Piney Bay
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 16 of the next 16 nights read 15:59 UTC
- A night
- $16–$26Across the site types the agency prices
- Sites
- 91All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 4 notices
In the agency’s own words
Download a Piney Bay park map HERE Piney Bay Campground sits along Dardanelle Lake in western Arkansas. Campers come here to get a break from the city and take advantage of the ample swimming, boating and fishing opportunities. Keep reading
Recreation
Picnicking, boating and fishing are favorite pastimes. The lake is brimming with white bass, largemouth bass, bream, crappie and large catfish.
Facilities
Piney Bay offers 68 reservable campsites, all equipped with electric hookups, along with a large group picnic shelter. Campers enjoy hot showers, two boat ramps, a playground and a swim beach.
Natural Features
Situated between the Ozark and Ouachita National Forests, Dardanelle Lake creates an excellent setting for nature lovers. The lake stems from the Arkansas River and spans 40,000 acres. Wooded area and hills surround the lake. The region is a favorite destination for bald eagles in wintertime.
Nearby Attractions
Bona Dea Trails and Sanctuary, with nearly 86 acres of wetlands and low woods, provide an ideal habitat for native wildlife. Visitors can explore the area on the six-mile trail system.
What the agency tells you
NOTICE: Group Shelters are open for reservations. Please follow all applicable CDC, State, and local guidelines regarding public health and safety. SPECIAL EVENT APPLICATION REQUIREMENT The Special Event Application can be found under the Facility Information tab, Additional Information sub-tab. A Special Event Application is required for any event that includes one or more of the following: - An entry, spectator, or participant fee is charged. - Anticipated attendance of 100 or more persons. - An extraordinary impact on project resources is expected. - Additional Corps personnel support is required, including patrols, surveillance, refuse collection, and/or crowd control. - The event involves concession tents and/or vendors. - The event involves bounce houses or inflatable amusement devices. - Fishing tournaments. - Music festivals. Once completed, the Special Event Application must be submitted via email to rv.ceswl-rv@usace.army.mil for review and approval. In addition to the Special Event Application, applicants may be required to provide the following before approval can be granted: - Proof of liability insurance - Event details and description - Schedule of events - Parking plans PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES Livestock, exotic animals, explosives, loaded projectile firing devices, piñatas, water balloons, and commercial activities are prohibited on project lands unless written permission has been received from the District Commander. If commercial tents are approved as part of a special event, driving tent stakes into concrete or asphalt surfaces on project lands is prohibited. For additional information regarding Special Event Applications and Permit Fees, please contact the Russellville Project Office at (501) 340-1762.
Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.
Two tents or one RV and one tent per campsite
Everything else this campground posts · 1
For Aquatic Facilities (Lake, Reservoir, or River Recreation): CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY boats and any other recreational equipment that contacts water. Dispose of unwanted bait, worms, fish parts, or other organisms into the trash and not into the environment. For more information visit https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/rec. • For Terrestrial Facilities (Trailheads or Campsites): STOP THE SPREAD OF INVASIVE SPECIES. Remove plants, seeds, animals, and mud from boots, gear, pets, and vehicles. Clean your gear before entering and leaving the recreation site. Stay on designated roads and trails, and follow local guidelines for firewood. For more information visit https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/rec . • For Combined Aquatic and Terrestrial Facilities (Trailheads or Campsites with Lake, Reservoir, or River Recreation): STOP THE SPREAD OF INVASIVE SPECIES. Remove plants, seeds, animals, and mud from boots, gear, pets, and vehicles. Clean your gear before entering and leaving the recreation site. Stay on designated roads and trails, and follow local guidelines for firewood. CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY boats and any other recreational equipment that contacts water. Dispose of unwanted bait, worms, fish parts, or other organisms into the trash and not into the environment. For more information visit https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/rec.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 91
- Hookups
- 86 electric, 48 water
- Longest rig
- 80 ft
- Paved pads
- All
- Accessible sites
- 4
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Showers
- Yes, the record doesn’t say what kind
- “Campers enjoy hot showers, two boat ramps, a playground and a swim beach.”
- Dump station
- Yes
- recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
- Boat ramp
- Yes
- Playground
- Yes
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Beach, Coast
- Boating
- Fishing
- Swimming
- Night sky · 109th darkest of 158 in AR
- Bortle 4
64 of 182 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 15:59 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 · 16
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $16–$26 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 15:59 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
92 records · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 89 mapped sitesAll 92 records
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 89 of the 92 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 91 of the 92 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.
| A | A1 | standard electric | 80 ft | 30 amp | 119 ft | 452 ft | 2,040 ft | $22–$26 | |
| A | A2 | standard electric | 75 ft | 30 amp | 119 ft | 337 ft | 1,991 ft | $22–$26 | |
| A | A3 | standard nonelectric | $16 | ||||||
| A | A4 | standard nonelectric | $16 | ||||||
| A | A5 | standard nonelectric | $16 | ||||||
| B | B01 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 68 ft | 705 ft | 2,207 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B02 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 48 ft | 662 ft | 2,268 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B03 | standard electric | 29 ft | 30 amp | 48 ft | 632 ft | 2,311 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B04 | standard electric | 31 ft | 30 amp | 95 ft | 557 ft | 2,245 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B05 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 83 ft | 549 ft | 2,338 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B06 | standard electric | 33 ft | 30 amp | 73 ft | 460 ft | 2,273 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B07 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 66 ft | 434 ft | 2,375 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B08 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 73 ft | 388 ft | 2,295 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B09 | standard electric | 31 ft | 30 amp | 66 ft | 369 ft | 2,401 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B10 | standard electric | 34 ft | 30 amp | 60 ft | 304 ft | 2,440 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B11 | standard electric | 25 ft | 30 amp | 60 ft | 247 ft | 2,468 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B12 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 55 ft | 187 ft | 2,489 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B13 | standard electric | 47 ft | 30 amp | 50 ft | 136 ft | 2,484 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B14 | standard electric | 37 ft | 30 amp | 50 ft | 109 ft | 2,452 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B15 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 72 ft | 109 ft | 2,376 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B16 | standard electric | 33 ft | 30 amp | 82 ft | 215 ft | 2,318 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B17 | standard electric | 60 ft | 30 amp | 72 ft | 130 ft | 2,309 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B18 | standard electric | 32 ft | 30 amp | 82 ft | 235 ft | 2,240 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B19 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | yes | 106 ft | 99 ft | 2,216 ft | $22–$26 |
| B | B20 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 87 ft | 199 ft | 2,121 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B21 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 106 ft | 95 ft | 2,116 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B22 | standard electric | 34 ft | 30 amp | 70 ft | 200 ft | 2,038 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B23 | standard electric | 43 ft | 30 amp | yes | 107 ft | 78 ft | 2,017 ft | $22–$26 |
| B | B24 | standard electric | 41 ft | 30 amp | 70 ft | 168 ft | 1,971 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B25 | standard electric | 37 ft | 30 amp | 73 ft | 94 ft | 1,843 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B26 | standard electric | 31 ft | 30 amp | 96 ft | 170 ft | 1,830 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B27 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | yes | 73 ft | 147 ft | 1,770 ft | $22–$26 |
| B | B28 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 77 ft | 201 ft | 1,695 ft | $22–$26 | |
| B | B29 | standard electric | 31 ft | 30 amp | 105 ft | 335 ft | 2,192 ft | $22–$26 | |
| D | D01 | standard electric | 63 ft | 50 amp | 88 ft | 199 ft | 1,521 ft | $22–$26 | |
| D | D02 | standard electric | 60 ft | 50 amp | 88 ft | 235 ft | 1,435 ft | $22–$26 | |
| D | D03 | standard electric | 20 ft | 50 amp | 90 ft | 153 ft | 1,402 ft | $22–$26 | |
| D | D04 | standard electric | 50 ft | 50 amp | 90 ft | 167 ft | 1,313 ft | $22–$26 | |
| E | E01 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 113 ft | 141 ft | 593 ft | $22–$26 | |
| E | E02 | standard electric | 47 ft | 30 amp | 69 ft | 139 ft | 633 ft | $22–$26 | |
| E | E03 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 68 ft | 160 ft | 651 ft | $22–$26 | |
| E | E04 | standard electric | 36 ft | 30 amp | 68 ft | 108 ft | 719 ft | $22–$26 | |
| E | E05 | standard electric | 36 ft | 30 amp | 68 ft | 134 ft | 739 ft | $22–$26 | |
| E | E06 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 69 ft | 88 ft | 808 ft | $22–$26 | |
| E | E07 | standard nonelectric | 84 ft | 82 ft | 875 ft | $16 | |||
| E | E08 | standard nonelectric | 84 ft | 81 ft | 945 ft | $16 | |||
| E | E09 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 104 ft | 84 ft | 1,048 ft | $22–$26 | |
| E | E10 | standard electric | 54 ft | 30 amp | 101 ft | 101 ft | 1,136 ft | $22–$26 | |
| E | E11 | standard electric | 28 ft | 30 amp | 101 ft | 64 ft | 1,237 ft | $22–$26 | |
| E | E12 | standard electric | 22 ft | 30 amp | 88 ft | 97 ft | 1,325 ft | $22–$26 | |
| E | E13 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 88 ft | 85 ft | 1,402 ft | $22–$26 | |
| E | E14 | standard electric | 58 ft | 30 amp | 108 ft | 129 ft | 1,444 ft | $22–$26 | |
| F | F1 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 59 ft | 289 ft | 1,304 ft | $22–$26 | |
| F | F2 | standard electric | 41 ft | 30 amp | yes | 53 ft | 261 ft | 1,276 ft | $22–$26 |
| F | F3 | standard electric | 41 ft | 30 amp | 53 ft | 242 ft | 1,239 ft | $22–$26 | |
| F | F4 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 124 ft | 357 ft | 1,173 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G01 | standard electric | 50 ft | 30 amp | 80 ft | 678 ft | 935 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G02 | standard electric | 46 ft | 30 amp | 99 ft | 754 ft | 1,023 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G03 | standard electric | 20 ft | 30 amp | 52 ft | 769 ft | 888 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G04 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 80 ft | 686 ft | 862 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G05 | standard electric | 46 ft | 30 amp | 48 ft | 719 ft | 735 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G06 | standard electric | 38 ft | 30 amp | 69 ft | 670 ft | 781 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G07 | standard electric | 47 ft | 30 amp | 65 ft | 657 ft | 677 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G08 | standard electric | 53 ft | 30 amp | 69 ft | 605 ft | 742 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G09 | standard electric | 52 ft | 30 amp | 65 ft | 595 ft | 647 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G10 | standard electric | 55 ft | 30 amp | 70 ft | 521 ft | 721 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G11 | standard electric | 43 ft | 30 amp | 96 ft | 501 ft | 619 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G12 | standard electric | 32 ft | 30 amp | 70 ft | 451 ft | 713 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G13 | standard electric | 39 ft | 30 amp | 48 ft | 764 ft | 769 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G14 | standard electric | 28 ft | 30 amp | 52 ft | 817 ft | 890 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G15 | standard electric | 34 ft | 30 amp | 67 ft | 856 ft | 812 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G16 | standard electric | 54 ft | 30 amp | 68 ft | 886 ft | 901 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G17 | standard electric | 50 ft | 30 amp | 67 ft | 923 ft | 852 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G18 | standard electric | 53 ft | 30 amp | 65 ft | 954 ft | 944 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G19 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 79 ft | 1,010 ft | 907 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G20 | standard electric | 50 ft | 30 amp | 65 ft | 1,018 ft | 974 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G21 | standard electric | 31 ft | 30 amp | 77 ft | 1,094 ft | 1,010 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G22 | standard electric | 24 ft | 30 amp | 90 ft | 1,150 ft | 947 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G23 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 90 ft | 1,077 ft | 859 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G24 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 80 ft | 1,086 ft | 663 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G25 | standard electric | 33 ft | 30 amp | 80 ft | 1,015 ft | 586 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G26 | standard electric | 32 ft | 30 amp | 105 ft | 932 ft | 595 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G27 | standard electric | 32 ft | 30 amp | 101 ft | 913 ft | 495 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G28 | standard electric | 55 ft | 30 amp | 84 ft | 831 ft | 516 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G29 | standard electric | 28 ft | 30 amp | 88 ft | 812 ft | 431 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G30 | standard electric | 41 ft | 30 amp | 84 ft | 749 ft | 498 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G31 | standard electric | 28 ft | 30 amp | 84 ft | 714 ft | 402 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G32 | standard electric | 45 ft | 30 amp | 98 ft | 651 ft | 477 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G33 | standard electric | 29 ft | 30 amp | 84 ft | 630 ft | 377 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G34 | standard electric | 46 ft | 30 amp | 101 ft | 551 ft | 465 ft | $22–$26 | |
| G | G35 | standard electric | 25 ft | 30 amp | 108 ft | 527 ft | 349 ft | $22–$26 | |
| PBAY | GS1 | day use | 20 ft | 30 amp | yes | 127 ft | 292 ft | 1,077 ft | $75 |
The agency files 1 more record here that isn’t a site for the night. It files it as day use. It’s in the table above, marked for what it is, and it isn’t counted as a site.
25 of 92 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Shoal Bay9.0 mi
Spadra9.1 mi
Sorghum HollowOzark National Forest · 13 mi
Long Pool Recreation AreaOzark National Forest · 13 mi
Old Post Road14 mi
Spring Lake Recreation AreaOzark National Forest · 18 miFrom London, Arkansas, take US-64 west for 3 miles to State Route 359 north. Continue for 3.5 miles and follow signs into the campground.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Knoxville, AR
Typical weather
Typical October night 52°F, day 72°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 29°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 Augusts are colder than the August 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
Piney Bay 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 →