Cabin camping is an amazing way to experience Gainesville, while still enjoying a little rustic luxury. It's easy to find cabins in Gainesville with The Dyrt. The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect cabin rental near Gainesville.
This recreation area is part of Bull Shoals Lake
Blue Heron Campground provides the pleasure of a natural Ozark setting without leaving the beaten path. Forget about traveling miles of back roads to reach that special camping spot. Our RV park is just off the highway and right on the banks of the White River, a premier trout fishing destination. This is RV camping at its finest. You can fish, bird watch, or simply enjoy the Ozark Mountains scenery.
Buffalo Point is a convenient, fun-filled destination for families and adventurists of all types. It's perched along the Buffalo National River, providing exciting river sports and hiking opportunities. In peak season, a restaurant is open at the facility, serving up meals for those who want a break from preparing them.
The wild river is a gathering place for water activities. Many campers spend their days fishing, hiking, canoeing or kayaking. Evenings are ideal for gathering next to the fire to revamp for another great day out on the river.
The campground is set along Buffalo National River, one of the few free-flowing rivers remaining in the contiguous United States. The river runs 135 miles without dams and cuts through the Arkansas Ozarks and into the White River. The region is surrounded by droves of lush hardwood trees and grassy open meadows.
Two popular attractions within the Buffalo Point Area are the Indian Rockhouse Trail and the Rush Historic District. Rush was a zinc mining community until the zinc market collapsed and the settlement was deserted. Tours about the town's history are available. Buffalo Point is the former Buffalo River State Park developed in the 1930's as project of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Blanchard Springs Caverns, an extraordinary living cave, is a one-hour drive from Buffalo Point.
Please see the Recreation.gov Rules and Reservation Policies.
$50 / night
Bidwell Point is tucked below towering oak and pines on the shores of Norfork Lake. Lay on the beach or take the boat out for water skiing on the easily accessible waters of Norfork Lake.
Lake Norfork is home to one of the best striped bass fisheries in Arkansas. Black bass fishing is at its best from September through May, and an increasingly popular sport is night fishing with lights for crappie and White bass.
The forest-topped Ozarks are actually a heavily eroded plateau, shaped and carved by hundreds of streams over several thousand years. Norfork Lake is sourced by the North Fork River in northern Arkansas, which winds through the rugged Ozarks before filling up 22,000 acres of Norfork Lake.
Hike the Robinson Point National Recreation Trail for wonderful views of the Ozarks. Just south of the lake, The Ozark National Forest spans 1.2 million acres.
Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee.
$50 / night
Twin Bridges Campground along Missouri’s North Fork River with canoe and kayak rentals. This campsite offers a variety of lodging options including: cabins and trailers that sleep up to twelve people, tent sites, RV Hookups and base camps for those canoe or kayak packing. They also offer rentals for canoes, kayaks, rafts, and even ATVs. Twin Bridges is a basecamp for backpackers heading into Mark Twain National Forest, as well as hunters and fisherman. Twin bridges offers a cafe, bar, community fire pit, and camp store.
$11 - $220 / night
Henderson Park is surrounded by the clear waters of Norfork Lake. Spectacular lake views and plenty of secluded coves for water sports and breezy, open stretches for sailing, make Norfork Lake a popular area for recreationists.
Hiking trails in the area lead nature observers and photographers to picturesque overlooks of the Ozarks. A wide array of fresh water game fish are found in the lake, which is fed by the North Fork River and its tributaries. Bass, walleye, crappie, bream and catfish all make their home here.
Norfork Lake covers 22,000 acres with 550 miles of shoreline. Densely wooded hills and hollows surround the lake in the Ozark Mountains. The North Fork River feeds into the lake, and beyond the dam, extends on to connect with the White River.
Including Henderson Park, there are 19 developed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers parks lining the lake for plenty of water sport opportunities. The Robinson Point National Recreation Trail and the David's Trail offer beautiful hiking opportunities and are just a short drive away. Drive just over 10 miles to visit the town of Mountain Home, considered one of the best places to live for sportsmen.
Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee.
$24 / night
Gaston's White River Resort began 59 years ago when Al Gaston, Jim Gaston's father, purchased 20 acres of White River frontage with six small cottages and six boats...the year was 1958. Present day, Jim’s grandson - Clint Gaston - will carry on the family legacy for many years to come. The resort now covers over 400 acres, and has 79 cottages ranging in size from two double beds to ten private bedrooms. The airstrip has grown from 1,800 feet to 3,200 feet. The six boats are now over 70, and with a state of the art dock to hold them all. The years have brought an award winning restaurant, private club, gift shop, tennis court, playground, game room, duck pond, three nature trails, swimming pool, conference lodge, and fly fishing school.
Guide
Right in town but actually quite. Bathrooms very clean nice laundry area and cheap.
Scout
While it was pretty last year (the reason it was my first pick this year) the owner uses Marissa, Jamie and Serena as his own personal shield to avoid taking responsibility for his business, and all of them are rude as all get out. Marissa promised multiple times that the owner would call me, and kept changing when exactly that would be. Two days later, I have NEVER heard from him, despite him being fully aware he needed to contact me. I ended up having the credit card company cancel the charge.
And omg, the shower house. Bring a space heater. It's an open air shed with exposed pvc and no drain. I can't imagine how it operates in the winter.
If you come in October, expect loud screaming, gun shots and chainsaws for THREE HOURS at night from one of their events your probably won't be told about til you arrive. Greg deserves to have this place fail.
Guide
Great trip. Beautiful campground. Beautiful scenery
Guide
Great trip. Beautiful campground. Beautiful scenery
Scout
This campground had the potential to be amazing- it's beautiful, is right next to the river with amazing views of the stars, and has several hikes close by. But the camp hosts and rangers don't enforce any sort of quiet time or people capacity rules. So unfortunately my partner and I had a group of probably 20 people camping next to us. They brought in a DJ car(open the trunk and it had huge speakers and running lights) to bump techno music during the day, and at night they set up a movie projector and large screen and watched horror movies late into the night. It's not serene when there are 8 tents, a crowd of people, and horror movie screaming right beside you all day and night. I even went and talked to the camp hosts but nothing was done. So, I don't recommend this place. Usually I camp to unwind and chill, but I left the weekend more frazzled and exhausted than I came.
ScoutYou will love this campground. It's a beautiful rv resort next to the water. Step out of your rv and you will see some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere in the United States. Michael is the director of the campground and he is so very helpful and congenial. We travel to many states but this campground is our very favorite and if you like or love to fish, this is your place! Go see for yourselves and we will probably see you there!!
Wanda and Pete Shurow
LegendWe loved our stay at Blue Heron. We had a riverfront spot and really just came to chill not fish but it’s a fishing location. White river is trout paradise so if you’re an angler this is where it’s at. Campground was SUPER clean. Best level pads and hookups we’ve ever seen. Firewood and ice for sale. Everything was absolutely perfect except the road noise….which in all fairness we knew about. LOTS of noise. It died down after 8pm and before 8am and we couldn’t hear it in our camper so it’s was ok.
Scout
This location has been a great place. It is clean and well maintained. The staff is friendly and the area is peaceful. We would recommend this place to anyone looking for a campground in Branson Mo. It is also a short and scenic drive to what ever suites you in Branson.
ScoutThis is our 5-6 year to stay here. Over the years, we have seen so many b improvements to this area.. it’s always a great time. Michael, the host, is just an all around great guy. We are looking forward to our next stay
Scout
Most peaceful place to stay. You are surrounded by mountains, wildlife, birds, eagles, deer, geese and the confluence of the White & Norfork River is at the end of driveway. Norfork Lake is just a few miles away. Love the Pavilion, fire pit and corn hole!
Traveler
Super friendly people, very accommodating. They offered to help us hookup when we arrived, so sweet, and specially since we are new to this. Gave us advice about where to eat around town. The site was nice and shady. The bath house was excellent - very nice showers and bathrooms, very clean, very private. Such a family feel. Very good value for the price! Thanks for an excellent stay. Would stay here again if we ever return to the area.
TravelerThis is our go to get away! If you like canoeing and kayaking… it’s here. Like hiking… plenty of trails. Want to just site by one of the cleanest rivers around and enjoy the Ozarks… this is it. We’ve tent camped and trailered here for more than 15 years.
The camp grounds are well maintained by the NPS. The showers and restrooms are a bit, um, rustic. Sites can be hit and miss depending on the time of the year. Be sure and view the campsite online and consider the direction of the site. Some get full sun in the morning but most are shaded in the evening due to the mountain. Also, sites on the river side are frequented by raccoons at night and mosquitos depending on the weather.
I would still pick Buffalo Point as a definite place to stay.
Scout
This campground promotes child molestation. Eric Wyatt the park supervisor is a tier 3 child predator.
ScoutWe stay at Blue Heron 3-4 times a year and love it! Excellent concrete pads with easy back-in markings for RVs. Great cement patio so there is no mud in case of rain. Each site has its own fire pit and 2 chairs. All the sites are great, but the river sites provide a nice cool breeze off the water!
Scout
Even though their website says they have tent camping they DO NOT
LegendLoved being able to camp so close to the creek! The campsites weren’t anything special, but it is perfect for a weekend getaway. The lower campground does not have a bathroom, have to walk to the hill. The bathrooms were clean, but the shower house is basically like taking an outdoor shower. They do sell wood, ice and have a small selection of items inside the office. The location is great and the river is gorgeous making this a place would would definitely return to.
TravelerWe have stayed here 2 times, once in a RV a couple years ago and had a nice experience. The second just this week. Since we stayed here last the prices have increased per night and it has come under new ownership. We stayed in the “wren” cabin. Which is over looking campsites below and sylamore creek. Not horrible, but honestly if I’m paying for water views I want to see the water not campers. Overall fairly clean, other than the debris pictured in the shower. No problem, sometimes mistakes happen. Could have even fell from the ceiling when the door closed or something after it was cleaned. My biggest issue, we were here for 3 nights. Typically I like to shower a couple times a day as does my wife when it is hot out. We had a total of 2 bath towels and 2 wash cloths upon arrival. Rather than new ones being brought daily, you are required to take the used ones to the camp store and exchange them yourself. I’m on vacation, I don’t personally feel it should be my responsibility to secure my own towels on MY time. I mean, I’m here for 3 days, give me 6 towels and wash cloths and count them when I leave if your that worried about towel theft. I’ve travelled half way around the world and never had this issue before. But if I’m paying $140 a night for a room worth about $90 (at best) I’d at least like enough towels to get me through my stay or maybe send someone by with new ones. One more thing, note the front door pic needs painted at a minimum, I mean, it’s not just one thing, it’s attention to detail and upkeep. The bathroom door also rubbed the floor and the floor was uneven overall. I get around pretty good, but I can see this being a trip hazard for someone elderly. Point being, I did not get a good value for the stay I purchased. I did confront the towel issue and the response was “we’ve always done it that way”. Doesn’t sound like it will change soon, which means I won’t be back and wouldn’t encourage anyone else to stay here either. On a positive, it’s not a bad location. I will also mention the bed, it wasn’t bad, but could have lived without the sandpaper sheets.
ScoutI got to fish
ScoutOur friends from CA have bragged on this camp ground for years....so here we come!
TravelerWe celebrated a birthday with family and friends at Blue Heron - we traveled from Texas. What a GREAT place. Beautiful views - so many amenities - they have everything you need to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Can’t wait to return and stay in one of the riverfront cabins. SO nice. Cheryl and Michael were so helpful and made sure our trip was one for the books.
ScoutWe stayed in a riverfront site. It was perfect access to bank fishing and the boat ramp. The entire property including our site was very clean, well kept and attractive.
Michael was great to work with and very attentive to any need we had.
I would gladly recommend this property to anyone wanting to camp by a great trout stream in a beautiful setting.
Traveler
It's such a beautiful place, right on the White River and the Buffalo River, just yards away. The best of both rivers. The resort is well maintained and the staff is friendly. There's a pool in the summer and a ping pong table. The bathrooms do not have air conditioning, but are clean.
ScoutWe had a terrible experience camping here over the weekend. We were expecting a nice quiet family outing with friends but that is not what we got. I have never been to a rv park where there is a haunted hayride and haunted house on site only feet away from campers but we also had to listen to screaming, banging, chainsaws and tractors running until 10pm each night. So the kids decided to check out the hayride and haunted house with the moms and did so but were to chicken to go through the house. So i challenged the older kids to go through the house with me. So we made our way over to the house and were met with an upset clown that said we had to go to the office to get our vouchers because the kids had been through the house too many times already. So we go and get the vouchers and go on the hayride without any problems when we pull back up to the house the clown then confronts me and tells me i need to tell the kids to stop throwing rocks during the hayride. I said who and then asked the kids if they did and they said no and he continues to accuse them of throwing rocks. I then confront this clown about accusing my kids of doing something and he then starts dropping f bombs left and right and starts threating to call the cops which i said please do but i guess decided not to. So after a few back and forth words i decide to leave the situation and take the kids back to the camper and he proceeds to follow me and continue to use the f word repeatedly. I can say i will never be back to this clown of a campground and would not want my worst enemy staying here. Their sign says no cussing or you will be escorted off the premises but i guess that only applies to the guests not the employees. The sign also says beware of clowns. So do yourself a favor and don't waste your time or money on this clown of a place.
ScoutGreat space, well kept and super clean. Micheal was great to work with and super help getting backed in. Very accommodating and has been the past 10+ times we have stayed. Grounds are Close to anything you might need between Flippin and Cotter
Traveler
This is probably an excellent site in spring or fall. However summertime is hot at the site because of the lack of shade trees. Site 15 is by the water and has a large area for dogs or family. There is a staircase down to the water next to site 8. The fishing is good. It’s a pet friendly site however if your dogs bark neighbors will complain. The manager is friendly. They do not have trash pick up service; you just take your trash to a dumpster at the end of the camp, which is not a big deal. No grill available but has picnic tables and fire ring. WI-FI aid very good.
ScoutCamped right off bank of white river. Toilets/showers maintained and cleaned. Fishing is fantastic off bank on afternoon. Beautiful and staff is so friendly and helpful
Scout
Site was a little hard to get into and a little tight with the pavillion there providing the only shade. T-mobile cell serve was very good.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Gainesville, MO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Gainesville, MO is Bull Shoals-White River State Park with a 4.7-star rating from 25 reviews.
What is the best site to find cabin camping near Gainesville, MO?
TheDyrt.com has all 44 cabin camping locations near Gainesville, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
