CAMPGROUND REVIEW - PENDLETON BEND CORPS OF ENGINEERS NEAR DUMAS ARKANSAS

We stayed here for eight nights, and I thought I better write a review about the park itself. My last blog post was our personal experiences, and enjoying the site at the campground. 

I was unable to find a campground map online, but I snapped this one from the maps on the counter at the gatehouse at the campground itself. 

We came here on a February weekday to try it out for one night. You need to check in online for a site. No pay post or envelopes for any first come first serve sites. 

The friendly host at the gatehouse (if available) will help you reserve... or use a direct oldfashioned landline phone located outside on the wall at the gate house will connect you to staff at recreation.gov

We used our America the Beautiful Senior Access pass for half price, which brought it from $24 down to $12 for the prime waterfront sites in the C loop. 

We liked it so much after one night, we went online and booked for seven more nights.

Three sites in the C loop are along the Arkansas River, and in our opinion the best sites in the park. Each one has a raised patio deck area with railing around, pergola covering over cement picnic tables and nice fire rings. Each site has electric and water. Some sites are 30 amp, some sites are 50 amp. There's also a fish cleaning table at each site! 

The rest of the sites are across the road in the woods with easier access to the bath/shower house. There's also a playground area in day use picnic area with additional bathrooms. Dump station at entrance to the park. Large parking lot for access to boat ramp and garbage dumpster.

Sites are spaced generosly apart with level cement parking pads and grassy areas, as well as some shade trees along the waterfront. The rest of the campground is shaded and sites are a little closer together. We noticed some sites have water spigots spaced quite a distance from the center pads, so bring an extra hose. 

Some vehicle traffic on road going through the park to the dam and the other campground further to the east. But not excessive. Mainly just workers from the hydroelectric dam being constructed down the river. 

Broadcast TV antenna pulls in approximately 9 stations, some substations with retro sit coms or police crime shows. One local ABC station from Little Rock faded in and out, but was better at night. 

LTE coverage in two to three bar range on my roaming cell phone with a Wisconsin plan. Husband's Verizon cell phone pulls in 2 to 3 bars 4G coverage. Enough to stream movies or upload photos. 

Stock up on your groceries and beverages before you come, no local shopping or stores within a reasonable distance. DeWitt to the north or Dumas to the south are the nearest cities with any type of conveniences. Camper and RV Propane available in DeWitt at Blue Seal Petroleum. 

Viewing of big barges going down the river on their way out to the Mississippi is very interesting and they are very quiet. Not a disruption or disturbance. The motors make a quiet humming sound and is not overly noticeable. 

We really enjoyed watching them push the empty barges upriver, and bring the heavy filled barges down again. Sometimes they would stop right in front of the campground to stage a few barges until a few more were filled. Then they were all lashed together and headed on down the river to the Mississippi. 

The barges take a quick left turn just past the campground and work their way down into a 9 mile long man-made canal. From there they are able to reach the White River, which then flows down into the Mississippi River. 

We enjoyed ourselves for eight nights and then moved on to another COE campground located further east on the canal. That campground name is Merrisach Lake. Will do my next blog post from there. 

We are here in February 2024 with a lot of beautiful birds singing and an occasional fisherman out on the river. Only three other campers in the campground besides the host. 

Traveling in a Winnebago View 25-ft motorhome and cargo trailer.