ReservableBookable through October 31, and from March 1 through April 16.
Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book
Right now
Taking bookingsSites offered on 16 of the next 30 nights read 16:02 UTC
A night
$22–$26Across the site types the agency prices
Sites
77All of them booked ahead
82 ftLongest rig
360 ftElevation
237 ftWater · Lake Dardanelle
7.1 miSW of Lamar, AR
72%Tree cover

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 3 notices

In the agency’s own words

Download a Shoal Bay park map HERE This shady campground sits on the scenic Shoal Bay arm of Lake Dardanelle, offering an excellent setting for boating, swimming and wildlife viewing. Keep reading

Recreation

The lake, a popular spot for anglers, is brimming with white bass, largemouth bass, bream, crappie and large catfish. The Bridge Rock Trail winds along a rugged slope overlooking the narrows of Shoal Creek, offering excellent hiking opportunities. Dardanelle's Visitor Center is noteworthy for its "Renaissance of a River" theme. Interpretive exhibits express the progression of river valley from the time of early Native Americans to its present day.

Facilities

Shoal Bay offers 45 reservable campsites, most of which have electric hookups. Two large picnic shelters are also available. Amenities include a boat ramp, playground and hot showers.

Natural Features

Dardanelle Lake, sourced by the Arkansas River, spans 40,000 acres and boasts 315 miles of shoreline. The lake sits in the river valley between the Ozark and Ouachita National Forests.

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 6 mile trail system.

What the agency tells you

Rule

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.

Rule

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.

Rule

• 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
77
Hookups
77 electric, 57 water
Longest rig
82 ft
Paved pads
All
Accessible sites
1
Pets
Allowed
Campfires
Allowed, barring fire bans
Shade
Every site
Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Showers
Yes, the record doesn’t say what kind
“Amenities include a boat ramp, playground and hot showers.”
Dump station
Yes
recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
Boat ramp
Yes
Playground
Yes
Stay limit
14 nights
recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026
Water, toilets and showers: read from the agency description, shown above · Sep 12, 2026

Around the campground

On the water
Lake, River, Creek, Beach, Coast
Boating
Fishing
Swimming
Wildlife viewing
Night sky · 95th darkest of 158 in AR
Bortle 4
Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

36 of 156 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 16:02 UTC

Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.

OpenBookedClosed

Booking windowThrough October 31Bookable now through October 31, 2026, the end of this reservable season, and again for March 1, 2027 through April 16, 2027. Tomorrow at 10 AM ET, availability opens through April 17, 2027.recreation.gov
Max stay14 nights2-night minimum on weekendsthe facility record
A night$22–$26plus $8 to reserve, once per bookingthe agency’s rate schedule
A weekend$52–$60DerivedFriday and Saturday, everything includedours, from the lines above
If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservationrecreation.gov’s schedule
Runs itU.S. Army Corps of EngineersBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record
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.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
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’ll write once, when the season that starts Mon, Mar 1 2027 is open for booking.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
Book on recreation.gov

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 15

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Army Corps of Engineers
A night, per site$22–$26
30 Amp No Water$22
30 Amp With Water$24
50 Amp$26
Group area, a night$75
Rates for the season the campground is in now, Mar 1, 2026 to Oct 31, 2026.
The booking feerecreation.gov
Reservation fee, booked online$8
One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.
Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.
What a stay costs
One nightDerived$30–$34
A weekend, Friday and SaturdayDerived$52–$60

Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $22–$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.

If your plans changerecreation.gov
Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10
Cancellation fee$10
Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night
No-show$20 + your first night

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 16:02 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

79 records · which ones have room · the site map

The sites, ranked

from 79 mapped sites
64 ftbetween you and the next site, typically
Least roomP5A 19 ftP5B 19 ftB12A 23 ft

2 sites share one published coordinate and are left out of the rankings.

All 79 records

79 of 79 records located
RV / electric77Day use2
SleepsTakes aUp to

The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 77 of the 79 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.

AA1standard electric25 ft50 ampyes283 ft426 ft$22–$26
AA2standard electric30 ft50 amp321 ft150 ft$22–$26
AA3standard electric44 ft50 amp91 ft81 ft$22–$26
AA4standard electric35 ft50 amp91 ft69 ft$22–$26
AA5standard electric38 ft50 amp95 ft84 ft$22–$26
AGS1day use20 ft30 ampyes206 ft871 ft$75
AGS2day use20 ft30 ampyes130 ft177 ft$75
BB1standard electric46 ft30 amp66 ft636 ft$22–$26
BB10standard electric37 ft30 amp75 ft607 ft$22–$26
BB11standard electric27 ft30 amp68 ft684 ft$22–$26
BB12Astandard electric38 ft30 amp23 ft676 ft$22–$26
BB12Bstandard electric32 ft30 amp23 ft695 ft$22–$26
BB12Cstandard electric34 ft30 amp25 ft714 ft$22–$26
BB2standard electric52 ft30 amp66 ft636 ft$22–$26
BB3standard electric52 ft30 amp66 ft637 ft$22–$26
BB4standard electric33 ft30 amp55 ft619 ft$22–$26
BB5standard electric33 ft30 amp55 ft617 ft$22–$26
BB6standard electric52 ft30 amp56 ft618 ft$22–$26
BB7standard electric57 ft30 amp56 ft634 ft$22–$26
BB8standard electric28 ft30 amp57 ft614 ft$22–$26
BB9standard electric46 ft30 amp57 ft602 ft$22–$26
CC01standard electric48 ft30 amp73 ft543 ft$22–$26
CC02standard electric48 ft30 amp73 ft529 ft$22–$26
CC03standard electric46 ft30 amp64 ft523 ft$22–$26
CC04standard electric46 ft30 amp64 ft530 ft$22–$26
CC05standard electric48 ft30 amp59 ft538 ft$22–$26
CC06standard electric47 ft30 amp48 ft522 ft$22–$26
CC07standard electric48 ft30 amp48 ft517 ft$22–$26
CC08standard electric49 ft30 amp63 ft521 ft$22–$26
CC09standard electric48 ft30 amp63 ft532 ft$22–$26
DD1standard electric45 ft30 amp56 ft435 ft$22–$26
DD2standard electric62 ft30 amp56 ft439 ft$22–$26
DD3standard electric49 ft30 amp72 ft427 ft$22–$26
DD4standard electric44 ft30 amp68 ft418 ft$22–$26
DD5standard electric47 ft30 amp68 ft428 ft$22–$26
DD6standard electric50 ft30 amp72 ft413 ft$22–$26
DD7standard electric55 ft30 amp78 ft407 ft$22–$26
DD8standard electric30 ft30 amp75 ft402 ft$22–$26
DD9standard electric33 ft30 amp80 ft369 ft$22–$26
EE1standard electric50 ft30 amp83 ft353 ft$22–$26
EE2standard electric53 ft30 amp77 ft354 ft$22–$26
EE3standard electric49 ft30 amp57 ft344 ft$22–$26
EE4standard electric51 ft30 amp57 ft347 ft$22–$26
EE5standard electric29 ft30 amp57 ft356 ft$22–$26
EE6standard electric26 ft30 amp74 ft329 ft$22–$26
EE7standard electric46 ft30 amp74 ft293 ft$22–$26
EE8standard electric51 ft30 amp91 ft242 ft$22–$26
FF1standard electric45 ft30 amp91 ft183 ft$22–$26
FF2standard electric60 ft30 amp99 ft219 ft$22–$26
FF3standard electric82 ft30 amp62 ft226 ft$22–$26
FF4standard electric64 ft30 amp62 ft217 ft$22–$26
GG1standard electric43 ft30 amp64 ft954 ft$22–$26
GG10standard electric44 ft30 amp64 ft910 ft$22–$26
GG11standard electric46 ft30 amp67 ft846 ft$22–$26
GG2standard electric33 ft30 amp79 ft948 ft$22–$26
GG3standard electric38 ft30 amp66 ft917 ft$22–$26
GG4standard electric45 ft30 amp65 ft865 ft$22–$26
GG5standard electric53 ft30 amp59 ft826 ft$22–$26
GG6standard electric34 ft30 amp50 ft827 ft$22–$26
GG7standard electric50 ft30 amp81 ft867 ft$22–$26
GG8standard electric44 ft30 amp52 ft935 ft$22–$26
GG9standard electric30 ft30 amp52 ft951 ft$22–$26
HH1standard electric43 ft30 amp64 ft891 ft$22–$26
HH2standard electric33 ft30 amp66 ft879 ft$22–$26
HH3standard electric39 ft30 amp65 ft840 ft$22–$26
HH4standard electric33 ft30 amp64 ft795 ft$22–$26
HH5standard electric48 ft30 amp52 ft767 ft$22–$26
HH6standard electric46 ft30 amp52 ft770 ft$22–$26
HH7standard electric33 ft30 amp778 ft$22–$26
HH8standard electric39 ft30 amp778 ft$22–$26
HH9standard electric30 ft30 amp118 ft763 ft$22–$26
PP1standard electric44 ft50 amp84 ft486 ft$22–$26
PP2standard electric42 ft50 amp84 ft422 ft$22–$26
PP3Astandard electric25 ft50 amp34 ft334 ft$22–$26
PP3Bstandard electric30 ft50 amp34 ft333 ft$22–$26
PP4Astandard electric30 ft50 amp30 ft331 ft$22–$26
PP4Bstandard electric25 ft50 amp30 ft359 ft$22–$26
PP5Astandard electric30 ft50 amp19 ft387 ft$22–$26
PP5Bstandard electric20 ft50 amp19 ft405 ft$22–$26

The agency files 2 more records here that aren’t sites for the night. It files them as day use. They’re in the table above, marked for what they are, and none of them is counted as a site.

OpenStreetMap has no toilet mapped within 1 km of this campground, so no site here carries a toilet distance. That’s a gap in the map, not a finding about the campground.

25 of 79 listed

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Coordinate35.31000, -93.43056
The phone479-938-7335
The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

This Afternoon67°Sunny
Tonight42°Mostly Clear
Saturday68°Sunny
Saturday Night40°Clear

NWS forecast for New Blaine, AR

Typical weather

Typical October night 50°F, day 74°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.

100°32°20°

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.

Measured at: SUBIACO, AR (USC00036928), 12 miles away and 140 ft higher

The land, and who answers for it

who answers for it

Who answers for this land

Bruce Westerman, official portrait

Shoal 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 →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from
Right now: recreation.gov is offering sites on 16 of the next 30 nights, which isn’t something a closed campground does.
Cell signal: the Army Corps’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.
Nearest place of any size: New Blaine, AR, 0.4 mi NNW (a census designated place). Straight line.