★ Field-verified · Dave's ownPublic landFree
Garland County
Drive-up · public land · Garland County, AR · 34.60954, -93.34428
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Ask about this camp →Dave's been here. A spot from Dave's own travels on public land — free to camp. Conditions still change, so confirm access, stay limits and fire rules before you go.
Free camping area offering restroom, decent camping pads with tables and fire rings. Campground and recreation area maintained by Army Corps of Engineers. Wooded area on the shore of Lake Ouachita in Arkansas. Accommodates a couple of vehicle-supported campers per site. Spectacular view of lake and neighboring islands. Good cell service. Highly recommended! Near-perfect experience marred by very nice vagrant who will pay you with organic sodas if you charge his mobile devices during your stay. Don't let this deter you. Great spot! Great source of free soda!
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 583 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · 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 camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery8 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- FFuel10 mi
- MMechanic11 mi
- RxPharmacy15 mi
- HHardware17 mi
- WWater18 mi
- +Urgent care30 mi
- LLaundry37 mi
- DDump42 mi
- ShShower42 mi
- OOutfitter48 mi
- PPropane50 mi
- AAir-up59 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 8 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
public land
Elevation
583 ft
County
Garland County, AR
Coordinates
34.60954, -93.34428
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureOuachita River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townAvant · ~2.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelShell · ~10.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesJoplin Store · ~7.7 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~15.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~18.0 mi
- HardwareTrue Value · ~16.9 mi
From the field — what Dave saw, in person
Cell service
Had a signal
Getting there
Any vehicle managed it
Fire ring
Yes
Toilet on site
Yes
Tent friendly
Yes
Verdict
Highly recommended
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletHickory Nut Mountain · ~5.4 mi SW · USFS
- Flush restroomCharlton · ~6.8 mi S · USFS
- Flush restroomCamp Clearfork · ~6.9 mi S · USFS
- RestroomComfort Station, Building 78 · ~12.3 mi NE · NPS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Garland County~4.9 mi
- Hickory Nut Mountain Campground~5.5 mi
- Loop C~6.5 mi
- Loop A~6.7 mi
How we know this
Source
Dave's own travels
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
FIELD VERIFIED by Dave Lalande -- he has stood on this site. Coordinates are his own GPX track point, not a geocode. County and state confirmed against the FCC Census Block API (Garland County, AR). Everything under 'From the field' is a direct observation; nothing here is inferred from a land record.
Field check
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- How many rigs actually fit
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Finding water out here →Dumping grey & black →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →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 →