Dates we camped there: April 20 – April 22, 2021
Link to our video: This video is more about our journey than a review of the park, but I do review the area we stayed in as well.
Website: https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/lake-dardanelle-state-park
What we Paid: $71.04 for the 2 nights, $35.53 per night. They were water, 30 amp electric and Sewer.
Reservations: Yes, they take reservations through the State of Arkansas Website.
You pay in full online at the time of reservations. There are no extra fees for boats or vehicles when you reserve a site. We stayed in Ramp Loop Site 44. Checkin was at 3PM and Checkout was at 3PM. You checkin at the front office before going to your site.
Who we went with: JP and Steve came with us on our way to the Anheuser Busch fishing tournament in Tennessee. Steve slept on the table and JP slept on a blow up mattress on the floor. It worked very well, not too crowded.
The Drive down: We left on a Tuesday morning, there was allot of construction in Oklahoma. We stopped at the Arkansas Welcome Center and discovered we had a screw in our truck tire, we ate a quick lunch and drove to Ft. Smith where we found a tire place that would fix the tire without having to unhook the trailer. It took about 5 hours to drive to the park, taking I-40 the entire way.
The Sites: The site we stayed in was in the Ramp Loop, Site 44. The site was a backin with water, sewer and 30AMP on the drivers side of the RV. Did not need to use any extensions to reach either one. The sites are pretty close together, but still enough room…they back up to the lake, so no neighbors behind you and a beautiful view of the lake. Each site had a picnic table (wooden), Grill and fire pit. There was plenty of room to pull the slides and the awning out. There was room for the truck as well as Steves truck and boat. JP and Steve rented the site next to us just to put the other truck and boat. There was not enough room around us to put extra boats or vehicles. There was no place to put up the hammock.
Restrooms/Bathhouses: There was a restroom/bathhouse within walking distance. They are probably the best bathhouses I have ever seen in a state or federal park. Each stall had their own toilet, sink and shower and had both heat and air conditioning. There was Laundry facilities as well.
Geocaches/Wizards Unite: I did not check on geocaches or wizarding items while there.
Swimming: We did not go swimming, it was too cold, there is a swim beach near the playground.
Boating/Fishing: Steve and JP brought their boats and they guys fished in the morning we were there. They did not use the boat ramp closest to us due to the wind. They used a boat ramp a few miles away to fish in the coves. They did not catch many fish while we were there. The lake does allow skiing and jet skis. There is a fishing dock and tournament area in the park and a fish cleaning station.
Wildlife: We saw quite a few squirrels and birds while we were there.
Weather: The weather was very nice, the temperature was in the 70’s the day and 60’s at night. We did not need the air conditioning or heat.
What we did: On Tuesday after we got there, we went to eat burgers at CJ’s Butcher Boy Burgers in Russellville, they were very good. Home cut fries and very good burgers. https://www.butcherboyburger.com/
On Wednesday, the boys fished while I worked. The internet service was good enough to allow me to do a hot spot on my phone and work. Used the grill on Wednesday, no complaints about the grill. We did not use the fire pit, it was behind our site near the water.
This was just a stop on our way, so we didn’t spend too much time exploring.
Pros about the campsites: They are very shaded, they have sewer! The park is very close to Russellville, so close to go into town for anything you might need. The sites were decent size and right on the water. The bathrooms in this park are amazing. The customer service at the front desk was outstanding. We were having trouble getting the app for fishing licenses to work and the lady at the front desk helped the guys through the app to get their licenses.
Cons about the campsites: The sites are pretty close together, even though they are large. There is not any extra parking on the road to allow for other vehicles.
