Established Camping
Steel Creek Campground — Buffalo National River
About
National Park Service
Buffalo National River
Steel Creek is a first come, first serve campground in the upper district of the park. It has 26 tent only sites with no electrical amenities, but flush restrooms and water are available from March 15 through November 15. Steel Creek also has 14 first come, first serve horse only sites for campers with horse trailers. ADA Access: Steel Creek Campground does not have any ADA compliant campsites. The restroom facilities are ADA compliant.
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Hike-InBackcountry sites.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonUnknown
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
- Cabins
- Equestrian
Features
For Campers
- ADA Access
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Reservable
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Water Hookups
GuideBusy, but clean!
Campground was busy! But bathrooms stayed clean, visited often by a ranger, and so peaceful at night!
TravelerBeautiful views
Last minute 2 night trip with my girls (6,8). I haven’t been this far up river since I was a kid, so I didn’t know what to expect. It’s a slow drive from the south on 7 (20mph speed limit in places), so account for the extra time to set camp before dark. We went during the week, so it was practically empty. Short walk to river which you cannot see from sites due to trees, but you do have lovely rock views. There is a bathroom and water spigots. Be advised you do not have any cell service unless you drive into Ponca (10 min) and get on the store’s WiFi. So, if you need to call and let someone know you’ve arrived you will have to take that into account. We had a great time and can’t wait to go back and spend more time exploring the nearby trails.
GuideGood if you want to swim
The campground is smaller which I like but always busy. It's a good place for families that want to get into the river. Half the sites are near a tree line and the others out in the open. It's a very pretty area.
Location
Steel Creek Campground — Buffalo National River is located in Arkansas
Directions
Take Hwy. 43 south out of Harrison and travel approximately 26.3 miles to Ponca. Turn Left on Hwy. 74 and travel approximately 1.4 miles to the Steel Creek Rd turnoff (Signs are Posted). Turn left off of hwy 74 and travel down the Steel Creek Rd 1.3 miles to enter the campground.
Coordinates
36.04200452 N
93.34433867 W