arkansas diamonds. They also tempt you with pictures of diamonds that have been found in the park. At the Diamond Discovery Center visitors learn about diamonds, but more importantly, techniques on how to find them.
Once you have rented (or brought your own) diamond digging equipment like trowels, shovels, buckets, sifting screens, etc. then it is time to head out into the crater. The techniques vary widely from walking along looking for smooth shiny diamonds (because dirt and mud don’t stick to the smooth surface of diamonds) to digging up a bucket full of dirt and sifting through water like gold mining. We talked to one man who uses a paint brush to lightly brush away loose dirt to reveal the diamonds. Diamonds come in a rainbow of colors but the predominant colors found here are white, brown, and yellow. If you think you found a precious stone, staff is on hand to positively identify it for you. And if you want it, you keep it! No matter what it is.
LegendThis place would have gotten a full 5 stars, but there is a very unpredictable side to this campground. What is that you ask? Well, it isn’t large and that makes for some difficult reservations a times.
I had come through this area during a weekend and checked into a site well in advance only to discover that it was booked already. I had let a friend know about the site when they were traveling through and also the same results when looking almost a month in advance. But on a third attempt to book on a weekend it was as though all sites were nearly empty only a week out for the weekend ahead. So this site isn’t really consistent on being able to book in advance.
So what is the allure of this site in particular? THE DIAMOND MINE!! Yep, I said it, DIAMONDS!
For only a small fee you can go inside and hunt for your next big come up and even name your find, should you uncover one. And don’t think this is just some random tourist trap, because several diamonds are in fact found regularly there (most are not large). It is something the entire family can do together or you can do on your own.
But the mine, while the biggest attraction, is not alone. There is also a children’s waterpark area, hiking trails and many other fun things within a short drive back into town.
There are only about 5 primitive tent sites and around 40 RV or improved sites. So there it is the big kicker!
Now with that said, what does this campground look like that it would rate 5 stars if it wasn’t so stinking challenging to get into?
It is nice, the facilities are well maintained, the roads are smooth, the trees are abundant and it is a quiet despite the traffic that flows in daily for the mine. Each campsite is large enough to not feel piled on top of your neighbor and has the typical amenities of a picnic table and fire ring.
It seemed when I was there it had been updated fairly recently in several aspects and perhaps it was because it was busy season but it was very well maintained in the restroom facilities.
I have stayed at a number of state parks in Arkansas and I am overall very pleased on how they are spending that little extra tax dollar to allow everyone to truly enjoy “The Natural State.”
TIPS:
GuideWas really impressed with this campground for our RV. Would visit again when in Texarkana,very clean and a lot of activities for families!
GuideTexarkana RV Park is a very nice, clean, and friendly RV park. They have a gated entrance for extra security. The park has nice amenities such as pool, playground, laundry, restrooms, dog run, and park-like setting with duck pond. Most sites are pull-thru and plenty long, but narrow. Beware of your slide placement before parking, as site poles may be in the way of a slide fully opening. Each site is gravel with a patio and they have 50 amp FHU. We enjoyed our stay at this campground and would definitely stay again. 👍🏻😊
For videos on this campground and others, check out our YouTube channel: Jeff & Steff’s Excellent Adventure.
TravelerAtlanta State Park is nestled pretty far off the beaten path (nearest highway) deep in the pineywoods. It sits on the edge of Wright Patman Lake near the Texarkana region on the Texas side. Has plentiful campgrounds that are nearly maintained, two different boat ramps (both in good condition) for fishing, along with multiple swimming areas (with beaches) for folks. The major plus to this lake is that you can easily bring a boat with you when you're camping, because of the plentiful spaces at campsites and boat ramp access.
Wright Patman Lake is a decent lake, but does have a fair amount of stumps along the edges- watch for the bouyees. Fishing is good, water can get very warm in the summer which is nice for swimming.
Overall it's a beautiful park and the best park along Wright Patman Lake in my opinion. I've also been here at least two dozen times and enjoyed each experience.
ScoutWe visited over Labor Day weekend and really enjoyed our experience. The sites are all very well kept, level and offer plenty of space. We were able to have our small camper with the addition of a rooftop tent, and a standard size tent with no problem.
All sites are level, have a solid picnic table, fire pit with grill grate, a separate grill, and a large flat area for a tent.
We also visited the mining experience and spent an afternoon searching for diamonds. We did not come away rich, but enjoyed getting dirty and searching as a family. I would recommend bringing something for shade while digging. You can get equipment there, but a small shovel, small bucket and a sifter will save you some money.
We also visited the local lake for a day on the beach.
We plan on coming back!
LegendLike many City operated sites this is more of a recreational day use facility with the after thought of revenue from travelers. I checked into this and prices are very fair at only $15 but they do not have tent facilities. They offer 200 30 amp hook ups and 20 full service, it is a shame with that with that much space they don’t encourage tents.
The grounds themselves were pretty nice, looks like they probably host fairs and other events there which explains the connections, perhaps during those events it is expanded for non-rv usage.
I was noticing that this is one of the closest camps to Washington Historic Site State Park, which is an amazing site. So if you have an RV and want to check out this or the Clinton birthplace I’d give it a shot.
GuideThis camp site is easy to find but that is about it as at night i woke to the sound of gun fire 100 feet from my tent. Unless you carry do not go to this campsite.
Scout
This campground was very well kept. The shower house and laundry building was very nice. The woman was very helpful for weary bikers, my husband and I. Rules for after hours was pay in envelope at check in or first thing in morning. It was rainy and cool we had been riding all day in poor weather. Tired, we thru up the tent and fell out. We woke around 8 am my husband didn't have correct change and in comes Dr Jekyl. My husband and I found the exact change and all was well. We were both worn out and decided to stay another night when we approached the man my husband said look were road beaten and can we get the 6 dollars we were short the next morning this man literally kicked us off the property after he suggested we move to a site where trees will block the cold wind. So we moved and set the tent and things back up. The woman you could tell was embarrassed. And humiliated. She knew I was exhausted trying to beat the winter storms and snow. It could have been a very nice stay until Dr Jekyl appeared.
ScoutThis place has been great, we stayed for two nights and got to rent out equipment for free to go diamond mining and the woman on staff was very friendly and helped us out with a last minute reservation for a van tent set up, 10/10 would recommend and stay again .
Guide
Overnight stay here on our way to Galveston. Busy campground and we were the only tent in site, however, the loop we were in was spaced out nicely (D loop). This camp was clean. Has disc golf, trails, a pavilion, a basketball net, boat dock, volleyball net, and a swim beach. Apparently they also have church services on Sunday. While we were there the beach was flooded and, unfortunately, there was not anywhere else to swim (bummer) as the perimeter of the park is lined with large rocks. Shower house had showers separate from the restrooms. Lots of shade. Easy on/off from a major highway.
Legend
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
70 yr olds in 17’ trailer:
Overall Rating: 3.5
Usage during visit: moderate
Site Privacy: 2. None and some sites are close
Site Spacing: 3. Some sites back to back. A loop.
Site surface: black top/gravel - A loop, not all sites are level, but doable. Other loops appear to have sites that a more kevel.
Reservations: Yes
Campground Noise 5. Pretty quiet
Road Noise: 5. None
Bathroom: 4. Clean flush toilets
Cell Service (Verizon): 1 to 2 bars
Setting: Campground is on the lake, some sites are lakeside
Weather: 5. 62 and sunny today
Bugs: 5 none.
Solar: 4. Some sites. All have electricity
Host: 4 seems nice
Location: 4
NOTES: The only bad experience, as you can see from pics, we arrived with a tent set up right next to our pad!!!! Suggests supervisory over-site…..Other than that, seems peaceful.
Looks to be a good fishing and water sport area. ….
Guide
We are from TX and came to Arkansas for a wedding. This was my first out of state, state park so keep that in mind. The sites are clean and well cared for. There is exactly ONE pull through site that we were fortunate enough to get. The rest are on a tight road. The highway runs right by the pull through site so the road noise can be loud at times. I recommend staying by the lake if you don’t need a pull through site. There are 2 walking trails and a few playgrounds. No fishing off the pier. The lake is BEAUTIFUL, we saw an alligator (I was quite excited about that). The dump station is a pretty tight squeeze but doable if your site doesn’t have a dump (ours did). ATT cell service SUUUUCKS here. I repeat, it suuuuuucks lol! Picked up 4 TV channels on the 1 rainy day we had. All in all, I would stay here again, just wouldn’t compare it to TX State Parks, because well…. I learned this weekend everything is indeed bigger in Texas.
GuideThe Crater of Diamonds State Park is an exciting place full of rich history and, of course, finding lots of rough diamonds. The State Park is listed as the eighth largest reserve of diamonds in the world according to their website, and this park sets itself apart from anywhere else by allowing visitors to keep any diamonds that they find. Some lucky visitors have even found diamonds worth thousands of dollars.
This review will give you tips about the search area that are based on my firsthand experiences. It will allow you to develop a game plan of possible places to dig, as well as what indicators to look for before taking a trip to the famous Arkansas diamond mine. So, let us begin by identifying what type of indicator rocks that are mixed in with ordinary organic soil on the mine field. Minerals, such as Quartz crystals, calcite, magnetite, spinel, garnet, chromite, and diopside will be the main rocks you will want to look for while prospecting for diamonds. These rocks were created in a similar process during the heating and cooling process of the rock cycle.
Search Area Conditions
The best time to take a trip to the Arkansas diamond fields is after a heavy rainstorm, but keep in mind that you will get muddy during your visit so always wear the appropriate clothes and shoes while out in the search area. The Crater of Diamonds plows their fields, but the implements only turn over the top two feet of dirt repeatedly. Diamonds are found in gravel deposits within the mind field, but they will be below two feet anywhere on the search field.
Secondly, you must be able to probe correctly to understand what the ground is underneath. When probing things like vibrations and sound are your friends. Usually, a ground probe is a 10 ft. steel rod that allows you to hear and feel the vibrations. A 4 ft. rod will do for the daily visitor and a 10 ft. rod will be good enough for the most serious Rockhounds ready to dig deep.
Using your probe comes down to the noise that you hear and feel. The first step is to make sure the ground is soaking wet to make the probe pierce the ground easier. Next, as you push down the probe remember there are objects in the ground and not every time your probe stops its diamond bearing gravel Gravel deposits can be as hard as concrete depending on how old the deposit is. You will run into tree roots and layers of hard rock. Keep watering the hole, push down and twist on the probe handle to continue downward in probing until you have met your depth mark.
Once that you have found a promising site by probing the next step is to dig down to to your chosen depth to see for yourself. Other ways of searching are in the form of walking around and picking up anything that shines or simple strip mining one area and separating the dirt from the gravel before starting with your chosen final diamond recovery process to condense the heavy rocks and gemstones to the middle of your screen or sarucca.
For more detailed step by step instructions on probing or the diamond recovery process check out the eBook "How to Find Diamonds" learn more at www.EliteMinersClub(dot)com
GuideThe Crater of Diamonds State Park is an exciting place full of rich history and, of course, finding lots of rough diamonds. The State Park is listed as the eighth largest reserve of diamonds in the world according to their website, and this park sets itself apart from anywhere else by allowing visitors to keep any diamonds that they find. Some lucky visitors have even found diamonds worth thousands of dollars.
This review will give you tips about the search area that are based on my firsthand experiences. It will allow you to develop a game plan of possible places to dig, as well as what indicators to look for before taking a trip to the famous Arkansas diamond mine. So, let us begin by identifying what type of indicator rocks that are mixed in with ordinary organic soil on the mine field. Minerals, such as Quartz crystals, calcite, magnetite, spinel, garnet, chromite, and diopside will be the main rocks you will want to look for while prospecting for diamonds. These rocks were created in a similar process during the heating and cooling process of the rock cycle. Search Area Conditions The best time to take a trip to the Arkansas diamond fields is after a heavy rainstorm, but keep in mind that you will get muddy during your visit so always wear the appropriate clothes and shoes while out in the search area.
The Crater of Diamonds plows their fields, but the implements only turn over the top two feet of dirt repeatedly. Diamonds are found in gravel deposits within the mind field, but they will be below two feet anywhere on the search field. Secondly, you must be able to probe correctly to understand what the ground is underneath. When probing things like vibrations and sound are your friends. Usually, a ground probe is a 10 ft. steel rod that allows you to hear and feel the vibrations. A 4 ft. rod will do for the daily visitor and a 10 ft. rod will be good enough for the most serious Rockhounds ready to dig deep.
Using your probe comes down to the noise that you hear and feel. The first step is to make sure the ground is soaking wet to make the probe pierce the ground easier. Next, as you push down the probe remember there are objects in the ground and not every time your probe stops its diamond bearing gravel Gravel deposits can be as hard as concrete depending on how old the deposit is. You will run into tree roots and layers of hard rock. Keep watering the hole, push down and twist on the probe handle to continue downward in probing until you have met your depth mark.
Once that you have found a promising site by probing the next step is to dig down to to your chosen depth to see for yourself. Other ways of searching are in the form of walking around and picking up anything that shines or simple strip mining one area and separating the dirt from the gravel before starting with your chosen final diamond recovery process to condense the heavy rocks and gemstones to the middle of your screen or sarucca.
For more detailed step by step instructions on probing or the diamond recovery process check out the eBook "How to Find Diamonds" learn more at www.EliteMinersClub(dot)com
ScoutI stayed here last summer and I’ve never seen such a bad tick infestation. I reported it to the office so I hope they did something about it.
its a nice park if they deal with the problem
Tent camping near Texarkana, Arkansas offers a variety of scenic spots for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature. With options ranging from well-equipped sites to more rustic experiences, there's something for everyone.
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