Lake Fort Smith State Park, AR, Oct 2024
Park Information
The campground is open year round. Water is available March through November, but call to verify in the shoulder seasons. The park website is here.
Warnings
| Poison Ivy: | Yes | Potholes: | No |
| Speed Bumps: | No | Narrow Roads: | No |
| Crime: | No | Limited Bridge: | No |
| Camp Residents: | No | Maintenance: | Yes |
| RV @ Check-in: | Yes | Trees Trimmed: | Yes |
| Car Fees: | No | Person Fees: | No |
- Poison ivy seemed pretty tame. It did not pose a problem for hiking in autumn
- Straight out from the office are RV spots in the parking lot
Infrastructure
| Office: | Yes | Boat Ramp: | Yes |
| Camp Store: | Yes | Shower house: | Yes |
| Rental Store: | Yes | Restrooms: | Yes |
| Nature Center: | Yes | Roads: | Good |
| Museum: | Yes | Bridge: | No |
| Historic Site: | No | Storm Shelter: | Yes |
| Campgrounds: | 1 | Camp Sites: | 30 |
| Modern Sites: | 0 | RV Sites: | 30 |
- Camp store is fairly small and limited
- Rentals are at the marina
- Bath house is mostly stick, but has stone at the base and has some protection from the mountain.
Amenities
| Sites: | WSE 50/30/20 | Laundry: | No |
| Dump Station: | 1 | Washers: | N/A |
| Grey Station: | No | Dryers: | N/A |
| Water Station: | Unknown | Slop Sink: | Unknown |
| Recycling: | Yes | Power: | Not stable |
- 20x WSE 50/3/20 in loop A, 10 x WE 30/20 in loop B
- Blue recycle container need bathhouse, but likely limited volumes and types
- We did not use it, and it is not clear where the dump station is located
Activities
| Naturalist: | Yes | Hiking: | 10 miles |
| Friends of Park: | No | Kayaking: | Yes |
| Rentals: | Yes | Road Biking: | 4.5 miles |
| Pool: | Memorial – Labor | Trail Biking: | 8 miles |
| Beach: | No | Mountain Biking: | 8 miles |
| Playground: | Yes | Disc Golf: | Yes |
| Archery: | No | Pickle Ball: | Yes |
| Shooting: | No | Local Attractions: | Yes |
- Naturalist program seemed a bit weak
- Rental options at the marina include canoes, kayaks, pedal boats, fishing boats, and pontoon boats.
- Swimming is prohibited (and paddle boarding too) because the lake is used for drinking water
- Local attractions are limited within about 30 minutes
Park Overview
- Arkansas parks are expensive for what you get. At one point, they wanted to raise the rates to $48 per day in the off season.
- The park is on a mountain. The sites are not the most level, but they are not absurd, like Tyler State Park.
- The park has pull-through full hookups. Some have drop offs and are a bit tight, but not a bad as Tyler State Park
- The campsites are not large, but many face into the woods
- The town of Alma has the new Pathfinder RV Resort that might be cheaper, but not as scenic or private. It has laundry.
- Some of the loop road turns are a bit sharp for a 38′ trailer, but not unsafe.
- The park has some hiking trails. It is 30 minutes to Devils Den State Park with more hiking. We saw some poison ivy, but not a lot in November.
- The pool is only open in the summer.
- There is a small museum/nature center/store
- The camping area is forested and the mountain top to the north, so there is limited Starlink.
- There is a small town, Alma, 30 minutes to the south with a WalMart
- There is a large town, Fayettesville/Fort Smith, 40 minutes to the north
- The electricity was not the most stable. It flickered multiple times.
- No laundry facilities
- Armadillos visit the sites in the afternoon. (DO NOT LICK THE ARMADILLLO!)
Daily 3 pm Armadillo visit
A stray kitty decided it was fun to sit on our step, and it wished we would let it inside or feed it. Fortunately, Cleo and Mackie did not see her.
Cleo and Mackie watching the world (or not) from their favorite spots
And the visiting frog
The park had a couple programs including bingo that we attended. I think we were the only two people in the room. One of us was a guaranteed winner.
Campground Loop A
This is specifically for campground loop A. Loop A and Loop B are actually on the same loop of road. Loop A are the 20 AAA full hookup sites on the downhill side of the loop.
Campground Loop Overview
| Sites: | WSE 50/30/20 | Laundry: | No |
| Dump Stations: | Unknown | Washers: | N/A |
| Grey Stations: | Unknown | Dryers: | N/A |
| Water Stations: | Unknown | Slop Sink: | Unknown |
| Shower Houses: | 1 | Restrooms: | 1 |
| Private Showers: | No | Vault Toilets: | 0 |
| Hot Water: | Yes | Clean: | Yes |
- Water pressure and Water quality were acceptable
- The dump connection functioned properly
- The bathrooms were gender divided with stalls for showers and restroom
Site 9
| Type: | Pull-through | Pad: | No |
| Utilities: | WSE 50/30/20 | Pad Length: | N/A |
| Length: | 100+ ft | Pad Type: | N/A |
| Width: | 18 ft | Shade: | Mostly Yes |
| Driveway: | Asphalt | Fire Ring: | Yes |
| Front Slope: | Flat | Restroom: | 550 ft |
| Side Slope: | Moderate | View: | No |
| Difficulty: | Moderate | Quiet: | Yes |
| Fits Cars: | In-line | Channels: |
| Provider | Down | Up | Latency | Jitter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile: | ||||
| Cricket Mobile: | ||||
| Starlink: |
- The site was a tight-ish fit with the 38′ trailer, but it was manageable with someone watching.
- The side to side slope required one thick board to compensate.
- There were drop offs or drainage ditches at the corners where you pull in and out.
- Starlink is moderately obstructed. The clear sky is mostly straight up in the road
- Power was not as stable as we would have liked. We are not sure if it was just this site or the whole park.
- 500′ to bathhouse
Alternate Sites
- Site 4: 100′ back-in. Shallow angle for easy back in. 500′ to bathhouse. Clear-ish view north for Starlink.
- Site 1: 75′ back-in. Room to pull straight for easy back in. 500′ to bathhouse. Clear-ish sky overhead, but tall trees on north side.
- Site 17: 95′ back-in. Shallow angle and room to pull straight ahead for easy back in. 1,500′ to bathhouse. Tall trees to north, but large-ish site. Clear-ish view for Starlink.
- Site 15: 85′ back-in. Normal difficulty for back in. 1,500′ to bathhouse. Tall trees to north and west, but large grassy area at site. Clear-ish Starlink, with a few tree obstructions.
Driving Directions
To the park
From the park
Medical Facilities
- Not determined
Attractions
- Playground, Mountainburg, AR
- Artists Point Gift Shop and Cultural Center, Mountainburg, AR
- Devils Den State Park, West Fork, AR
- Fossil Flats Trail. West Fork, AR
- Western Terminus of the 240+ miles Ozark Highlands Trail