If you could imagine an ideal place to spend a few days in your RV while getting back to nature, it would most probably be somewhere like Greeson Lake. The man-made reservoir in Pike County, Arkansas, was constructed at the end of the 1940s and is a twelve-mile-long stretch of fresh water surrounded by pine-covered mountains and national park lands.
There are over two hundred campsites distributed between three different US Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds in the Lake Greeson Recreational Area. Once you've got your RV hooked up and are ready to go exploring, you'll find Greeson Lake is one of the best spots in Arkansas for bird watching, fishing, hunting and hiking. There are trails to explore which will lead you a disused cinnabar mine or out to Greeson Lake's landmark sandstone pillar, Chimney Rock, plus a thirty-one mile long trail for ORVs.
The seven thousand acres of Greeson Lake is great for water sports too, and there's a lot of fun to be had there boating, tubing, wake boarding or jet skiing. There are two marinas with all the nautical facilities you could wish for as well as boat ramps at the campgrounds. If you're a photographer, take plenty of memory cards because you'll be snapping away at everything you see. You'll find Lake Greeson is so scenic, it's almost picture postcard perfect no matter which direction you point your lens in.
As you drive your RV to Greeson Lake, you'll be passing through some of Arkansas most scenic countryside. Overlooked as it is by the Ouachita Mountain range and flanked by the Ouachita National Forest and Daisy State Park, it's such a beautiful area, you may well have trouble keeping your eyes on the road.
Murfreesboro is the closest city to Greeson Lake and one, when you pass through it, you may well want to consider returning to for a visit once you get settled at your campsite. There you can dig for diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park or make a splash at the Diamond Springs Water Park.
Greeson Lake is around a six mile drive northwards along the AR 27 from Murfreesboro. Once you've entered into the actual recreation area, you'll have no trouble finding your way to your chosen campground. Access to all of the three campgrounds is by well-signposted county roads.
The Cowhide Cove Campground with fifty campsites is the second largest COE campground at Greeson Lake. The sites are only supplied with electricity hook-ups but there are water and dump station amenities on the grounds for visitors to use. All of the campsites at the Cowhide Cove Campground have grills and picnic tables and are illuminated at night with lantern poles.
The campground is just seven miles outside of Hot Springs so, if you can bear to leave the beauty of Greeson Lake behind for a few hours, it's ideally located for visiting the city or the Hot Springs National Park.
Parker Creek is a COE campground near Narrows Dam at Greeson Lake which offers sixty walk-up campsites. The majority of sites have hook-ups for electricity but not for water. Water for drinking and cooking is available on-site and there are several showers.
This is a quiet campground where you can have a getaway from it all break in your RV parked under the trees with fantastic views onto the lake. If you're travelling with young ones, they'll enjoy the children's playground and there is also swimming access to the lake at Parker Creek.
The Kirby Landing Campground at Greeson Lake opens its gates to visitors from the beginning of September through to the end of December. It's a short season during which all of the one hundred campsites available are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. All spots are fitted with water and electricity hook-ups as well as a picnic table and grill. There are communal restroom and showering facilities on-site. The campground has a boat ramp and there is a privately run marina nearby where boats can be hired or refuelled.
If the reason you're parking your RV at Greeson Lake is to go off road on the Bear Creek Cycle Trail, then the Kirby Landing Campground is the one for you. Part of the trail runs along the edge of the site so you can be straight on the track without needing to travel anywhere.
If you've ever wondered what it was like to dig for diamonds, head to the Crater of Diamonds State Park and you'll soon find out. Inside the park is a special field where you can test your skill, or luck, at unearthing precious gems. It's a fun experience and when you're hot and tired from the search, you can dive into the park's pool to cool off before learning more abut diamond mining in the Diamond Discovery Center.
There really isn't a more majestic sight than that of a bald eagle circling over Greeson Lake searching for fish. To see this incredible bird in flight for yourself, you'll need to take your RV trip to Greeson Lake during the winter months. While the bald eagle is the bird which attracts many ornithologists to the lake, many other migratory species are drawn to the area too so when there's no eagles about, there's always something with feathers to spot.
If you're planning on hunting at Greeson Lake you can expect to be stalking everything from squirrels to turkey and quail as well as deer. There are seasonal and bag limits restrictions on some species. You can check out which they are and what time of the year hunting them is not permitted, plus find out about permit requirements and hunting zone boundaries on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission website.
Greeson Lake is the ideal place to go if you're a fan of high velocity water sports. There's plenty of space on this twelve-mile stretch of open water to allow you to be able to hit top speed on your jet ski and to get towed along behind a speedboat while skiing or tubing. If you like to be a spectator of high speed sport, you won't want to miss the annual jet boat races held on Greeson Lake in mid-June when over one-hundred and fifty jet boats compete to see who is the fastest.
One of the most exciting trails for ORVs in Arkansas is located at Greeson Lake. The Bear Creek Cycle Trail is thirty-one miles of off-road heaven for dirt bikes and ATVs. You can hit the trailhead in Daisy State Park then follow it round the contours of the lake shores passing by the Bear Creek and Kirby Landing campgrounds until it reaches its end on Rough Mountain. Some parts of the trail are pretty testing, so expect a challenging ride.
Winter, spring, summer or fall, no matter what season you hook-up your RV at Greeson Lake, you'll want to put on your hiking boots and head for the trails. If your RV is parked at the Kirby Landing Campground, you're in the right place to walk out of the door and straight onto over thirty miles of trails winding through oak, sweet gum and loblolly pine. Don't miss the nature trail which leads up to the cinnabar mine.
