Agency-listedUSFSFee
Blanchard Springs Recreation Area
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · AR · 35.97281, -92.17757
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 Blanchard Springs Recreation Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 381 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Blanchard Springs Recreation AreaNIFC · 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 Blanchard Springs Recreation Area · Ozark-St. Francis National Forest · AR
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- ShShower0 mi
- DDump1 mi
- RxPharmacy7 mi
- MMechanic7 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- GGrocery8 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- @Mail9 mi
- OOutfitter17 mi
- +Urgent care26 mi
- LLaundry28 mi
- WWater33 mi
- EVEV fast charger35 mi
- AAir-up55 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 33-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 8 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 35-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 — Blanchard Springs Recreation Area
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
381 ft
State
AR
Coordinates
35.97281, -92.17757
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Blanchard Springs Recreation Area · Ozark-St. Francis National Forest · AR (OpenStreetMap)
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~8.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~0.7 mi
- GroceriesWalmart Supercenter · ~8.4 mi
- PharmacyApothecary · ~7.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicOzark Medical Clinic - Fairfield Bay · ~25.5 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~8.4 mi
EV charging — from Blanchard Springs Recreation Area · Ozark-St. Francis National Forest · AR — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger35.4 mi straight-line SE — Mark Martin Ford AR, Batesville, AR (at a public site) · RED_E · J1772, CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 4 within 50 · 39 within 100 · 133 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)64.0 mi — Conway, AR - Tesla Supercharger, Conway
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO62.3 mi — CRAINHYUNDAICON SOUTHEAST, Conway
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)19.3 mi — Mt Eagle Retreat Center, Clinton, AR · EVGATEWAY · J1772 · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — Cottages at the Wildflower, Mountain View, 7.9 mi · J1772 · hours: 9am-9pm daily; for guest use only · AFDC lists it “$10 per session”
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- 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 396950 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Blanchard Springs Recreation Area · Ozark-St. Francis National Forest · AR — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomBlanchard Springs Recreation Area · at this camp · USFS
- Flush restroomBlanchard Springs Caverns Vic · ~0.6 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBad Branch · ~1.2 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletScrappy Mountain · ~1.9 mi E · USFS
Open Blanchard Springs Recreation Area elsewhere
Other camps near Blanchard Springs Recreation Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Gunner Pool Cg~2.4 mi · fee
- Barkshed Cg~5.1 mi · fee
- Spring Creek Campground (Buffalo National River, Lower District)~22.8 mi
The unit that manages Blanchard Springs Recreation Area
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Blanchard Springs Recreation Area are set by Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Blanchard Springs Recreation Area
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 Blanchard Springs Recreation Area
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 — Blanchard Springs Recreation Area
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Fire rules & restrictions →Dispersed camping tips →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 →