Gulpha Gorge Campground

Verizon speeds were 24Mbps download and 23 upload. T-Mobile speeds were 19/2 respectively. AT&T service was unusable with 0.14 down and nothing up. Verizon/T-Mobile speeds taken with a roof-mounted Pepwave antenna. AT&T via phone.

The main pros of this place are that it's cheap for FHU and that it's very close to downtown Hot Springs. Otherwise, it's a 2 star park. Not sure what the rave reviews are about if not for the surrounding area and not the park itself.

The site spacing is about as cramped as many private parks we've stayed in and the site geometry is not ideal. You end up with a neighbor on 3 sides depending on the site. There is a moderate amount of road noise from US-7 that goes right next to the campground.

Our site was reasonably level front to back but off 3 inches side to side. Some scraping tree branches were present on the back end of the pad. No issues with any of the hookups.

There are no dumpsters on site, only bear-proof trashcans that can be hard to get normal household trashbags into.

No issues with security. NPS rangers drove through multiple times per day.

This is the first time I’ve ever felt unsafe in a National Park. The small campground abuts the picnic area. Day users walk along the creek (no path) right through camp sites. Leaving possessions out are tempting to those with nefarious motives. Unlike other campgrounds, there is no sign stating “Registered Campers Only.”
Even worse than property crimes is personal safety. During my stay, there was a mentally ill woman in the bathroom all day with her meager possessions strewn about the two stall bathroom. Cigarette Smoke filled the air. When I tried to enter she began ranting at me. I reported it to the Host who told me to use the other bathroom. This went on all day. I finally phoned the police after dark. They arrived quickly along with a Ranger and talked the woman down.
Sites are close together and just below a road so some traffic noise depending on how close to road you are. The only Shower House was closed during the summer and fall of 2023.
On the positive side, the camp has good access to the extensive trail system, including a 2 mile trail to the historic district.
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Update: After writing first review “Lacks Security” I need to update because this morning there was a more troubling incident. At about 7:00am I heard yelling. I took the dog out and saw a man pounding on a Leisure RV and screaming. Two women were inside and sounded the alarm on their toad. Someone phoned the police and they arrived quickly. However too late—the man had slashed three tires on their toad and two on their rv. When he saw the police he ran into the woods and couldn’t be found.

The Day Use area that adjoins the campground has drug dealers.

A sad situation for a beautiful park and campground.

This is a Beautiful Park! It is under construction right now, but that never bothered us. It was just during the day when we were out exploring. When we were there, it wasn't loud. The dump is no longer functional. We had full hookups. I don't know if they intend to make all the sites full hookups. But the ones that were opened were full hookups. We were in site 32 which is the first site at bathrooms. There is good space between the two. But, these bathrooms were closed, under construction. So, no showers. Our site had minimal leveling required. There is a beautiful drive here taking switchbacks up the mountain to an observation tower. You can take the trails or drive up.
This was one of my favorite National Park Campgrounds.
We were in a gorge, so our phones were sketchy.
With our senior pass, we were able to get our site half price.
This park was hard to get into and I had to keep waiting for someone to cancel. We would have stayed longer if able to book. Maybe after construction when they open the whole park back up.
Would definitely stay here again!!

Yes, it's somewhat close to a major road, but less noise than I've had in many other campgrounds.

The bathrooms are clean and there are two sets for this somewhat small campground, so plenty.

I found it very comfortable and the people respectful and nice.

I worked fine with 1 bar on a TMobile home internet router and my verizon phone had 3 bars.

Site 13 is up on the hill, so there is plenty of room between sites, however there is some slant to the parking area and it took us about an hour to level our 32 foot class C. Once level, we enjoyed our full hook-up site, cement picnic table and seating area. We liked being so close to town, able to drive to the national park area in less than 10 minutes. We don't need showers, wifi, or other amenities, so this park worked great for us.

I honestly cannot fathom the 5-star rating on Campendium for this campground. RV sites are as cramped as any place we've stayed at. Cement tables on dirty / rocky patch of land - no grass. You're right by the road so there is significant vehicle noise. There are no showers or laundry facilities and one of the restrooms was constantly out of service. The pad was nowhere near level. About half of the sites also did not have a fire ring and we did not know that until we arrived and the ranger told us. So no campfire and no s'mores. The only reason I'm giving this 2 stars instead of 1 is the proximity to walking trails and Hot Springs National Park. Would never stay here again.

We paid $17 with our senior pass. Electric and water. Site was not deep enough for our truck but there were some parking spots right behind us next to the bathroom. Sloped down so had to put the tongue way up on top of block as well. Went for a micro bubble couples soak at Quapaw Bath. Lunch at the Brewery. A relaxing afternoon. The camp host is really super. Planning on hiking from here to downtown tomorrow.

We definitely can hear the road. Only bad when trucks go by.

What is not to love about staying right on a beautiful stream in a National Park? Camp hosts were fantastic and full of great info. We hiked from the campground to Bath House Row and all over the mountain. Bathrooms are clean with flush toilets. No showers. We had a level site with full 50amp hook ups, water, and sewer. Truly worth the effort to get in here. We did note that some spots not on the stream were not as level.
You do hear a little road noise going thru the gulch, but it is very minimal at night.