Agency-listedUSFSFee
Bard Springs
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · AR · 34.39118, -94.00847
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Bard Springs
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,251 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Bard SpringsNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Bard Springs · Ouachita National Forest · AR
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- ShShower2 mi
- DDump2 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- FFuel18 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- GGrocery18 mi
- HHardware18 mi
- MMechanic35 mi
- +Urgent care36 mi
- LLaundry36 mi
- OOutfitter46 mi
- EVEV fast charger49 mi
- WWater54 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 54-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 18 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 49-mi run (and back).
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Bard Springs
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,251 ft
State
AR
Coordinates
34.39118, -94.00847
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Bard Springs · Ouachita National Forest · AR (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townBoard Camp · ~10.6 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelExxon · ~18.2 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~2.1 mi
- GroceriesShell · ~18.3 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~18.2 mi
- HardwareCoast to Coast Home & Hardware · ~18.5 mi
EV charging — from Bard Springs · Ouachita National Forest · AR — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger49.2 mi straight-line SW — James Hodge Chevrolet, Broken Bow, OK (at a car dealership) · EV Connect · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-07-15 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 1 within 50 · 40 within 100 · 112 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)54.2 mi — Hope, AR - Tesla Supercharger, Hope
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO53.9 mi — Walmart 1065 (Hope, AR), Hope
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)20.2 mi — Mountain Harbor Resort - Boat Ramp #1, Mount Ida, AR · Blink Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast charger$3 per kWh (as listed by AFDC)
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 461315 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Bard Springs · Ouachita National Forest · AR — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomShady Lake · ~2.1 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWolf Pen Gap East · ~4.4 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAlbert Pike · ~7.5 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWolf Pen Gap South · ~9.2 mi NW · USFS
Open Bard Springs elsewhere
Other camps near Bard Springs
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Loop C~2.0 mi
- Shady Lake~2.1 mi · fee
- Loop D~2.1 mi
- Loop B~2.2 mi
The unit that manages Bard Springs
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Bard Springs are set by Ouachita National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Bard Springs
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Bard Springs
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Bard Springs
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Fire rules & restrictions →Gear & rig loadout →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →