Bull Shoals-White River State Park Campground

This is also my 4th review of this exact same spot. We like our site because it has the picnic table on the business side of the camper, which to be honest was weird for us on the first visit, but we grew to love it quickly, because the camper blocks the dogs from seeing all of the activity at the other campsites. So, if you have pups who might bark if they see something interesting happening down the way, then this may be the perfect spot for you. And after staying in the same spot 4 years in a row, the only thing that could be an issue for other campers is that the picnic table is in full sun for a few hours at around noon to around 4pm in September. But, there are still nice shady spots under the trees. You will just have to follow the shade.

We had guests this year, who met up with us at another campground that was a comparable size and had about the same amount of occupancy, and they both commented on how peaceful it was, even though there were so many sites that were occupied.

One thing we keep struggling with is the best way to get here.

We have already booked our stay for next year. The people who work in the park are fantastic. The grounds are well kept. Restrooms are the kind of restroom you wish every campground had.

First time at Bull Shoals White River State Park and very pleased with our stay. Enjoyed sitting by the fire and watching the fishing from the White River as the boats came by. I would recommend this park for a great relaxing camping experience. Park is bicycle friendly and plenty of green space for all to enjoy. Will definitely be returning for another camping weekend.

At first I wasn’t going to leave a review, but I wanted to alert campers to the map I added to photos. It’s something I always want to see so I add this whenever I can.
This is a great park and if you want to stay on a weekend or for 2 weeks at a time, you will need reservations months ahead of time. We got 3 weekdays about a month prior but I think we were lucky to find those.

I applaud the excellent and accurate reviews below, especially Ed’s. This is a park that belongs in a Campendium piece on “best state parks in the country.”

My only caveat is that we stayed in site 37, which had no shade. So while it was lovely and spacious with a great view of the river below in the mornings and evenings, it was the wrong site during the unusual heat wave that we had during most of our stay, with a September temperatures over 19 degrees above normal, in the 90s.

So while we wouldn’t choose that site again, there are so many others right along the river. I encourage you to go to the the Bull Shoals dam visitor center, and to survey the offerings by the state. We took a wonderful 90 minute guided boat tour on the Bull Shoals lake by registering at the visitor center. They have a list of activities when you come in.

I encourage you to enjoy a meal at Gaston‘s, less than 2 miles from the campground. It is a high-end fishing resort which has a lovely restaurant, perched on the banks of the white river.

This is an excellent park that exceeded our already high expectations. We would give it 6 stars out of 5 if we could. There is no park admission fee. About 70% of the campsites are right along the White River with great views of the water. There is a large reservoir with hydroelectric generators which allows access to both in the lower river or the upper lake. Fishing in the large river is literally right outside your door. (One word of caution. The river level and current can rise rapidly depending on water flow needs for generating electricity, so one must be careful boating down river of the dam.) The RV sites are wide and provide for adequate privacy. The bathhouses are new and fully equipped with 4 separate rooms with private flush toilets and showers in each building. Showers are free with good hot water and pressure. Everything was very clean and well maintained. We stayed at a primitive tent site in the woods but only about 130 feet from the bathroom. The forested tent sites are really spacious, even wider than the river view sites. Drinking water was only about 30 feet away. Our cost as seniors was only $11 a night, a real bargain given the high quality of the park. Employees were very friendly and accommodating. We did not have a reservation but it was not a problem in early September. The park has 3 RV’s people can rent and a small marina with fishing boats and kayaks available to campers to rent.

The Big Bluff Trail leads to a magnificent panoramic view of the river and valley. Well worth the hike. But at 1.75 miles round trip, we would not recommend it for small children or mobility impaired hikers. The level of difficulty is moderate with a rocky up hill climb for the first 1/2 mile. This park is one of the best we have ever stayed in. It was a big step up from state parks in New England and others out in Wyoming / Montana that have poor facilities / rest rooms at 3 times the cost. No car entrance fees, no pay showers, nice flush toilets, and a very low camping fee make this park a hidden gem! We will definitely visit Arkansas and this park again in the near future.

We absolutely love this park. The first time we stayed here, (after much discussion and scoping out other spots) we decided that we liked our spot the best- site 80. It's at the very end of the loop, water front, with the picnic table on the wrong side of the camper lol, but we like it. Not much shade mid-day, but that doesn't bother us. There's a decent amount of space between you and the neighbors on either side. It's near a field at the end of the road, which is nice for walking the dog. The hiking trail head is in that area, too.

From the site, there's a path with a bit of a rocky hill down to the river bank, and it is not too bad. Just maybe don't try it in flip flops! There are steps down to the bank nearby, but it is between a couple of RVs that are close together, so it feels like you're invading their space so we just went down the hill. The trout dock has a store with some amenities, souvenirs, ice and firewood and is open 7am to 7pm.

The family bathrooms in this area are kept very clean. These are my favorite kind of restrooms. You get your own space, with toilet, shower, sink.

Quiet hours are observed 10pm to 8am, and the park is beautifully quiet at that time.

We missed our first night but we called and they were so helpful and took payment over the phone to keep the reservation. When we finally arrived at the park, the office was closed and by the time we got around to check in the next morning, the campground hosts had already picked up our tag and posted it.