Our first ever family camping trip was a success! I wanted to share the location with you guys though, mostly because when I was looking for a place to camp, it was hard to find pictures of many of the campgrounds outside the few photos the state park or campground websites often had. So today I’m going to share some info about our camping trip to Daisy State Park and Lake Greeson in Kirby, Arkansas.
Camping at Daisy State Park and Lake Greeson
First – here are some other camping resources that might be helpful:
Our decision to stay at Daisy State Park was driven by our trip to Wegner Crystal Mines, which is located about 45 minutes away in Mt. Ida, Arkansas. This was kind of a last-minute trip, and we needed to stay within a reasonable distance of the mines. But it was also a holiday weekend and every campground we found was booked. We ended up finding Daisy State Park campground and they had one spot left – so we grabbed it.
We were camping in an RV, which we rented. You can read all about renting an RV for vacation here (it’s a great way to get your feet wet if you’re not sure if RV camping is for you!). We needed a space that was big enough for the RV, with water and electricity hookups. We would have liked a view of the lake, but from our spot you couldn’t see the lake. However, it was just a short walk away.
The best spots, from what I could tell, were spots number 24 and 25. Not only did they have a lot of room, but they also had their own little lakefront piece of land.
We were in spot 31 (you can see a map of all of the spots here). It was the last one available, like I mentioned, and I thought that might be because it was right next to the bathrooms. I was worried about that. But it ended up being super convenient. The bathrooms, which I had not planned on using (our RV had a bathroom and we had a water hookup), were spotlessly clean. It was nice being so close to them.
Our actual camping spot had a firepit and a picnic table. It was on the edge of a forested hill so there wasn’t a lot of room to move around on the land surrounding our spot. This was fine as we were often out doing things during the day and only spent time at the campground in the evening.
It’s kind of hard to tell in this picture, but this hill was actually a fairy steep drop down.
The campground is dog-friendly and has access to some trails. The staff was exceptionally nice and helpful (actually everyone we met in Arkansas was nice and helpful).
There aren’t any real grocery stores nearby. Unfortunately for all of us, I forgot the hotdogs and we ran out of wine. The closest store was a Dollar General and there was no wine at the Dollar General (sad face for me). So be better prepared than I was!
The real highlight is that it’s right on Lake Greeson, which is a big, beautiful lake. We rented a boat for Memorial Day and spent hours on the lake, letting the kids swim in several coves. As far as lake swimming goes, I felt like Lake Greeson was cleaner and more swimmer-friendly than the lakes around Dallas (which I never have any interest in swimming in!). Another bonus is that it’s out there far enough that it’s not super crazy crowded. I really felt like if we picked the same lake up and put it in Dallas, it would have been so busy on Memorial Day. Lake Greeson, however, felt alive but not at all crowded.
We rented the boat from Kirby Landing Marina – our boat was spotless, and they let us bring the dogs, too!
Daisy State Park and Lake Greeson was about a 5 hour drive from Dallas, pulling the RV. It would have been a shorter drive if we weren’t hauling the camper!
We really loved out time at Daisy State Park, and I would definitely go back. There are just so many places to see! We’ve talked about making this a Memorial Day tradition, and that’s still a definite possibility!
Have you been? Do you have any questions I could help answer?
