I am planning on taking the family camping in Arkansas this June. So far, I have Denby Point on Lake Ouachita as one campground that I am interested in, but would like to find another that offers good tent camping, fishing and hiking or other activities...and cooler temperatures.

Any recommendations are much appreciated.

TIA

You might look at Petit Jean SP. There is a lake there, not as big as Ouachita of course, but a more interesting park as a whole.

We did the Diamond Crater SP and rented a cabin not too far from there. It was a beat-down, but kids liked it. There is a nice river that had several people fly fishing that looked nice and productive. And there was a DQ

We're at Treasure Island RV resort on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs right now. Lake access, mostly RVs, but some cabins available. Minutes away from the National Park, lots of hiking, 30 min away from the crystal mining (a blast for families - my wife went this week and loved it). An hour away from the diamond mining. Hot Springs has been a surprisingly cool town in of itself. Star Wars museum downtown, neat history, all sorts of cool stuff.

Lake Catherine State Park and DeGray Lake are two more worth considering. I don't know how the temperature will be in June, but the lakes and surrounding areas are beautiful.

Don't know what kind of fishing or activities you want to do but I'm pretty familiar with the rivers in the north part of the state. You can trout fish in the Little Red not too far (1 hour) north of Little Rock.
The Spring river in Mammoth Spring offers really good trout fishing and rafting or canoe trips down the river. River stays at a constant flow from a spring versus hydroelectric dam.
The White is great fishing but will probably need to rent a boat due to power generation.
Temperatures can be pretty hot during the day but you should get some relief overnight. The rivers will cool you down immediately.

My parents like Petit Jean.

Check out Devil's Den State Park. They have great hiking as well as mountain biking and equestrian trails, swimming, etc. located ~30 mins south of Fayetteville.

MikesFamousJava said:

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Check out Devil's Den State Park. They have great hiking as well as mountain biking and equestrian trails, swimming, etc. located ~30 mins south of Fayetteville.

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+1 for Devil's Den

fooz said:

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MikesFamousJava said:

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Check out Devil's Den State Park. They have great hiking as well as mountain biking and equestrian trails, swimming, etc. located ~30 mins south of Fayetteville.

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+1 for Devil's Den

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I love Devil's Den State Park, but the biggest draw for me was the caves. Last time I passed through they were closed due to a bat disease. Have they ever reopened?

Buffalo National River has awesome camping.

I don't remember where we camped 14 years ago in hot springs national forrest. We had an awesome time.

If you like rocks at all I definitely recommend going to the quartz mine. They let you dig through their "trash" piles. We found tons of cool quartz and a few incredible pieces. There is an entrance fee to get in. We dug for hours, but it was just me and my wife back then. We want to take the kids some day.

Have fun!