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Camper submitted image from Richland Creek Recreation Area - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Richland Creek Recreation Area - 3

Water

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Camping

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Animals

Established Camping

Richland Creek Recreation Area

17 Reviews

About

National Forest

Ozark-St. Francis National Forests

Overview

This location is available on a first-come, first-served basis only. Visitors are required to physically arrive at the campground to purchase and claim a site. Once on-site, you may be able to pay for your campsite(s) by scanning a QR code using the Recreation.gov mobile app, and the Scan and Pay feature. If this option is available, you will need to first download the free Recreation.gov mobile app https://www.recreation.gov/mobile-app prior to your arrival as some remote areas have limited or no cellular service.

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Location

Richland Creek Recreation Area is located in Arkansas

Coordinates

35.79697 N
92.93411 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group

Features

For Campers

Trash
Toilets
Alcohol

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump

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First Come - First Served

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General Info

Barrett C.

Traveler

Reviewed Nov. 15, 2023

Great hike!

Went during opening weekend for hunting. But there was enough space it didn't feel crowded at all. We really enjoyed the hiking trail.

Month of VisitDecember

valerie

Guide

Reviewed Jan. 11, 2023

Check with website or phone prior to coming for accessibility

Campground is beautiful, but had some decent size mud holes coming in. If it has had significant rain, this may be a problem for 2 wd vehicles. The county and forest service road getting here is gravel / dirt. Sites are fairly level but that could change with rain. If you are equipped for primitive camping, this is a great spot. Vault toilets, no cell service, just purely nature.

Month of VisitFebruary

(5) View All

Tyra

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 11, 2022

Perfect! Beautiful!

Water was clear & beautiful. Perfect places to dip your toes or submerge your body along the Twin Falls hike. The water was very low during our visit. There are campsites along the road on your way to the Richland Creek sites, if interested. Some of them are located in breathtaking scenery near the water. I can't wait to go back. Warning: Gravel road leading to the campsite has deep potholes and there are a couple of bad washouts where half the road is missing. One washout leads off a cliff, so drive slow. For those who get car sick, take your motion sickness meds before traveling on Old Hwy 27.

Site#14

Month of VisitJuly

(7) View All

Shelly

Scout

Reviewed Apr. 23, 2022

Campsites on the River

Very, wooded and lovely campsites on the river. Bathrooms on site were clean enough. The river was lovely at night to listen to.

SiteSite 8

Month of VisitMay

Patricia

Guide

Reviewed May. 9, 2021

Great Campground, bad access.

This was a beautiful camp ground. It is well kept. It has clean well maintained toilets. and good clear campsites and trails. You have the rushing river below your campsite and the mountains all around. I had hoped for wonderful wild flowers and was not disappointed.

((((()))))) I would recommend anyone with a low clearance under their vehicle or pulling a camper to google to find the route from Highway 7 to the campground. The road down from Falling Water had been washed out and repaired but was almost washed out again. We had just enough road to get down with our small camper but were afraid to try to get out back that route. The folk at our neighboring camp site had maps and we found a route north which we followed to a low water crossing. There was no way we were going to be able to cross it with the camper. So we left the camper with some great folk and crossed with only our truck. We will return along the Hwy 7 route to get the camper and camp along that route.

I will review the alternate route after we have completed it.

Month of VisitMay

(15) View All

Larry

Traveler

Reviewed Jan. 14, 2021

Nice campground to Get Away From It All

I've camped here many times in the past 4 years. Initially camping was free (no fee required). The past few times (in 2020) the fee had been reinstated and was $10 per day. An additional vault toilet had been added as well as other upgrades like very nice fire pits.

A short section of the south road in from highway 16 was quite narrow because of a landslide but had been partially repaired and was passable.

If you travel the north road from the campground for about 3.5 miles you will get decent service from AT&T but I don't know about the other carriers.

There is some type of well near the entrance to the campsites but don't count on there being water. Supposedly it's ok to drink if there is. Richland creek is usually very clear and could be made potable by boiling in an emergency.

There are many waterfalls in the surrounding area. Cross Richland Creek on the west side of the campground to find a trailhead to three different waterfalls.

Month of VisitOctober

(4) View All

Corey M.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 21, 2020

Secluded Beauty

Quick single night trip out during the week in mid September.

I ended up staying at a dispersed spot on the way in.. I noticed it on my way to the campground and after circling the tent sites I decided to give it a shot. One of the best spots I've ever camped in. If you're cool with no/a short drive to the vault toilets then I'd recommend grabbing this spot if you see it open. It's before the giant hill with the offroad track going up it, 3 or so spots back. It's tucked down between the road and one of the creeks. Plenty of room for a couple cars, tents and hammocks.

There's a small walkway down to the creek right in the campsite. The primo secret is that there is a short (5-10 yards) trail behind the campsite leading to a great wading spot in the river. The water was low while I was visiting so I lugged some supplies out onto some rocks in the middle of the creek to brew the morning coffee and cook breakfast.

You can easily wade downstream the river to a fairly wide and deep swimming hole with a great rock outcropping.

**For anyone worried about the drive - I made it in a 2dr civic sport coupe. The pothole dodging was actually fun - it's rough but definitely not as bad as some earlier reviews make out

Beware of landslides - there are at least two points on the gravel road to the campground that have recently been repaired.**

SiteDispersed

Month of VisitOctober

Nikki M.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 20, 2020

Lots to do

Lots of hiking in the area plenty of waterfalls nearby usually very peaceful

Tommy S.

Ranger

Reviewed Jul. 11, 2020

Dispersed surrounding sites

I visited this area in June 2020, and the campground itself was closed. I had found information online that Arkansas campgrounds were reopened, so it was a surprise to see it closed. Fortunately, there are dispersed campsites along the road leading to this campground and beyond. We arrived on a Friday, late afternoon, and it was very difficult finding a site. We actually managed to find a TINY spot, up a small hill on a driveway to a larger spot down by the water. It fit our van, the fire pit, the tent and that's it. Luckily, it was right next to the creek, so we were able to swim and cool off. The family who was staying at the larger site did keep walking past our site and gave us some raised eyebrows for setting up so close to them in such a small space. I don't think they realized how competitive it was so find a campsite that evening.

The creek is the ultimate reward: cool rushing waters, providing relief from the heat and incredible white noise. We had a few horseback riders pass right by on the trail/road our site was on. Bugs weren't bad. There's no bathroom anywhere near these dispersed sites.

I would suggest having a back up plan if visiting this area on a nice weekend. I left the next day, and even more seemed to be piling into the area on top of one another. Go during the week if possible. It's a gorgeous area, and best to take in when it's peaceful, not overrun by families.

Sitedispersed

Month of VisitJuly

(5) View All

Pamela H.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 13, 2020

Peace and Quiet

Nice place to camp and very quiet. Trails all around and the scenery is amazing!

Matt B.

Guide

Reviewed May. 4, 2020

Peaceful, great base for hiking

Camped here with 3 teenagers and a 3 year old just before it was shut down in March 2020 for COVID. We planned to go to Haws Creek but it was closed due to flooding, so we got in late in the evening. It was during Spring Break week but there were still spots. We didn't pick the best one (inside the loop) because it was dark when we got there, but even so it was still flat and enough space from neighbors. The spots on the outside of the loop have more privacy so I'd recommend one of those.

We spent two nights and did make the hike to Twin Falls. Had to carry the 3 year old some just to keep a decent pace, but it was worth it. You'll have to ford the creek at least once and the trail isn't easy, but it's well marked enough that you can't miss it. Two of the teenagers wanted to quit after about 2 miles, which was still a beautiful hike, but the rest prevailed on them for the last half mile and they were glad they did.

There are a number of other waterfalls and trails nearby, and in summer the creek would be a lot of fun. The tradeoff for going in March and the falls running well is cold water and cooler weather though.

As others mentioned, no phone service (a blessing) and no showers, but fairly clean toilets.

The only complaint was our firepit had recently had all the ash removed. Starting a fire 2 feet deep in a barrel with no air flow proved a challenge, though we eventually got it going. I recommend bringing some of your own starter wood because the area was picked fairly clean of all but small sticks.

Month of VisitApril

Zack M.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 17, 2019

Some of the best spots in Arkansas

Many primitive camping spots throughout this area, plenty of trails of all levels, and waterfalls. There are tent pads available at the entrance and primitive spots deeper along the trails if you are backpacking.

(6) View All

Josh B.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 2, 2019

Worth the drive!

Very nice/clean campground in Richland Creek Wilderness. Several trails and waterfalls close by. Drive-up spot, fire-ring, picnic bench, hook, pit toilet. Day use area for hiking. The dirt road leading in is well maintained

Lindsey P.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 13, 2019

Waterfall heaven!

This place was amazing. These sites were well kept and spaced enough to feel private. We never made it to hike to twin falls but we did play in the creek and jump off the big rocks. We eventually drove down and found falling water falls, and six finger falls! I recommend making a trip to both of you go out this way. The water was a little cloudier than normal due to the recent rainfall but still beautiful!

Daniel E.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 6, 2018

Isolated, Beautiful, Primitive

I went camping here the summer after my senior year of high school and it was a wonderful choice! I was looking for a campsite that was going to have my friends and I far away from any towns or anything so I could let them have a true camping experience. We were never able to find the trail that led to the waterfall behind the camp, but we did have the chance to walk up one of the creeks and find a swimming hole. While it may have been a bit humid, it was definitely worth it as it was very peaceful out there.

Month of VisitAugust

2SHOE S.

Ranger

Reviewed Aug. 16, 2018

Essential Arkansas for those who can rough it

Wonderful spot for peaceful camping, as well as hiking. Primitive sites. Be prepared for limited or no cell service and miles of gravel roads - download or print your driving and hiking maps (including how to find the falls) ahead of time. This campground combines well with stops at other worthy Arkansas sites along your drive, such as Pedestal Rocks, Haw Creek falls, and Falling Water Creek (gravel roadside) falls.

Month of VisitNovember