Gulpha Gorge Campground — Hotel in Hot Springs

This is our second time camping here and thought we would give it another try because the kids loved the creek. However, nothing has changed and no matter what site you have it is cramped no room and hard to park your camper. Our awning will not extend out all the way due to bushes and trees that keep the sites cramped. Also our slide was one inch from a tree when extended I could have backed up more, but had to have the camper further up the site because the electric and water are at the front of the site not toward the back where most power cords are located on campers. Then to top this off the volunteer had to come and bang on our door one day as we were resting about our car being on the grass. I have added the picture of this atrocity that I was guilty of. I was not fully on the payment but when a camry can't back out because the guy across the road has a 2500 dodge that parks sideways and is only out of the road because he pulled his mirror in it's a little ridiculous. I would also like to point out that while I do like meeting people from all over, I am curious as to why the volunteer enforcing these rules is from Texas and drives a Texas vehicle this same volunteer also did not help me park where other campers did due to the small cramped areas and people parking so close to the roads. Also this same volunteer never asked this other truck who I took a picture of from a distance to be respectful that is on the grass as well. Needless to say we will not be back and will find other areas to camp. I have been to many national parks that understand their parking is an issue and don't mind so long as your not parking completely clearly...

We were there in September 2022 in a van and tent. In many ways, as one of the first national parks in the country, the campground was a disappointment compared to other national and state parks we have stayed in. During our visit, half of the sites were closed for renovation. The sites are very small and close together. We were in site 21, next to a small creek, but others were very close to a major road with lots of traffic noise. The bathrooms were adequate but lacked showers. All sites have electric and water whether you need them or not. With national park passes, the cost was very low compared to neighboring private campgrounds. However, we would prefer to pay a little more and have the bathhouses upgraded with showers and other modern amenities.

The major advantages of staying here are: (1) its close location to the historical downtown bathhouses, and (2) the low cost compared to private campgrounds. We especially loved touring the free Park Service’s historical bathhouse. It is well worth the time to spend 1 hour there to see all 3 floors and what people came there to do 100 years ago. We also enjoyed walking through the downtown.

Overall, to visit Hot Spring, this is good for a 1-2 night stay. For longer periods we found the Arkansas State Parks and the US Corp of Engineer campgrounds spread out across the state to be much nicer and not expensive either. Almost all of them have lakes and modern facilities much superior to this national park. We especially like Petit Jean SP, Lake Charles SP, Bull Shoals SP, and the Corp of Engineers Waveland campground. All were excellent and 5...

We were pleasantly surprised by the ease and convenience of Gulpha Gorge Campground. Really enjoyed our stay. Camp hosts were very kind. There is a kiosk to pay at inside a little welcome center that is inside of the campground. Not the welcome center in downtown Hot Springs. Most sites are about average sized. There’s not a lot of big rig friendly sites. It’s first come first serve with no reservations to secure a site in advance. You kinda have to show up early and hope there’s still a site left. We went during winter season, so it wasn’t terribly packed. We were surprised with how busy they were though. So maybe make sure that you have other campgrounds as a back up plan. Our site had a concrete pad, picnic table, and full hookups. The water was on during winter camping. This is an older campground that is a little tight for big rigs as you are driving through looking for sites. It is manageable. We only spent one night and hope to spend a little longer if we get to come back through. It’s pretty quiet for the most part. The evening and night was peaceful. However, early morning hours of 5/6/7 am, you will hear some Diesel engine sounds from big rigs passing by. So there’s a little road noise at times. It wasn’t enough to deter us from returning. It was like having an alarm to get us on the road going a little earlier. Park rangers were very kind and accommodating. Verizon cellphone/hotspot service worked great...