Location: Heber Springs, AR on Greers Ferry Lake
Site: I24
Hookups: 30amp Electric
Cell Coverage: Full service 5G with AT&T
Cost: $22/night
Overall Rating by Adults: C/B-
Overall Rating by Kids: A-
We stayed at Dam Site Park on Greers Ferry Lake over Labor Day weekend. I have said it before, and apparently need to remind myself, that I do NOT recommend staying on a lake over holiday weekends. Quiet time hours were not enforced. Loud music, partying, and the occasional screaming fight continued well on past midnight. Now, if you are looking for a party spot, then this may be the place for you. However, if you are looking for a family friendly environment or a quiet retreat in the woods, then this definitely isn't the place; at least not in the summer, and definitely not on a holiday weekend. The park did slightly redeem itself by Monday morning as it started emptying out.
Site I-24 was very spacious. The driveway was 120ft long leaving plenty of space for our RV (and you could fit a vehicle and boat behind that). The driveway isn't very level, so be prepared to spend some time finding just the right ruts in the driveway to be able to get it close enough to use your levelers. We never got perfectly level, but it wasn't terrible either. The tent pad was spacious and could easily fit two tents. This oversized site has numerous trees for hammocks (we hung 5 and there were still lots of trees to choose from). There is a concrete picnic table and campfire pit. Our site was only a short walk down to the swim beam, and we had a trail through the backside of the campsite down to the lake. While not as convenient as some campgrounds to launch the kayaks from, we were able to carry the kayaks down the trail each morning and back up in the evenings.
The downside is that most of the sites are pretty primitive, and the campground as a whole is lacking amenities. We only had 30amp electrical hookups. While we can easily camp without sewer for three days, going three days without water is tough. I-loop only has a vault toilet, and honestly the scent of sewage was so strong as we neared it that we couldn't even bring ourselves to check them out. For showers you need to walk either to the bathhouses by the beach or N loop. The showers are not that clean, water pressure also is lacking, and you have to hold down the button for the water to stay on. M and N loops are the only loops with water hookups, but you cannot easily access the lake from those campsites and the sites are significantly smaller. After walking the whole campground we decided that we do have one of the best sites in the entire campground. The campsite next to ours (I-25) appears to be the best of the best. It looks a little more level, has lots of privacy as it is down the hill slightly, and is closer to the water.
The lake is very busy. The kids loved the fact that there were so many waves to play in, but you can't safely venture too far from shore in kayaks. Fishing is not great from the shoreline (too many rocks to catch the lures on). The lake is very clean and clear. The swim beach, while not very large, has very nice sand. Between the sand and the waves you can almost pretend that you are on a beach vacation.
(These kids kayaks are our absolute favorite! They pack easily in the RV and provide hours of fun and entertainment. After watching our four year old hijack his sister's and easily take off paddling, we ordered another one for our next trip!)
If you are looking for some exercise, you can hike or run the trails at Josh Park Memorial Trail. The loops were perfect for a family cross country training practice. We even caught sight of some deer. There is also a small fitness station.
We initially rated the campsite a "C" due to difficulty in leveling, lack of water hookups, inability to watch kids on lake from campsite, party atmosphere, and rules not enforced, however come Monday morning when the park was quieter, we boosted our rating to a "B-". The kids rated the campsite an "A-" stating that the lake is one of their favorites due to it being clean and the fun waves.
For more of our Travel Adventures visit the Travel page and follow us on Instagram @pocketful_of_treasures. And be sure to pick up one of these handpainted Arkansas magnets to commemorate your trip.
***Pocketful of Treasures is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, and affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com***
No comments:
Post a Comment