Little Pines Campground
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 15:47 UTC
- A night
- $20From, per site
- Sites
- 9All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 1 notices
In the agency’s own words
The Little Pines Recreation Area is one of the most recent upgraded and constructed recreation area on the Ouachita National Forest. Constructed in a former pine plantation, all the campsites are level and offer a large amount of shade through-out the day at the campsites. Access to Lake Hinkle is provided by the boat ramp adjacent to the campground. The boat access offers a courtesy dock and fishing pier. The campground offers all the standard amenities electrical and water connections at each of the campsites. A Camp Host is on duty to provide assistance and answer questions about the area and activities available on the Forest. Located just 12 miles west of Waldron, Arkansas, it is just a short drive to obtain needed items for camping and groceries. Waldron provides a number of services, medical and restaurants in the town. Keep reading
Recreation
Recreation opportunities abound at and around the Little Pines Recreation Area. Little Pines Recreation Area offers campsites, day use and access to Lake Hinkle, 960 acre lake managed by the Arkansas Fish & Wildlife Commission. A short hiking trail is located at the day use area. Within a few miles, there are mountain bike, hiking and OHV trails available for use.
Facilities
Located along the shoreline of Lake Hinkle, a 960 acre lake managed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, there are 9 single campsites available for reservations at Little Pines Campground. The campground has flush toilets, showers, paved parking areas at the campsites, every campsite contains a picnic table, fire ring, lantern holder, electrical and water connections. All campsites are back-in, there are no pull-through campsites available. Courtsey docks are available for boat moorage while staying at the campground. A large pavilion and swim site are located adjacent to the campground. Trailer dump station available for campers. Boat ramp to access Lake Hinkle and courtesy dock available for launching and retrieving boats. Fish cleaning station located adjacent to the boat ramp.
Natural Features
Located in the valley of the Poteau Mountain, surrounded by the Ouachita Mountain, Little Pines Campground was constructed in an old pine plantation which provides plenty of shade and level surfaces for the camper. Access is provided to the 960 acre Lake Hinkle by the boat ramp located adjacent to the campground. Nearby Attractions - Scott County Museum of History, Waldron, Arkansas - Ouachita National Recreation Trail - Belle Star OHV Trail - Fourche Mountain OHV Trail
What the agency tells you
- Have a printed or written copy of your reservation/ conformation number in case of a dispute. - Check-In is at 3:00pm day of arrival. Check-out is at 2:00pm day of departure. -Limited cell phone access is limited in the recreation area. - Campsite availability is limited during major holidays, Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. - Campground and Day Use is open seasonally, from the first of March to the first of December. - Campsites must be occupied the first night after establishing camp, then every 24-hours afterwards. - Quiet hours are 10:00 pm to 8:00 am - All dogs / cats must be on a leash at all times. - No dogs are allowed in the Little Pines Swim Site Areas. - If the customer makes multiple reservations for the same location and date(s), the discount will only apply to the single site the pass owner will occupy. - The holder of the pass must occupy the site for which the discount is applied, and the pass discount may apply to only one reservation. The pass owner may not request multiple reservations for the same dates and facility using the same discount. - All camping equipment must remain on designated campsites and tent pads. - No more than two vehicles will be parked per campsite and must be parked on paved surface at all times. - No more than three camping units will be allowed on each campsite. (For example: one RV, and two tents) All tents must remain on designated tent pads. - Grey water will not allowed to be discharged on the ground and must be disposed at the dump station in the recreation area. - Campground boat dock slips are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. No slips are assigned to campsites. - Off Road Vehicles (OHV) are not allowed in the recreation area. - Don't Move Firewood : Help protect our forests! Obtain your firewood near your destination to avoid the spread of pests. Using firewood from outside the area can threaten native trees and forests. Firewood from outside the area is not recommended as some states have quarantines in effect and firewood movement is illegal. Visit www.don'tmovefirewood.org
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 9
- Hookups
- 9 electric, 9 water
- Longest rig
- 65 ft
- Paved pads
- All
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets · Vault Toilets · Pit Toilets
- FLUSH TOILETS on 4 of 9 campsite records, FLUSH TOILETS (SEASONAL) on 1 of 9 campsite records, ACCESSIBLE FLUSH TOILETS on 6 of 9 campsite records / VAULT TOILETS on 4 of 9 campsite records / PIT TOILETS on 2 of 9 campsite records
- Showers
- Accessible Showers
- ACCESSIBLE SHOWERS on 6 of 9 campsite records
- Drinking water
- Yes
- DRINKING WATER on 7 of 9 campsite records, WATER SPIGOT on 6 of 9 campsite records
- Dump station
- Yes
- recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
- Boat ramp
- Yes
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, Beach
- Night sky · 18th darkest of 158 in AR
- Bortle 3
2 of 18 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 15:47 UTC
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
OpenBooked
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 15
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $20 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 15:47 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
9 sites
All 9 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 9 of the 9 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| A | 1 | standard electric | 65 ft | 50 amp | $20 |
| A | 2 | standard electric | 65 ft | 50 amp | $20 |
| A | 3 | standard electric | 65 ft | 50 amp | $20 |
| A | 4 | standard electric | 65 ft | 50 amp | $20 |
| A | 5 | standard electric | 65 ft | 50/30/50 amp | $20 |
| A | 6 | standard electric | 65 ft | 50/30/50 amp | $20 |
| A | 7 | standard electric | 65 ft | 50 amp | $20 |
| A | 8 | standard electric | 65 ft | 50/30/50 amp | $20 |
| A | 9 | standard electric | 50 amp | $20 |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Shady Lake Campground18 miCedar Lake Recreation AreaWinding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area · 25 mi
Cedar Lake (Oklahoma)Indian Nations National Scenic And Wildlife Area · 25 mi
Winding Stair Campground (OK)Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area · 26 miJack Creek Recreation AreaOuachita National Forest · 27 miFrom the Poteau Ranger Station in Waldron, Arkansas, drive west on Highway 248 for 11 miles. Stay on paved road. Turn east (left) on County Road 10 (Trampp Loop) for the entrance to the LIttle Pines Recreation Area (Second Trampp Loop Turn off. DO NOT turn on first Trampp Loop turn off which is a dirt road). Looks for signs that say Little Pines Campground.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Waldron, AR
Typical weather
Typical October night 48°F, day 74°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 28°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it
Who answers for this land
Little Pines Campground is in Arkansas’s 4th congressional district. Its representative, Bruce Westerman (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →