Ouachita River Haven — Hotel in Waldron

Beautiful, secluded, affordable, and family-friendly service! This campground is gorgeous! It's right on the beautiful Ouachita River. They have cabins, primitive camp sites, and some spots for some smaller RV's. We had a 19-foot trailer and because it had been raining (a lot) and the park was somewhat waterlogged we decided to park the trailer on a spot that was up the hill to avoid any difficulty getting out later, but they also had a couple of spots that were nearer the water. The park was very large, tons of huge trees, and lots of lush green grass. It is lovingly cared for, manicured, and kept clean. There are bathrooms and shower stalls that are not air conditioned. The water from the showers had a strong sulfur smell. There are picnic tables, fire rings, kayaks, volley ball, and other games to play on site. The office has a small store. The family that owns the place is super friendly, compassionate, and only want you to enjoy your stay. They gave us a very thorough golf cart tour when we arrived and we had our choice of sites. They are very knowledgeable of Mt Ida and provided us with lots of information on things to do in the area. We had brought our kayaks with us to float the river. The family is experienced on the water and told us where we should put in based on our experience level and the amount of time we wanted to spend on the river. They loaded our kayaks and drove us to the drop off site up river so that we could float back to the park at our leisure. The cost was very reasonable. We were charged $20 for the drop off 6 miles up river. The cost will be more/less depending on how far you want to go. We made a huge mistake when we got back and didn't tie up our kayaks. Due to all the rain the river was rising...a lot...and one of our kayaks floated away. Early the next morning my boyfriend and the owner got in their kayaks and went down river to look for it. They were gone about 5 hours, floated over 9 miles, recovered the kayak, and brought everyone back safe and sound. These people only charged us $20 for this half-day search and rescue! I can't say enough good things about this place. We stayed two nights and I would definitely stay here again! You should absolutely camp here! If you like rock hounding this river has the most perfectly tumbled...

This review is overdue, but I need to write it because this place is so great. My wife and I have tent camped in many state/national parks so we have some experience. Most places we have stayed feel really impersonal, which can be nice if you want to get away from it all but it was really nice to have accommodating ownership at this resort. We were camping with my parents in an RV, Casey and Amanda (owners) spent part of their afternoon getting them setup properly at their site. This would not happen at most state/national parks and it was very much appreciated. They have clean well water and some nice shower/restroom facilities on site if you don't want to 100% "rough it." The tent camping area is a well maintained greenspace with some beautiful flowering trees and some taller trees scattered about to create a nice canopy.

The location is amazing and as we are newbies to the Ouachita area, this resort has been added to our "must visit again" list. There are tons of things to do in the area, the most accessible being renting (or bringing your own) kayak to go down the river. They run shuttles every day up river and are very knowledgeable about the area. This isn't a large resort so it almost feels like your own personal, picturesque spot along the Ouachita. We spent most of a day sitting on the edge of the river enjoying the views and the pleasant spring weather. It's been mentioned in other reviews, but the star gazing is breathtaking if you have a clear night. We went out on a canoe after dark and could see thousands of stars quite clearly, and could also hear bats flying over the river catching bugs. There are some hiking trails through the nearby forest and apparently some off-roading trails nearby for the 4x4 enthusiasts.

If we had one complaint it would have to be that this place is too far from our home in north Texas, though not much can be done about that. We plan on coming back to Ouachita River Haven Resort and would recommend it highly to any campers (oh and they also have some...

Explained review:

" Rooms" We were suppose to be given the tent site closet to the water with electric and water. There was a camper in that spot when we arrived. They were going to give us the spot next to it, but didn't recommend it because it held water and it was suppose to rain. Instead, we were given a site that was very close to the office, felt watched, and dealt with traffic going in and out of the Haven which was not safe for the 4 small children that we had with us. We would rather had what we were expecting and paid for and not 3rd best.

"SERVICE" When we arrived, we were rudely spoken to by owner and seemed to be nip picking... like not parking at a vacant campsite that was very close to the water since it was easier for our family and we weren't disturbing anyone (all after being told we were the only people camping in that time frame we booked at the Haven and originally we expected to be close to the water so we didn't have to lug everything for the water for small children). Also, we were not charged for the day kayak usage which was appreciated since water was so low.

" Location" our tent site was terrible, we campside right along the main paved road that was a hill (dangerous for small children). The only convenience were the bathrooms but the water smelled as if gas was being leaked into the water and smelled unsafe. OVERALL Location of the Haven, was fine. There's a store just down the road.

We do understand that people have bad days and that ends in regretful behavior, but if you run a business please stay professional and not take it out on the "next". That's with any "job" or "livelihood". We left feeling mislead, invaded the entirety of the stay, and unsatisfied. We made the best of it while there but doubtful...