Lake Fort Smith State Park, AR, Oct 2024
Park Information
- 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.
- The campsites are not large, but many face into the woods
- The town of Alma had 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 open in the summer only.
- 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!)
Bathroom / Dump Station / Water Stations
- Bathrooms were separate men’s and women’s with restroom and shower stalls.
- Water quality and pressure were acceptable
- Dump connection functioned
Internet / Phone Service
- T-Mobile:
- Cricket Mobile:
- Starlink: Obstructed, but may work for some things, such as NetFlix and very frustrating browsing.
Park Pictures
We were not taking many park pictures at this point. But we did get pictures of some of the wildlife.
Daily 3 pm Armadillo visit
The stray kitty that decided it was fun to sit on our step and wish we would let it inside. Fortunately, Cleo and Mackie did not see her.
Cleo and Mackie watching the world 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 2 people in the room. One of us was a guaranteed winner.
Site 9
- The site was a tight-ish fit with the 38′ trailer, but it was manageable with someone watching.
- There were drop offs or drainage ditches at the corners where you pull in and out.
- Starlink is moderately obstructed. The only clear sky is 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
Site 9 pictures
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