Stunning views from 1,350 feet, fascinating hiking and biking trails, beautiful springs, waterfalls, and Fern Lake at Mount Nebo State Park, Arkansas, make it the perfect destination for your next RV vacation. Located seven miles west of Dardanelle, Mount Nebo State Park sits atop part of a series of flat-topped mountains located along the Arkansas River, offering spectacular views of Lake Dardanelle, the Arkansas River, and the nearby mountain ranges.
The park is popular among RV campers for its unique trail system, which provides more than 14 miles of hiking pleasure. The Bench Trail, for example, offers easy walking, simple access, beautiful scenery, and a rich history. Some of the features of the park, such as bridges, cabins, trails, and pavilions were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933 using native stones and logs from the mountain. Facilities available for RV campers in the park include 34 campsites, 15 cabins, a swimming pool, picnic areas, tennis courts, pavilions, and a Visitor Center with a gift shop.
If you've ever wanted to watch the sunrise or sunset in all its glory and splendor, park your RV at your campsite and take a hike on Rim Trail and Bench Trail to two points in Mount Nebo State Park that offer superb views of the sun's rise and fall. Regardless of the time of year you visit, Mount Nebo State Park is the perfect RV destination for you.
Two hours from Fayetteville to the northwest, 1.5 hours from Hot Springs National Park to the south, and just an hour from Little Rock to the southeast, you’ll find Mount Nebo State Park in Northwestern Arkansas. Just off of AR-155 and AR-93, you will have to go through 11 switchbacks at a grade of up to 18%. Whether you are driving a large motorhome, pulling a trailer, or even driving a campervan, this road needs to be traversed with care.
The road up to the park consists of zigzags, and a series of tight hairpin turns, hence the 24-foot length restriction on RVs and trailers. Paved roads connect all the campsites and cabins in the park, and there are no driving restrictions for RVs or trailers within the park.
Mount Nebo State Park has parking options for your RVs, trailers, cars, or bikes with four parking lots in the park. Two parking lots are located in the northern part of the park around the Visitor Center and along the Bench Overlook Trailhead around Nebo Springs. The other two parking lots are located in the eastern and southern ends of the park. All the parking lots are accessible by RVs and trailers.
Mount Nebo State Park features 24 Class B campsites open all year round with water hookups and 30-amp electricity hookups for your RV. The campsites are also equipped with grills and tables, a modern bathhouse, tennis court, picnic area, a basketball field, a swimming pool, and an amphitheater.
Registered self-contained camping units in the park may use, free of charge, the sanitary RV dump station at Lake Dardanelle State Park, which is located 12 miles north of Mount Nebo State Park. The maximum RV or trailer length is 24 feet. Parking spaces for RVs or trailers at the campground are accessible, and there are no driving restrictions at the camp. All the campsites are reservable and may be reserved up to one year in advance.
The park also has four modern cabins and 11 more rustic cabins that are placed in scenic spots around Mount Nebo State Park. Each two-bedroom cabin has air conditioning, heat, electric kitchens with an oven, range, refrigerator, and microwave, large rooms, a fireplace, and a modern bathroom with a shower. They even provide the kitchen needs and utensils, cleaning items, a coffeepot, towels, and bedding. You’ll also find a 19-inch television, a covered deck, grill, and picnic table.
If your preference during your RV trip is a hike-in campsite, there are 10 such facilities in the campground along the Bench Trail, all accessible by well-marked trails. Sites 1-3 are in the northeastern section of Mount Nebo State Park by Sunrise Point, number four is in the southern end by Gum Springs and the waterfall, and the last six are in the southwestern corner by Sunset Point. These hike-in campsites, however, do not provide RV hookup support, but they do offer plenty of gorgeous views of the mountains and surrounding areas.
Nebo Falls is a lovely 32-foot high waterfall located atop Mount Nebo in the southern part of the park on the trail connecting the Bench and Rim Trails. The waterfall is seasonal and best viewed after periods of prolonged or heavy rainfall. On your RV trip, be prepared for an easy to moderate level of difficulty in accessing the waterfall. You will follow the trail downhill about 100 yards, first, to the bottom of the falls. That is the easy part because going back is an uphill climb. However, rest assured, the effort is worth it.
A unique activity in Mount Nebo State Park for RV campers with the requisite skills and certification is hang gliding. As one of the only two parks in Arkansas with a launch site for hang gliding, it is the destination for enthusiasts and fun lovers to launch from two points on the 1,350-foot high mountain and soar above the valley while enjoying breathtaking views of the world below. Hang gliding is only done on days with good weather, and two hang gliding events are held annually.
On your RV trip, one of the most fulfilling activities that you want to engage in is hiking on the trails, which allow campers to explore the mountain’s history and beauty. The seven trails in the park provide more than 14 miles of hiking delight. These trails, which are marked to ensure safe navigation, lead to various springs, waterfalls, lakes, and bridges. The two most popular trails are the easy 4.5-mile Bench Trail, which leads to Sunset Point, and the easy to moderate 3.5-mile Rim Trail, which leads to Sunrise Point. The level of difficulty of other trails in the park varies from easy to strenuous.
You may not know what geocaching is because this activity is still pretty new to many people. If you ask your kids, though, they can probably tell you. It’s basically just a universal treasure hunt game played with the whole world. All you need is a cell phone or another device with a GPS. First, get some coordinates off the world geocaching website and then look to find over 17 different geocaches placed in Mount Nebo State Park. Bring a token or trinket to exchange if you plan to take one from the geocache.
Pack your swimming gear in your RV for your trip to Mount Nebo State Park to enjoy the modern swimming pool and bathhouse located at the eastern rim of the mountain. The pool is generally open to all RV campers from Memorial Day to Labor Day and is the perfect place to relax, renew, and connect. What’s more, an amphitheater, the Historic Cornwell House, horseshoe pits, and a basketball court surround the pool, giving you a plethora of options for fun before, or after, your swimming session.
Interpretive programs, such as nature demonstrations, Cornwell House tours, and guided hikes are held all year round in the Visitor Center to allow RV campers the opportunity to learn about the history and geology of Mount Nebo. People who stop by the Visitor Center to learn about the area will leave with meaningful connections about the park's features. Camping supplies, gift items, and picnicking needs are also available at the center. If you forgot to bring your bike and would love to go on a biking trail, you can also rent bikes here.
Mount Nebo State Park is a popular site for mountain biking, particularly on the Bench Trail around the mountain. If you go biking on your RV camping trip, you get to ride past Fern Lake, and the historic springs, woodlands, and pine forest as well as various outcrops. Even more, if you are with your family in the RV, the biking trail adventure is perfectly designed to make for an excellent experience for you all. So, bring your bike along or stop by the visitor center and rent a bike for the day.
Get all your friends and family together and into the RV for a fun-filled picnic at Mount Nebo State Park. You can choose a spot near the swimming pool and playground for the kids or by the tennis courts for a little more tranquility. If you have an extra-large group, you can reserve the 3,000-square-foot pavilion that can host up to 100 people; the pavilion has several tables, BBQ pits, and restrooms. A smaller pavilion is also available for parties or get-togethers. These pavilions are both located near the pool and playground area.
