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Pendleton Bend Campground and Day Use Park is located on the bank of the Arkansas River. The campground offers 31 campsites, a two lane boatramp, a comfort station with hot showers and restrooms, playground, picnic sites, and a group shelter that can accomodate 75 users.
Hiking, fishing, boating, birding, and hunting are all popular activities for visitors. World-class bass and crappie fishing is found in Pool 2, and the tailwaters of the dam provide excellent opportunities to catch a variety of gamefish, especially catfish. A boat ramp is available for access to the Arkansas River. Hiking and birding is available in the nearby Trusten Holder Wildlife Management Area. Many species of waterfowl frequent the lower Arkansas River and its adjacent wetlands making this area a destination for waterfowl hunters.
Pendleton Bend offers 31 campsites with electric and water hookups, 25 of which may be reserved. Additional amenities include a boat ramp, comfort station with hot showers and flush toilets, group picnic shelter, and a playground with picnic sites.
Pendleton Bend Campground and Park is located in the lush Eastern Arkansas alluvial bottomland forest in Desha County. Pendleton Bend Campground and Park is approximately 3.5 miles upstream of the Wilbur D. Mills Dam and Arkansas Electric Coop Hydropower Dam. The Campground and Park sits along the track for migratory birds as they come and go from the Gulf of Mexico, making it a destination for birders. Many species of waterfowl frequent the Arkansas River and adjacent wetlands making it a destination for waterfowl hunters.
Nearby, visitors can visit the Arkansas Post National Memorial. Here, Henri de Tonti established the first European village west of the Mississippi River in 1686. In 1819, Arkansas Post became the capital of the Arkansas Territory and remained so until the Civil War. The Dale Bumpers White River Refuge is nearby that offers 160,000 acres of excellent hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing opportunities as well.
From Dumas, Arkansas, take US-165 north for 9 miles to State Route 212. Head east for 2 miles and follow signs to the park.
A very small, quiet park situated along the bank of the Arkansas River. The park is clean and well kept. The host and other campers are very hospitable. At the time we went, there had been a lot of flooding in the area. It was very buggy and snakey, but apparently a hot spot for cat fishing as we saw several campers bringing in large quantities of them.
Just when you think you're on the wrong road you're not. Tucked away in the back is a Gem of a little camping spot! We thoroughly enjoyed this park! We booked as a quick off the road one nighter but definitely will be making this a destination spot! As full timers we always look for certain things and this place checks off all boxes but 1. No sewer, but they have a dump station and if you have a portable system that would be a plus. The park is pet friendly! The drive to the location is clear and decent. There are a few low power lines around the mill so if your camper is tall definitely check-in during the daylight. Also, we arrived at night and were unfamiliar with the area so finding our spot was a little challenging but not difficult. At night the campground has little lighting but that's ok, for what you see at night we were glad there wasn't too much to scare the wildlife away. And we mean wildlife! The campground is very active at night with raccoons and all the little critters that come out after dark, but what impressed us is the amount of deer that were there. So night drivers beware, but they are so beautiful to see. The day is full of squirrels chattering and all kinds of birds. Having the river just a short walk away is nice. There is also picnic areas and a playground. There are a few camp spots up on the levee right on the water front. We would say those spots would probably be for RVs 30 ft and under as the spots are a little smaller than the ones inside the park fencing. We reserved one of the pull throughs and were completely satisfied. We pulled a 31 ft bumper pull with a crew cab long bed and we had enough room for our crew cab short bed and still had enough room to put another crew cab off the road in the same spot if we had one. So the pull throughs have room. Every spot has a pavilion, bbq/fire ring combo, and shelf table. Some spots have a standing bbq with a bbq/fire ring. It's also a short drive from the neighboring town which has grocery stores, shopping, convenience stores, and fuel locations. There is so much to say about this impressive little spot. Reservations were made at recreation.gov and it was a very easy process. We can't wait to plan our next trip to this campground!
We stayed here for a one night stopover. Arkansas 212 was a very rough and narrow road, yes it is driveable but it is not pleasant.
The actual campground was great, we were the only campers there beside the host, it was absolutely beautiful and very quiet. We took one of the three spots nearest the river, they are big and the view can't be beat. C-2 had 50amp, C1 & C3 have 30amp. We took a walk around the whole campground and didn't really see a site that looked bad. Cell service is very spotty we had enough to do some streaming but not much else. We would likely stay here again if we were driving through!
The Campgrounds are pretty shady but the grass definitely should be mowed it definitely didn't help w/the mosquitoes they make u miserable and the little playground has signs saying Danger don't enter. Dissatisfied honestly and it would be nice if you could set ur water settings in the showers.
