While the scenery in this apparently very popular park is nice, unfortunately I cannot give it a good rating. We did not get off to a good start during our visit. When we called to check on availability of a site when arriving in the Hot Springs area, we were told there was one site available. We arrived and occupied that very unlevel site. There were, however, two handicap sites that were not occupied during our overnight stay. Those sites were not designated as reservable sites. I do not agree with this “denial of service” type policy that would have resulted if our site had already been occupied. Apparently we would have been turned away even though two non-reservable handicap sites would have remained empty. I tried to get clarification on this policy from the COE officer when leaving the park. He did not have a definite answer for me on any COE policy. He said it would depend on how far I had traveled that day if I would get a handicap site! Although several people told us that Lake Ouachita is the cleanest lake in the country (non-polluted), it sure was muddy during our visit. It didn’t smell good either. Some of the moss on the lake was so thick that birds could walk on it. There are some pretty mountains that surround the park. Except for the paved handicap sites, I believe all the sites are gravel, with some being very close to each other. There were not many level sites. Our site dropped about one to two feet over the length of our camper. Some of the park roads are paved while others are gravel. If you are considering sites 1-22, beware that there is some large noisy equipment behind the bathhouse in that loop. I asked one camper over there if it made that grinding noise all night. He said in a sarcastic tone that it only cut on and off all night. The bathhouses could use some updating. The grass had apparently not been cut in quite some time. Overall, the park did not appear to be maintained like the US Army Corps parks that we are accustomed to visiting. Out of the approximately 30 or so Corps parks that we have visited, this was our least favorite. I would not recommend staying here if there are other nice parks closer to Hot Springs. This park is pretty much a fish camp. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.

COE park. Most sites not quite level. Sides observed were paved. Fire rings and cement tables at each site. Electric at all RV sites. Water at some. Dump Station with water. Water available at bathhouses. Clean. Zero services. Boaters can pull boats to within 30 to 50ft of sites in outside ring. Dry county. 14 day max. Fishing is the premier activity. Water is low due to preventitive draining for possible Katrina torrents that didn't arrive. Bring firewood. In the off season, find a spot. Uniformed ranger will pick up fees. Cash or check ONLY in off season. We camped here in a Motorhome.