Cedar Lake Recreation Site — Hotel in Fanshawe

We stayed at the North Shore campground, site 54, March 7-15, 2025. This is a rustic campground, in that the sites do not have electric or water, but there is running water in the bath houses/restrooms, and there are water spigots throughout the campground. It is very quiet and peaceful, very well maintained, clean, and there is no unnecessary lighting around the campground - no giant poles with bright lights along the road or at the buildings. The minimal lighting is a huge plus for us!! The camp hosts are awesome, and so is their dog, Buddy, who paid us a visit that we thoroughly enjoyed. I'm rating it at 4 stars ONLY because I would have liked to know, prior to booking online, that my site was merely a stone's throw from the boat ramp and trailer parking. No one was disruptive, but it would have been nice to know...

If I had to choose a "favorite" camping destination, Cedar Lake would be the one! Because management doesn't allow large noisy boats on the small lake, the area remains quiet and peaceful. It's a great fishing destination--the state's record-setting bass have been pulled from this lake.

Its location in the Ouachita National Forest gives multiple choice of easy, moderate or strenuous day-hiking trails as well as overnight backpacking adventures. For strenuous hikes in the summer, it's best to schedule the hike for early morning or in the hours just before sunset. The best season to visit the park is in winter or spring, when there are few crowds and the moderate temperature allows hiking or fishing all day long. Autumn is nice as well but the park stays very busy through...

Multiple types of camping here from Class A pull-thru to travel trailers down to primitive sites. I chose a "Sandy Beach" tent site (#39) with water and electric. Daily fees for such a site is (currently) $20/day, self-pay at a drop box. Bathrooms were close and actually had a couple of working showers with warm-ish water (not hot like you get at home). Equestrian trails are nearby and there were plenty of SXS campers in the other sites. Swimming areas are a very quick walk away and there are covered day-use picnic areas as well. Of my time spent in the Ouachita National Forest, this is one of the best spots for tent camping where you need electrical outlets. (Also check out Shady Lake in Arkansas, but recent prescribed burns have...