Crystal Springs Campground

Be sure to reserve thru website before arriving. Sites near top of property (near restrms have better internet connection. )Our site, #10 had nearly level gravel, picnic table, grill & fire ring. Site clean. Restrm & shower rm clean. Ranger on site very helpful. Popular fishing spot. Will hear motor boats heading out early, 6am. Nice play equipment area for kids & roped off swim area. No lifeguard. Nearby trails. Approx 14 miles to Hot Springs Nat'l Park. Stayed 3 notes & enjoyed it with good internet.

We stayed here the second weekend in April and the weather was perfect! Some of the sites are a little close together but #69 and #70 and secluded next to the woods. Lake Ouachita is pretty at this point. Not really good antenna TV reception at all but cell signal was okay for streaming. Sites are mostly level but a few have quite a slope.

We kind of booked this at the last minute, but got one of the last sites available and it couldn't have been any nicer. Right on the lake and plenty of space for kids to play. Lots of shade. Decent spacing. Electrical hookups with both 50 and 30 amp service. Water pressure is good. Dump station for tanks. Every site has an extra large picnic table and fire pit. The lake is a bit low, but sadly that's everywhere these days.

I needed a place to stay for a couple of days and wanted to visit Hot Springs (30 min away). There are many hiking trails in the area everything from simple day hikes to multi-day backpacking trails. Google maps thinks that some of the gates are open, when I was there the only way in or out was through the main gate with the gate house. The camp host was friendly and helpful. My site was level but it was also on the inside of the loop. When I was here most of the people here were out fishing during the day.

Most of the sites have plenty of room with a place for both an RV and a boat. The showers are hot and clean. I had no troubles with cell phone service.

We wanted to camp in the Hot Springs National Park Campground, but their no reservations policy made us nervous, so we booked at Crystal Springs.

The lake was low, so our site wasn't as pretty as it could be, but it was still lovely, as it backed up to the water. The site was level
side-to -side, but not front-to-back, which was easy to remedy. If we were to return, we would shoot for site 46, as it had the prettiest view, and least obvious neighbors. We would not select this site in the heart of summer, as it is very very close to the swimming beach, but we have no kids or desire to use the swimming beach ourselves. If you do, this site would be great during the summer. The pad is gravel and contained a fire pit in the corner, a large aluminum picnic table, a BBQ pit, and a light pole. It had good shade in the afternoon, but none in the morning. There were two trees, perfect for hanging my hammock, though one was technically on the neighbor's site, though they didn't mind.

Bathrooms/showers were old, but clean, with lots of opportunities to watch "Granddaddy Long Legs" and "Walking Stick" bugs. 🤣🤣 Plenty of hot water, but not the greatest pressure in the women's shower, though my husband said he had good pressure. (And he's picky!)

We were able to fish (didn't catch anything) and put our kayak in right out our back door, and many moored their boats at their campsites.

Just outside the park entrance is a trailhead to the Vista Trail, which was a beautiful hike through the forest, with moderate elevation changes on a well-maintained path. It is also obviously a favorite of mountain bikers, as there was a bike repair/maintenance station at the trailhead. (This trailhead is actually right in the middle of the Vista Trail.)

In addition to the boat launch in the park, there is also a very nearby marina.

Upon arrival, we found no one at the check-in booth, which explains why when we called the number to see if we could arrive prior to the 6:00 PM check in time, it just rang and rang. A self-service system is in place, in which you take a card, fill it out, and clip it to your post. A ranger them comes by at some point and takes the card, replacing it with their own. There were also no park hosts, and word was, they have done completely away with hosts and attendants, but all services have been contracted out, and everything ran smoothly

We spent a rainy day in Hot Springs doing laundry and grocery shopping. The next day was BEAUTIFUL and we spent a day of fun in Hot Springs.

It was very quiet, except when the Canada Geese flock was arriving or leaving. But they weren't noisy while they were there. The Fish Crows were noisier. 😁

Stayed for 4 days while exploring Hot Springs-site 34.

Very well maintained campground, friendly camp host, very clean bath house.

Popular with families but still quiet. Many sites have lakeside access to park your boat. Swim area was very clean, spacious, calm water and accessible directly from our site!

Even had a strong enough signal to zoom call with family back home.

Pack in what you need- limited local services like groceries (16 miles into Hot Springs so not horrible if you forget something).

Be sure to explore the Lake Ouachita overlook- about an 8 mile drive to the scenic overlook!

This is our 2nd time to stay here. The 1st time we had a great site that backed up to the water, but those were all booked this time. We were lucky to get a site being Easter weekend. There is a great playground in the beach swimming area. There are 2 bathhouses that looked fairly clean, although we didn't use them. We had a W/E site, but there may be a few FHU sites. Our site was on a slope, so our nose was higher than we would have like. The lake itself is supposed to be a great fishing & scuba diving area. The drive to Hot Springs is only about 30 minutes.