Glynn and I are always looking for a great campground to go around Central Arkansas that would be a great place for a quick weekend getaway. This is partially how we found Brushy Creek Campground near Arkadelphia, AR.
I don’t feel like it would score well in my normal RV Park Review plugin, so we’re just gonna talk about this one, ok?! Alrighty, here we go!
BRUSHY CREEK CAMPGROUND – RV PARK REVIEW
To be fair, we found out about Brushy Creek a couple of years ago through one of our best friends. Her cousin had rented a campsite for the year there and had invited our whole crew out for a day on DeGray Lake. This was before we had our camper, so renting a campsite for a whole year seemed crazy to us!
When we got there, we had a BLAST! We became fast friends with the cousin & husband (and now can’t imagine our lives without them in it). We spent the whole day playing in the water and in their ski boat. Grillin’ & chillin’ at the campground was also a huge part of our day.
We returned a couple of times that year and really enjoyed ourselves having fun with friends.
It took us a couple of years to finally decide to get our camper and talked to our new friends about visiting several times. We just never followed through.
BIRTHDAY TREAT – YAY!!!
This year for my bday, I asked Glynn if we could go to Brushy Creek to visit our friends and he said YES! 🙂
It was SUPER cold the weekend we went. Temperatures reached near freezing all three nights we camped there…which was exciting because we’ve only ever camped one other time when it was that cold. That was a VERY long time ago in the popup camper we had. I don’t recommend that!
The RV Park is just a simple little place tucked away in the woods. The park not a fancy place, but it is well-kept and maintained by the church that runs it. It is a low-budget operation, but I would return to there again and again!
Since I’m not using my normal plugin, I’ll still use the headings to help give us some direction and we’ll chat about what I think about those subjects.
CAMPGROUNDS/CLEANLINESS
Lake Hamilton RV Resort has eighty-one 20′ x 50′ campsites.
One of the things I love about this park is that it’s well-kept. Some of the roads need some SERIOUS maintenance, but as far as the campsites and grounds in general, it’s in GREAT shape!
We stayed in the part of the park where weekend campers stay (they have it divided into short-term and long-term areas). It was mid-April when we stayed…even at that early date, much of the spring work had begun around the campgrounds.
Also important to mention is that our campsite was HUGE! It was VERY private…no neighbors all up in our business!
There are 70 sites in Brushy Creek, 6 of which are available for nightly rentals (these have water and electrical hookups, but no sewer…sewer dumps available in the park though). They also have 3 primitive sites with no water or electricity, the other 61 are rented annually.
AMENITIES
Many local churches have their summer camps at the RV Park. Because of this, there’s a lot to do at Brushy Creek. You’ll find eight bunkhouses that sleep up to 14 people each for those church camps or whoever needs them. They have a horseshoe area, tetherball area, volleyball area, basketball court, two playgrounds, a tabernacle for rent for reunions or church camps, showers, and a lake! See…LOTS to do!
As I mentioned previously, if you’re lucky enough to know a friend with a boat, you can go out on the lake and go fishing, skiing, tubing, or go play on an island in the lake for the day. If not, you can fish from the shore, swim, or enjoy one of their picnic areas.
BATHHOUSES
This is where I feel the scoring plugin might start bringing down the score. The bathrooms have been there a while and in DESPERATE need of renovation.
That being said, they were SUPER CLEAN. Honestly, I had no complaints at all about the bathrooms, but compared to other places we’ve been in, I’d have to score this one low.
However, I knew the shape the bathrooms were in before I went there and I still went back. I feel like the cleanliness of the bathrooms outweighs the outdatedness (is that a word…spellcheck isn’t going nuts, so we’ll say yes!). Just think summer camp here…you’re basically at a summer camp.
I’m sure they are on a restricted budget for updating stuff. If I had to guess, I’d say the cost to update them would be a tremendous burden on the church that operates the camp, but that’s just my best guess.
CELL SIGNAL
…and another notch against the park. Cell signal is spotty at best, non-existent at worst. Glynn & I have Verizon phones…his is an Android and mine is an iPhone. The camp managers said they had to change phones from AT&T services to Verizon (I think…sorry if I’m wrong). I’m not sure which service our friends have, but they have spotty signals as well.
Now, if you’re a purist, you’d say camping at Brushy Creek is what it is. You camp to get away from reality, not to bring it with you. I do know people that like to put their phones away when they camp. No, I don’t, but that sounded great, didn’t it?!?! LOL!
I CAN’T STAND being unplugged. I just imagine all of the crazy things that are happening to my mom, siblings, and kids while I’m away and I panic. What if the world ends and they can’t call me one last time?! I mean, that’s a real concern here people! Haven’t you watched ANY of Walking Dead? It could happen! JS!
Plus, I’m a realtor and my business depends on quick responses. I’ve become conditioned to jump when that sucker goes off!
INTERNET/WIFI
…THAT’S CUTE! Yeah, nope. No internet…like none…at all…zilch. Ask me how happy that makes me? Yeah, not at all happy about that.
We timed this trip when I had a lull in business and I appropriately warned the clients I had that I was taking a weekend away. I also let them know that it would be next to impossible to reach me. *Note to self…bday weekend is not a great time to take a break from electronics…I mean, FB bday wishes and calls from parents and siblings…hello?!
We spoke with the camp managers about the possibilities the church could do to help the situation. They agreed that something needed to be done, but were powerless to make that happen themselves.
All I can say is bless their hearts for taking that job! I’m sure there’ll be a special place in heaven for them! 😉 I’d be Jonesing for a signal in about 2 hours! LOL!!!
NEARBY ACTIVITIES
Here is another place where I feel like I’d probably have to score Brushy Creek at least a 5/10. That being said, Brushy Creek IS the DESTINATION! I mean, there’s a lake right there…right?! Volleyball, swimming, floating, picnics, etc…what more could you ask for (besides a cell signal and internet :P)?
If you’re willing to drive a little bit, there are nearby activities, but it wasn’t like our trip to Gulf Beach RV Resort where we had TONS of stuff to do right on our doorstep.
However, within about an hour, you can be in downtown Hot Springs, AR and have LOTS and LOTS to do. Everything from horse races (and casino), massages, the historic Bath House Row, Garvan Gardens, and all sorts of restaurants and other entertainment. You just have to be willing to drive…and the drive IS worth it if you’ve never been to Hot Springs.
STAFF
Enough with the depressing stuff…here’s the GOOD STUFF! The staff was SUPER FRIENDLY! We just chit-chatted like BFF’s. They were very helpful and wanted to make sure we were well taken care of, and we were!
That is sort of cheating though. We knew them from a long time ago when our kids were all young. I’d still say you won’t have a problem with them..they are both really nice and care about your experience at Brushy Creek. They were also working really hard to make sure the campground is the best it can be. It seemed to me they were working it as if it was their own.
PRICE
This is the best part…this campground was $14 per night! Yep…rub your eyes…you saw that right!
Their yearly rentals are $1000/yr or $1500/yr depending on their proximity to the lake. Those stay booked up and they have a waiting list for future rentals for when someone gives up their spot.
OVERALL
I’ll be honest, I didn’t even try to use my plugin…I LOVE this little campground and just couldn’t bear the thought of it scoring the park low. I know that ultimately it’s up to me how I score it, but I also want to give an accurate description of each park that gets reviewed.
I wouldn’t just say I would DEFINITELY go back to this park, but I intend to go back!
*IMPORTANT TO MENTION: The campground is alcohol-free…since it is run by a church, they expect you to leave your alcohol at home! Sorry about that, but I don’t make the rules! 🙂
Check out the Brushy Creek Campground website here.
To see the photos from this trip, check out the Facebook album. You can see the pics even if you don’t have a Facebook account.
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