roadtripper274053

Gravel parking lot adjacent to one picnic table and fire ring, numerous hunters coming and going during hunting seasons; unknown persons off and on all night. Hiking trail closed during hunting season but should be beautiful.

Five gravel sites, none level, next to a minor highway that stays busy until dark, then very quiet. Out in the countryside on the edge of a 4300 acre wildlife area. Probably used by hunters in deer and dove seasons. Completely shaded. Fire ring at each site. Four sites very close together and one by itself. Only vans or tents will fit. A farm just down and across the road probably keeps this from becoming a local beer-drinking and partying site. Lots of trash about.

Our site was a short pull-through suitable for our ModVans CV1. A rushing stream was 50 feet away. Sites are close together and tucked between trees at odd angles. The shower had no hot water in the evening. The road in is very rough and crooked. It is the only way out of the narrow, dead-end canyon, and in case of fire or flood it would be hard to get out. We saw a moose by the road on the way out.

4 miles past the end of the pavement, on the right just before the bridge. Creekside, large open space, level, fire ring. Road in very washboarded.

Sites are well spaced for the most part, and most have shade over or near the pad part of the day. Avoid site 23 if you have kids or pets; it has LOTS of grassburrs. Restrooms were clean and spacious, but it took several minutes to get hot water to the shower, wasting a lot of water. Burn ban was in effect. The main downside to this park was the gate closes at 9 PM and does not reopen until 9 AM, and while you can leave, you can’t get in.

Camping was not allowed in the grassy areas with shade because of possible rain, so we went for space 5, close to the dumpsters, because:
1. The electricity was off at site 3, and there were yellowjackets in the electrical box at site 2;
2. 5 was close to the only restrooms we could find, at the poolhouse for the closed pool; and
3. There was a tree at the west end of the parking lot that gave us some late shade.
Another plus was that the parking lots are far away from the playgrounds so it is relatively quiet.
On the down side, our camping chairs were stolen during the night. DON'T LEAVE STUFF OUTSIDE.

Pretty deserted late November/early December because water is turned off. Restrooms and showers closed. Great for those needing only electricity as there are few campers.

Located along a shallow, slow-flowing creek with rocky bottom. Some campsites have partial shade; no. 20 has none. Gravel pads are mostly level. Some have water and electricity. There is a dump station and dumpsters. Restrooms and showers are old but functional, though spartan. Quiet and mostly empty when we visited midweek but could be hectic when full; most sites are close together, no privacy, and some have tent sites right next to them with no demarcation.

Camped in A area with about 10 of the sites occupied on a Thursday night. Quiet except for the older couple next door playing some weird, godawful music for hours. Showers were user-friendly and had hot water. Kudos, Arkansas; USACOE needs to take notes. Most sites in this loop were very close together and suitable only for short rigs. The exceptions were sites 24 and 25, which back up to a small creek at the base of a steep hill. A trail leads from 24 and connects to some of the park’s 33 miles of trails. The Old Military Road trail starts at the Lake Austell boat ramp parking lot and includes a section of the Trail of Tears. The lower loop is very winding and hilly and would be muddy when wet. The upper loop gets you to the Trail of Tears section quicker and is wide and flat after the challenging set of steps up from the dam. Lots of big trees and shade on the trail and in the campground.

Sites are very close together under large pine trees. Water heater was broken so no showers. Mostly empty and quiet midweek. Most sites suitable for small to medium size rigs. Gravel pads are mostly level. Electric hookups but no water at sites. Vault toilets. Best part was the views of the Mississippi on the way in from the south.