We all love roasting marshmallows over a campfire—and you can often still do that while cabin camping in Ouachita National Forest. It's easy to find cabins in Ouachita National Forest with The Dyrt. Each cabin rental offers quick access to one or more of Ouachita National Forest's most popular destinations.
This recreation area is part of Ouachita Lake
Nestled between the Ozark National Forest to the north, and the Ouachita National Forest to the south, Mount Magazine State Park boasts the highest point in the state of Arkansas: Mount Magazine at 2753 feet. Located just 100 miles northwest of Little Rock, this area has been a recreation destination since the late 1800s. Recreation at Mount Magazine really started booming in the 1930s and 40s with the construction of a lodge, campgrounds and trails. Visitors came to beat the heat of the surrounding valleys, as well as to enjoy the panoramic views, abundant wildflowers, autumn color, and numerous opportunities to play outdoors. The area finally became a state park in 1998.
Whether you prefer a posh lodge or cabin, a fully-equipped RV pad, or a rustic campsite, there’s a place for you to stay and play at Mount Magazine. The park’s campground offers 18 spacious sites with full or partial hookups. Amenities include flush toilets, hot showers and a dump station. Campers are required to store food and trash properly to minimize black bear encounters. For more luxuriant accommodations, the park’s lodge offers 60 guest rooms and spa suites with a variety of comforts, as well as 13 full-equipped cabins with up to three bedrooms. Not in the mood for hot dogs over the campfire? The large dining room at the Skycrest Restaurant serves daily meals while overlooking the Petit Jean River Valley.
When you’re ready to play on Mount Magazine, you can do it by foot, wheels or wings. Hikers have access to 14 miles of trails, ranging from 1 to 3 miles, with connecting options for going farther. The 34-mile Huckleberry Mountain Trail is great for mountain biking and horseback riding. For gravity-defying activities, the park offers more than 100 climbing routes on its southern bluff, as well as a hang gliding launch point over the Petit Jean River Valley. Less strenuous activities include bird and wildlife watching, guided ranger walks, historic site tours and various interpretive programs and outdoor skills workshops. There’s also spectacular leaf-peeping in the fall when the forest takes on its vibrant autumn transformation.
$35 / night
Brady Mountain Campground delights visitors with its family-friendly facilities, fabulous views and idyllic placement on Arkansas's Lake Ouachita. The lake attracts visitors who come for the crystal clear waters and bountiful fishing opportunities. Click here for the Lake Ouachita Virtual Tour.
A unique way to explore the lake is to follow the Geo-Float Trail, coined as the first water-based interpretive trail included in the National Trails System. The self-guided boat tour leads visitors on a 16-mile trip to see incredible geologic features as it stretches from the Spillway Recreation Area to Brady Mountain Recreation Area. Hikers enjoy the scenic land-based nature trail accessible from the campground. Boating, fishing and scuba diving among the remains of the flooded mountain valley are also popular here.
Lake Ouachita sits in the heart of the Ouachita Mountains, just 10 miles west of Hot Springs National Park. The lake stems from the Ouachita River and boasts 692 miles of shoreline with 178 islands.
This location is unstaffed. To speak with our main office for general information, please call: (501) 767-2101.
Head to Hot Springs National Park and enjoy a traditional bath or modern spa experience with the natural spring water.
$50 / night
This recreation area is part of Degray Lake
Treasure Isle RV Park is located on the banks of Lake Hamilton. There are many types of RV sites including Concrete back-in, Concrete pull thru, gravel pull thru, and lakefront sites. Amenities include: coin laundry, bath house, pool, large playground, three covered pavilions with seating and grills available for use by the park guests, and fishing piers. There are kayaks and pontoons available to rent. Come enjoy your vacation with us!
$45 - $95 / night
Brady Mountain Day-Use Area delights visitors with its family-friendly facility, fabulous views and idyllic placement on Arkansas's Lake Ouachita. The lake attracts visitors who come for the crystal clear waters and bountiful fishing opportunities.____ Click here for the Lake Ouachita Virtual Tour.
A unique way to explore the lake is to follow the Geo-Float Trail, coined as the first water-based interpretive trail included in the National Trails System. The self-guided boat tour leads visitors on a 16-mile trip to see incredible geologic features as it stretches from the Spillway Recreation Area to Brady Mountain Recreation Area.______ Hikers enjoy the scenic land-based nature trail accessible from the campground. Boating, fishing and scuba diving among the remains of the flooded mountain valley are also popular here.
The Day-Use Pavilion has electrical hook-ups, picnic tables, and lighting. Other amenities include a bathroom facility, a swim beach, and a boat ramp.
Lake Ouachita sits in the heart of the Ouachita Mountains, just 10 miles west of Hot Springs National Park.______ The lake stems from the Ouachita River and boasts 692 miles of shoreline with 178 islands.
This location is unstaffed. To speak with our main office for general information, please call: (501) 767-2101.
Head to Hot Springs National Park and enjoy a traditional bath or modern spa experience with the natural spring water.
$50 / night
Whether your perfect vacation is action-packed or laid back, you’ll find everything you need at Catherine’s Landing. Conveniently situated on 400 pastoral acres with a mile of frontage on beautiful Lake Catherine just outside historic downtown Hot Springs. Catherine’s Landing offers an ideal natural environment mixed with a range of accommodations and on-site activities that appeal to every form of traveler. Choose from RV sites with modern concrete pads, fully-furnished resort cottages, yurts for a true "Glamping" experience, or raised and bordered tent sites. Add exceptional on-site amenities, a convenient concierge at your service, a beautiful lake right outside your door, Wi-Fi and cable, and you have everything you need for your next getaway.
$25 - $85 / night
Traveler
The experience begins with the climb: the road winds up and around the bends and crooks of the mountain. The entrance and welcome center is grand and very accepting of anything from small vehicles to large diesel pushers. The camping spaces are large and accommodating, most are level and can fit almost anything you travel in. The amenities were clean and - while dated - all in good working conditions. The various trails are well marked and offer several levels of technical expertise. At the top you can camp or stay at The Lodge - which offers a myriad of services from food to catered events.
But the views ARE the reason to experience this park! They are simply delicious!
Guide
Lots of Space, Shade, and access to mountain bike trails and downtown hot springs
Legend
My first impressions of this site were terrible. The Bathrooms are extremely old and honestly seem like they're rotting down. The playground area is small but jot terrible. The area for rvs is pretty cramped with no privacy. Luckily while talking to some folks there they directed us on down the road. There are two more sections specifically for primitive camping that are really nice. There are a couple picnic tables and fire rings. There is also a nice pond. The cell signal isn't terrible but it's a bit hit and miss for internet.
Overall, I would suggest it but don't expect to use their showers or bathroom. Go a couple minutes down the road and use the state parks showerhouse. It's really nice.
Traveler
Car camped at tent site to visit HSNP and trail ride. Staff were plentiful and friendly. My only issues were noise from a fast road near my site, walking distance from sites to restrooms, and most sites seemed quite tight for SUVs/trucks to park within. Even so, I highly recommend checking out this place. I really enjoyed my nights here and hours in the woods!
Guide
Nice quiet campground with a nice lake, vault toilets, no electricity or water Wildlife in the area. We were able to listen to a Barred Owl before going to sleep, mature pine trees giving a lot of shade
Guide
The tent site was perfect! With fire pit, power, and water. The bathrooms and showers were nice and clean.
Legend
We had an overnight here after visiting the hot springs national park. The euro delights food truck was a tasty treat. Loved that the pool was open until 10pm just wish the store was open past 5. Great sites. Full hook ups. Paved roads perfect for scootering.
GuideFantastic smaller campground minutes from Mount Magazine. It seems to be overshadowed by much larger, better known places like Devils Den, so it's fairly quiet even when it's 'busy.' We also learned that it has new management as of this year (2024), a young family that's extremely hands-on.
We stayed as a group (three families with 7 kiddos total, ranging from 6-15), across two adjacent sites: 1 & 3. You could see the lake from our sites, but they don't sit right over the lake like some do. With so many kids in our group, we actually wanted that. Sites are extremely spacious and well spaced from each other, and would feel even more private later in the season when the trees are full. Bathrooms are simple pit toilets, but clean and well-maintained.
Boat rentals right onsite, concessions, even a small beach area! We will 100% be back. No cell service whatsoever with Verizon.
ScoutBeautiful RV Camp . Checks all the boxes . Serious Problem is Very Poor WiFi .
GuideThere is not a lot to do, and it is pretty far from the city. However, there are big RV sites and amazing sunsets. There is also a lake nearby.
Dog friendly.
There are lots of nature trails, but none very long.
Lots of ticks, tricky to get good starlink connection.
Traveler
The campground is on the small side, but with a nice shower area and coin laundry. The paved areas (including the Rv pads) are a bit rough, but ok. Leveling pads were needed for our site . Lots of crystals just laying around also. Something out of the control of the campground, but the Oakworms were crazy. That’s not rain you hear falling from the trees! lol Stay under the awning.
TravelerWe have a support animal that they have on their website as a restricted and not permitted to visit their park. Being breed restrictive is extremely close minded and not compliant with ADA
Ranger
Fairly cheap for a nicely established campground with really nice bathrooms (with showers)! Water spigot right at our site. Park has 3 different loops and lots of amenities.
Guide
We used this as our base while visiting Hot Springs. It took us about 30 minutes to get there, with the last few miles being down a somewhat curvy, yet easily navigable and very pretty road in the mountain. Be aware of the weather, as if it’s raining hard, parts of this road are subject to being the pathway for the water to cross as it flows down the mountainside. We had that experience, and it was a little tricky but quite exciting. Although the first campsites certainly looked quite close to each other, as you get further back into the campground the sites seemed to have more room. It was a mile drive from the entrance to our campsite # 62, but a lot shorter to exit. We loved our location,overlooking a part of the lake where it looked like a little cove. The site was slightly sloping but easy to level our 24’ Itasca Navion. The restrooms were clean and tidy but no soap supplied. The showers had good pressure. There was also a couple of sinks available with hot water to do dishes. Wouldn’t hesitate to come back. I think this was one of my favorite.
Scout
As of 2023 this campground is under new management.
LegendThe Hot Springs NP campground was closed for the season so we stayed at Lake Ouachita SP Campground for 3 nights. We are tent camper and this was the best it gets! The tent sites are well separated from the RVs and generators. The sit right on the lake so they can get windy but are peaceful and beautiful. Each tent site has a level pad for tents, picnics tables, and fire-ring. A small down-side, you have to park and walk your gear to your site but it's not terribly far or a big deal. The lake is beautiful and all tent sites have access to the water. It's a bit of a walk to the bathrooms but they are wonderfully clean (and heated). The camp store had decent wood for sale. The only thing to beware of is the crows. They are relentless and even took a bag of sealed, in it's original container, tortilla chips and tried carrying them away and pecking the bag open. So don't leave anything unsupervised (even in closed container or bags).
Guide
Pioneer Campgrounds has hosted 8 family reunions and 7 Boy Scout / Girl Scout Troops in 2023. Great place to camp. Clean cabins, brand new bathrooms, large dining hall and kitchen area.
TravelerGreat get away close to the Ozarks. Clean, quiet, beautiful views!
RangerGreat place to camp, been coming here my entire life and it has changed very little in that time. Boating, fishing, swimming, cabins available, lots of trails to hike. Just minutes from Mt Magazine and the town of Paris. Friendly staff.
ScoutThis RV park is small, private and has beautiful trees. All amenities are clean and in good repair.
GuideWe visited the walk-in tent sites for 5 days in late June and had a wonderful time. These sites are out on a peninsula and although the weather brought us 104° for a few days in a row, with the breeze on the peninsula and the lake water, it was manageable and even pleasant. All of the sites are beautiful and there is a cart provided to transport your gear from vehicle to your reserved spot. All sites appeared to gave direct lake access, some with a little steeper hill, but all manageable. The lake is a rock bottom entry so I'd highly advise to bring water shoes. Entering the area, on the right, the sites are on the no wake zone but I felt comfortable with the kids swimming on either side safely. The marina has kayak rentals and also canoes, boat rides, pedal boats, etc. Restrooms/bathhouse is a short walk with the parking lot in between the campsites and building. Each were clean and individual with a toilet, shower, sink combo in each. The camp hosts were so nice and friendly and the rangers were super helpful. The water was clear and you could see small fish swimming below. Firewood, ice, snacks, and bait could all be purchased from the check-in or marina. Hot Spring is a short maybe 15 min drive. Definitely check out Bathhouse Row, the national hot spring park and if you are into Star Wars, get tickets for a VIP tour of Galaxy Connections. Back at Lake Ouachita is the Three Sisters Springs which is a super cool little quick visit and you can fill up your own water bottles or jugs straight from the cold springs. We loved every minute at Lake Ouachita and were so sad to leave.
Scout
This was my first solo camping trip and the Arlie Moore campground made it an easy and memorable one. First the location is close to Hot Springs National park, only about 20 minutes away. It was easy to find in the dark and everything was very well labeled so finding my campsite was doable even at night. My site was right in the water and well maintained. The bathrooms had toilet paper and the trash was taken out daily. I did hike the 1.3 mile trail while I was staying but be warned it’s a little confusing because not many people use it.
GuideOur first trip to Hot Springs. The weather was perfect and our hosts went above and beyond to ensure we had the perfect spot for our stay. Facilities are clean and recently renovated. Staff ensure each space is clean and everything is working properly.
RangerWe stayed in a lovely cottage at Catherine’s Landing Resort on Lake Catherine. As we approached the resort, we were greeted by towers of green. The hills of the Ouachita River Valley envelop the immaculate property. The property offers large pull-through RV sites, tent sites, yurts, and cottages. The resort is right on Lake Catherine and very close to the 800-acre Lake Hamilton. Amenities include a pool, splash pad, zip lining, a ropes course, disk golf course, boat ramp and slips, catch and release pond, golf cart rentals, workout room, free popcorn, and yard games for check out in the gift shop. Check out my full review at ChampagneOnDeck.com
ScoutThe campground is lovely. Be aware though that there’s Is only electric at the sites. Fresh water is available right inside the entrance. This campground is unstaffed. You fill out a card with your reservation into. An employee will find it and give you an official pass later on. There’s not much to do here if you’re not into fishing or getting on the water. The trails are minimal. The boat ramp has good parking and easy entry. My site has a good view of the water, but the marina is right there. People also tend to walk through the site to get to the water to view.
ScoutFriendly and helpful staff. Clean, WiFi, cable, and full hook ups. Close to to town. Firepit and picnic tables on level sites.
RangerWe ended up staying at Cameron Bluff - a different site on top of the mountain, but this area looked pretty good as well! Clean bathrooms, neat visitor center, picnic tables, pavilion, and a bunch of trailheads
Cabin camping near Ouachita National Forest offers a perfect blend of nature and comfort, allowing you to unwind in scenic surroundings while enjoying modern amenities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Ouachita National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Ouachita National Forest is Lake Ouachita State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 45 reviews.
What is the best site to find cabin camping near Ouachita National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 35 cabin camping locations near Ouachita National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
