As most of our camping weekends go, a friend of ours invited us to join them on a weekend to Natural Falls State Park in Colcord, OK (near West Siloam Springs, OK). When I asked her how she found this place, she said she just did a Google search for cool places to go…this one was an RV camping WIN!!!
As the weekend approached, the weather forecast was looking pretty gnarly which prompted the severe weather post last week. Since the hubby wasn’t feeling really well due to a minor medical issue, we ALMOST backed out. I’m SO GLAD we didn’t!
It was a VERY DAMP weekend at Natural Falls State Park, but there were no scary storms…just drizzle all weekend. Our new friends from the Crater of Diamonds State Park post joined us for the fun and we had a BLAST the WHOLE TIME!
We played games, played guitar and sang songs, and actually had some fun in the sun on Saturday for several hours as the clouds broke and gave way to a beautifully sunny respite from the overcast drabness of the rest of the weekend.
I know you’re here for the park review…let’s get started!
NATURAL FALLS STATE PARK REVIEW
CAMPGROUND/CLEANLINESS 10/10
This campground was BEAUTIFUL! It had HUGE campsites and each site had a grill or firepit and a concrete picnic table. The driveways were mostly level, so getting the camper level wasn’t a nightmare like it is in some places! I did find it a little strange that the back-in sites had full hookups, while the pull-through sites did not, but they did have water and electric…so Natural Falls State Park better than the last place we stayed!
The campground was well kept, with no debris or limbs all over the place. In fact, we saw some guys on a golf cart one morning patrolling the area and picking up trash.
We also saw at least one police car patrolling the park. I think I saw that more than once, which was comforting. I like being in a place where I feel safe and know the local law enforcement takes the safety of its visitors seriously.
There is also someone on the campgrounds 24/7 to take care of any needs or issues that may come up.
BATHHOUSES 7/10
If you’ve been with me for long, you know that I don’t care much about campground bathhouses, but I try to remember to peek in just for you guys! Our camper has a sufficient bathroom and I prefer it when we have full hookups vs. the campground bathhouse! There’s no place like home (or your own camper as the case may be!).
I did peek into the bathroom at Natural Falls State Park. If I had to, I’d say it’s a step up from Corp of Engineers bathrooms. It was free of clutter and everything seemed to be in working order. The mirrors were that weird material you find in Arkansas rest stop bathrooms…like little more than shiny steel or something. Are mirrors THAT expensive? I just don’t get this! Maybe people break them, I don’t know.
The bathrooms could’ve stood for a little updating. I think the shower tiles were pinkish, and the shower seemed to be a little discolored in the grout, but that might’ve just been stained from years of use. As clean as the bathroom was, I would trust that the showers were clean even if they looked old and not clean.
Again, it was kind of a utilitarian bathroom…nothing exciting…nothing to write home about. You could easily get done whatever business that you needed to do in there and not be uncomfortable or grossed out (which is kind of the same)! 🙂
AMENITIES 9/10
There was A LOT to do at this Natural Falls State Park, ESPECIALLY if you’re a nature lover (here’s a map of their park). You could get away with spending a bare minimum amount of money by staying here, and not get bored. If you do get bored…I have a few words for you! GO OUTSIDE AND DO STUFF! 😉
They had several hiking trails ranging from easy-peasy, to have mercy on my soul, I’m going to meet Jesus (for me anyway)! We went down to the falls and REALLY enjoyed it! It was noticeably cooler at the bottom of the falls and so pretty. We relaxed for probably 15 minutes just soaking in the view.
After we finished the Dripping Springs Trail, we somehow got onto the Ghost Coon Trail and ended up on the Bear Trail which led us back to camp. There was a nasty pond down on the Ghost Coon Trail. I’m not sure if it had a purpose, but it was funky in there!!!
Aside from trails, they had basketball goals, a horseshoe pit, volleyball, frisbee golf, two playgrounds, a pavilion for family reunion type gatherings, picnic tables for public use (surrounded by a beautiful garden!), fishing, and according to their website, watchable wildlife.
You should be aware that not ALL campsites are created equal here. Not all are sites are full hookup sites here. If this is a concern for you, be sure to ask or pay attention when booking. There is a dump station on site, so I don’t think it’s that big of a deal unless you’re staying an extended time.
Last, but not least, they have a quaint little gift shop that has some cute t-shirts and whatnots. It’s a great little place for a quick souvenir.
CELL SIGNAL 7.5/10
I’ll have to be fair on this one, we just switched carriers and it may not have been a great decision. We went to T-Mobile with the promise of nationwide coverage, and more importantly new phones. We have not be overwhelmed with excitement as our service has been spotty at best.
That being said, or cell signal was surprisingly strong at Natural Falls State Park. If I have any good words about T-Mobile, it would have to be that they have bent over backwards to make us happy and keep us as customers. They gave us boosters to boost the signal, so we just plugged those in as soon as we got to the campground. Was our signal good due to the booster?
That’s certainly a possibility. However, none of our friends complained of a poor signal, one of them was on Verizon, not sure about the others.
INTERNET/WIFI 7.5/10
Since my LTE was fast enough at the park, I had no need of the park wifi. Their website says they have wifi in the office. My guess is that they do not at the park.
There are two towns VERY nearby where I could easily find either a signal or a restaurant where I could bum wifi if I was in a pinch.
My LTE was fast, but not lightning fast…acceptable at its worst though.
NEARBY ACTIVITIES 8/10
If you’re into gambling or live music, there is a casino nearby. I told Glynn that if we come back, we’d have to plan our trip around maybe some live music on Friday or Saturday at the casino. It’s been our experience that the casinos never fail to entertain with their…entertainment! 🙂
Casinos aren’t your bag? I get that, I don’t care for them a whole lot either…the smoke gets to me and I’m just not a huge lover of crowds! In my opinion, there are still plenty of things to do near Natural Falls State Park.
The main reason we went was to kayak at the Siloam Springs Kayak Park. The water was EXTREMELY high when we went, so we left the kayaks on the cars, but we did bring a couple of inflatable tubes and those worked just fine. Even though the water was high, it was still below waist deep in most places. This park is a MUST SEE/DO attraction! It’s free and super fun for a day on the water. We even talked about coming back the next day and putting in upriver to float down to the kayak park…rain ruined that.
We also found a bowling alley nearby that would be fun, as well as PLENTY of mom & pop restaurants. The one we went to was Cathy’s Corner, the food was delicious!
A quick Google search also told me that there is a local farmer’s market (which has mixed reviews), and skydiving.
If you still found yourself bored after that, you could venture on into Fayetteville for more restaurants, shopping, and entertainment opportunities. We opted for games at the campsite all weekend.
STAFF 10/10
We found the staff to be quite pleasant. I spoke with them on the phone to book reservations, and when we checked in. They were very helpful and told us all about the trails and falls. They also chatted with us a little bit when we visited the store.
PRICE 10/10
Maybe the price was the best part!
RV Sites with electric & water hookups: $22/night; RV sites with full hookups: $25/night; Tent sites: $14/night; Yurts (yes, they have yurts) $100/night; Entrance fee for the park: $5 per car. They do have discounts available, check them out here.
That about wraps up our review. Overall, we really liked Natural Falls State Park and had a lot of fun there despite the rain. We relaxed Friday night, hiked and did the kayak park on Saturday as well as played games at camp, and enjoyed singing with the guitar and more games Sunday night. I highly recommend all of it! 🙂
How about you, have you ever stayed here, or hope to go? Tell me your thoughts!
Pros
- Huge campsites
- Firepit & picnic table at each site
- Security
- Plenty of nearby activities
- Clean campground
- Level, shaded lots
- Friendly Staff
Cons
- Dated, utilitarian bathrooms
- Some sites don't have sewer hookups
- Can't swim at the Falls
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