Best Glamping near Arkabutla Lake

PROS 

Senior discount 

No fee assessed to make on-line reservations 

Quiet 

light view of lake from #57 

Site 57 has no site next to it or behind it 

Good distance between campsites 

Dark sky friendly except for sites near toilet/shower facilities where there is an actual street light 

Climate controlled toilet/shower facility in campground B 

Both campground B toilet/shower facilities very clean with ample supply of TP, soap and paper towels 

Wood picnic table (on concrete pad), pedestal BBQ grill, metal fire ring with cooking grate and metal lantern hook 

Wide roadway in campground B 

Small playground 

Access to lake swimming area from campground B 

Trash receptacles at toilet/shower facility 

Lots of deer


Smaller Walmart in Wynne AR 

Pops Grill in Wynne real good

CONS 

County burn ban in place upon arrival but no signage anywhere alerting of ban. We saw the Arkansas burn ban website and inquired upon checkin if it was enforced and park clerk affirmed ban but we saw many campers had a wood fire burning all the time. So without any signage we understand the confusion and noncompliance. Park should at least place burn ban signage at campground entrance. 

Site 57 unlevel side-to-side 

No cell service. 

No public phone in park. 

Parks signage states WiFi at park visitor center could be used to make phone calls. We found this not true with our T-MOBILE service as we purposely went to the visitor center to make a WIFI call. There is WIFI at visitors center but only one bar and too weak to transmit a call. So if there is an emergency after visitor center is closed and you need to make a call, good luck, as there is no public phone nor any camp hosts. We drove approximately 8 miles towards Wynne to get sufficient cell signal to make calls and connect with internet. 

Only free WiFi is at park visitor center. We purchased WiFi from park vendor Viasat $20 unlimited for 3 days for one device. Viasat delivered a good signal within 200 ft of toilet/shower facility so it was useless in our campsite#57. Don’t waste your money! Sewer connection at rear of site pad so bring the looooong stinky slinky! 

Pets not kept on leash 

No security gate closure overnight

We enjoyed staying so close to the water. We fished right from the bank (must have a MS license). The water, electric, and sewer hook-ups are very close to the site. The picnic, grilling, and fire pit area is nice. The parking area is only wide enough fir the camper. It would be nice to have a paved space under our awning. We were disappointed in the amount of trash along the bank of the lake. We picked up an entire trash bag full when we arrived and more throughout the weekend. Overall it was a great trip and we will be back.

Also, the beach area down the road at the boat ramp is closed for construction. It will be nice when it reopens.

If not for the bee infestation in the water pipes at the forst site, the rating would be MUCH higher…

Overall, we had a good time camping here. The only problem was the bugs (mosquitoes, spiders, etc.), but that's a risk of camping. Our actual, reserved site was overrun with bees in the water tap, though. We told the rangers who set off to spray them, and who also gave us a new, slightly bigger site to set up our tent. This one had many mosquitoes under the picnic table, but no bees! And mosquitoes happen, so we dealt with it:-) The bathrooms were GREAT, and even Air Conditioned! The firewood which was officially purchased there and covered in spiderwebs took a LONG time to get burning, but once it was, it burned hot and well into the night. It was a good stay, with the exception of getting stung by the bees, but thankfully it was only me and not the kids who were stung.

Surprisingly empty, given the very few options shown to reserve online. Maybe many people cancelled?

One thing to note: the office has WiFi during open hours…otherwise, we didn't even have ANY phone signal in the area. Good while camping, so not a complaint...just an observation FYI.

This place was ok, very small, however more than half the trails and park were closed due to flooding. Lots of construction in progress. There was no sewage hook ups (water electricity only), nearby dump station. Bathroom facilities were very clean. The two trails opened were nice. My kids brought there bikes and enjoyed the one bike trail. I was a little annoyed by the park staff. They came by at least 15 times each day, checking tags, checking fire pits, checking pets, etc. I get it, but it kind of ruins the whole experience when you are relaxing in your camper and see park personnel snooping around constantly. We saw them everywhere. We couldn’t even hike without seeing them. It just felt invasive.

This is another great Corps of Engineers parks where you find really nice campsites set on great waterfront setting. The campground sits on Enid Lake which is recognized as one of “One of America’s Top 10 Fishing Spots.” And since the park is just shy of 100 sites you don’t feel like it is not too big. Plan on staying here for a couple of days and relaxing in the outdoors. Stock up on supplies because there is not much around. Sites are really nice and spacious with paved driveways and patios. 

They just added sewer with makes a full hookup at $20/night a total bargain. Each site has a fire pit, picnic table, bbq grill, small concrete stand next to bbq, and lantern crook. The bathhouse was modern with flush toilets with clean showers. Not all sites are level in fact we had to pass up a couple because of that reason. If you come in the off-season, there are plenty of sites not reserved so you can drive around and pick on using the self-pay system. Some sites have amazing water views if you are able to snag one of those you are in for a great stay. The campground is pretty hilly but the roads were easy enough for us to navigate in our 45’ RV and tow car . 

The lake is very popular for fishing and there is a boat launch/fish cleaning station. We didn’t have fishing licenses but loved paddling around the lake. The North Mississippi Fish Hatchery(by the Enid Dam) is a fun place to visit and tour for very small fee. If you go into the town of Pope, the restaurant "The Place" offers good food set in a refurbishing an historic building.

Ez Daze RV Park, Southaven, MS - We stayed one night in November. Easy pull through, level concrete site so we didn’t have to unhitch, very clean bathrooms and showers. They have two regular shower stalls which are extremely shallow and one ADA stall with pull down bench. We didn’t have much interaction with the staff because as soon as I walked in, about 4p, I was directed to find my site information outside in the after hours arrival box. Great if you’re looking for contactless registration or do in fact arrive after hours. There was debris in our space that must have been left by the previous camper and we had to get out and clear it before we could pull into the site. Appeared to be large broken pieces of a heavy plastic bumper. (Reason for 4 stars instead of 5) Strong wifi, cable reception wasn’t great. Code to the bathrooms, which is appreciated especially as the park is located in a business area and backs up to a residential neighborhood. Asphalt in front of office in extremely bad condition so be careful as you drive through. Nice office. They have plenty of long termers and there are two large receptacles outside the front office for package delivery. The park is easy access from I-55 and sits next to several RV dealers. Great place to stay if you want to have a look at some new trailers or motor homes. Also, a Tanger Outlet is just down the road. Full hook up, 50 amp site was $70, 63.00 with our Good Sam card which we think was a bit pricey. Oddly, there was only one trash receptacle in the entire park.