We boondocked at the Lenox Marcus Recreation Area on DeGray Lake while passing through Arkansas.
This Army Corps of Engineers campground is a bit of a mixed bag.
The road to get here was well paved and maintained, making it a breeze to get the bus into. There were several pull-outs on the road that we could have camped our 40’ bus on. However, the heavy tree cover would have significantly impacted our solar charging.
In addition to the pullouts, the location has half a dozen or so “proper” campsites with fire rings, picnic tables, and grills. There is even a bathroom with flush toilets, a pillar for drinking water, and a boat ramp.
There is a generous parking lot adjacent to the bathroom and boat ramp that we parked the bus on for our stay. We had great light for solar and fully recharged every day. If it weren’t the off-season, we probably wouldn’t have gotten away with it.
One unnerving thing about this place we encountered was the random drive-throughs. Not just in the middle of the day, but sometimes in the evening or early morning. It was a mix of pickup trucks and sedans driving down to the boat ramp, turning around, then leaving. A few of them looked like rangers in lightly marked vehicles but the rest were a mystery.
Lenox Marcus Recreation Area has Seen Better Days
The facilities were very run-down. Looking at old reviews, this location used to have hot showers and the bathrooms look like this is true. Now there are no signs differentiating a men’s side vs a women’s side. We assumed one was women’s because the stalls had trash cans for sanitary products. Also, the only stall with a door is also the only ADA stall and is on the women’s side.
While we were not harassed while staying there, we made sure to lock up when we went on our day trips to the Crater of Diamonds State Park and Hot Springs National Park.
I’m not sure how quickly this place fills up in the season, but even in the shoulder season when the weekend came, we ended up getting a few neighbors with much smaller rigs. Either way, for a free campsite nestled between two great tourist destinations, it’s worth the attempt.
