Prairie Creek Campground

We arrived on a Sunday afternoon and the park was buzzing with activity. Our site (55) overlooked the lake and was quite near the swimming area and the pavillions. Our site was about 150 feet from the next site over, and about 200 feet from the restrooms. The site is also near the boat ramp, so there was a lot of action due to a fishing tournament. However, once the weekenders left, it was a very quiet experience. As the sun got lower people started clearing out. Once gone, we felt like we had the entire campground to ourselves. There were a few trailers off in the distance, but we were the only ones on our side of the campgrounds.

Signage here really needs to be improved. When trying to find our site, we passed the turn and ended up at a dead end. I had to back up the trailer about 50 feet in order to make the turn. I feel sorry for the folks that book sites on the dead end as there is no room to maneuver.

As others have pointed out, parking can be a challenge. However, we have a small trailer, so it was not too bad. However, there was a large bump leading into the site that added to the difficulty of backing in.

The site itself was quite large, but other than the pad, it was quite unlevel. There was also no room for mistakes when backing up as there were drop offs to the sides.

My other complaint is the lack of trash cans. The main trash dumpsters were located at the dump station. I am not sure if I saw any others in the park.

The good news is the park is close to Rogers and Bentonville, and an easy drive to War Eagle Mill and Eureka Springs. There is a convenience store located a few miles from the entrance and if you need ice or other supplies, this is your best bet as there is nothing within the park itself.

My noise rating should be qualified as noise during the week. I believe weekends are probably quite loud.

Check in at Prairie Creek was a breeze and there are a lot of stores close by in case you forget those marshmallows or beverage items. Next time, though I think we will reserve a spot not quite so close to the entrance. Cars were blazing in and out of the camp all night and the trucks trying to pull their boats up the incline leading out to the exit were more than a slight annoyance.

Favorite part of the camp had to have been the swimming! The water was a much welcomed respite from the heat of the day. It does tend to get crowded by locals who come and use the park during the day.

We would stay again but only in site 53 - it had a beautiful view of Beaver Lake but, more importantly, is probably the only site actually large enough for a motor home. Very hilly park (but what do you expect in the Ozark Mtns); steep ascent and then sharp 90 degree back in (luckily the hubs is a parking ninja). Level but narrow parking pad, however sharp drop off the pad so entry into motor home was a little sketchy. Only one shower house up high on the grounds. Ridiculously huge speed bump at park entrance so secure everything before arrival and departure. Very easy access dump station. Convenient location for visiting Bentonville (amazing mountain biking!) and Eureka Springs. Good Verizon coverage for remote working. Beautiful park, but probably not for you if you are parking challenged, are not sure-footed, and/or do not like walking up hills.

I am going to rate this very low to protect others from possibly tearing up their rig. The sites from 90 - 99 are terrible. There are 3 that take anything longer than a car. This requires some backing in at acute angles that made my toes curl: STEEP APPROACH AND NO ROOM FOR ERROR.
Camp ground is okay beyond this if you get anything other than these slots. One shower facility and that’s over hill and dale from these sites. For COE CG this one is at the bottom of my list.

27 ft Airstream pulled by a Dodge Cummins 2500 4x2

I stayed at the Prairie Creek Army Corps of Engineers park for 3 nights. Once I got into my campsite, the view overlooking Beaver Lake was beautiful. Site 49-54 are on a hill. I did not know this until I arrived. I had site 52. Many of the sites are not angled for easy back in. I had to turn 90 degrees while backing-in. Whew!! I would not stay at this particular campsite again but there are many other sites in the COE that are much easier to back into. Also,very friendly park hosts and the campsites had water and electric (20, 30 50). Separate dump station. Clean restrooms and showers.

We camped in a 25' travel trailer and came to the area to see the Crystal Bridges museum. The area and museum didn't disappoint. It is stunning. The COE campground was disappointing, though. Unlevel and tree lined driveways, 90 degree back-ins and table and fire ring on the wrong side won't allow us to recommend this place. Not enough showers for such a large campground. Lots of shade, reasonably quiet and new asphalt loop roads are a bonus. I would visit again now that I know there are a few primo spots. Lack of photos and slope stats at rec.gov doesn't allow effective pre-planning. Visited late July 2017.