Steel Creek Campground

Open

Basic Information

Steel Creek has 26 tent only sites and 14 sites for campers with horses/stock animals (six people and four stock animals allowed per site). Tent sites 1 -13 and horse sites 27 - 32 are available for reservation at www.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Reservations can be made 5 days to six months in advance. There are no electrical amenities or water hookups, but flush restrooms and water spigots are available from March 15 through November 14.

TOTAL SITES: 40

Electric Hookups: 0

RV Only: 0

Tent Only: 26

Walk to/Boat to: 0

Group: 0

Horse: 14

Other: 0

Campground Features

Amenities

Cell Phone Reception

No

Internet Connectivity

No

Trash/Recycling Collection

Yes, Seasonal

Food Storage Lockers

No

Camp Store

No

Ice for Sale

No

Firewood for Sale

No

Staff On Site

Yes, Seasonal

Amphitheater

No

Laundry

No

Dump Station

No

Potable Water

Potable Water - Seasonal

Fire/Stove Policy

Please keep fires in the designated fire rings. Cook stoves are allowed.

Toilet Types

• Flush Toilets - seasonal
• Vault Toilets - seasonal

Shower Types

• None

Operating Hours & Seasons

• Every Day:Open 24 hours

Steel Creek Campground is about 3 miles east of Ponca, Arkansas off of Highway 74 and 13 miles west of Jasper, Arkansas. The tent campground has 26 campsites and the horse campground has 14 sites. It is open year round, restroom and water system in the tent campground are closed in the winter (November 15 - March 15).The vault toilet in the tent campground will be open in the winter, but with very limited servicing. RVs are not allowed.

Closures & Seasonal Exceptions

Winter Hours Nov 15-Mar 15

November 15–March 15

• Every Day:Open 24 hours

The campground is open, but no potable water is available. Vault toilets available.

Holidays

2025–2026

New Year's Day	January 1, 2026	Open 24 hours
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.	January 19, 2026	Open 24 hours
Washington's Birthday	February 16, 2026	Open 24 hours
Thanksgiving Day	November 27, 2025	Open 24 hours
Christmas Day	December 25, 2025	Open 24 hours
Holiday	Date	Hours

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Weather

Summer in the Ozarks can be very hot and humid. Please check the weather forecast prior to your arrival and plan accordingly. The weather the rest of the year has the potential to be wet and cool or dry and warm. Please pay special attention to river levels and the rain forecast when planning a trip on the river. River levels can rise dramatically in a short period of time so please be aware of conditions.

Fees

Steel Creek Camping Fee

Sites at Steel Creek are $20.00 per site, per night with a total of 6 people permitted on each site. Fees are charged when water is available and flush restrooms are open (March 15 - November 14). No fees are charged during the winter when water systems are shut down and only the vault restrooms are open (November 15 - March 14). If you do not have a reservation please pay with cash or check at the self-pay registration station located within the campground.

$20.00

Contact Information & Directions

Email Address

Send this campground an email

Phone number (Voice)

8708612570
The phone number for the Steel Creek contact station is 870-861-2570. The station is staffed in the summer as personnel levels permit. Staff can also be reached by calling the Tyler Bend Visitor Center at 870-439-2502.

Mailing Address

n/a
Ponca, AR 72742

Physical Address

n/a
Ponca, AR 72742

Directions

Steel Creek Campground is located off of Highway 74 in the western end of the park. The campground is approximately 2 miles east of Ponca, Arkansas and 13 miles west of Jasper, Arkansas. The access road to Steel Creek is paved about 2 miles to the bottom. On the valley floor the road becomes gravel. The horse campground is to the right and the tent campground is to the left.

Additional Information & Regulations

Additional Information

An emergency phone is available at the visitor contact station, near the old barns and horse stables. This phone can also be used to call the local canoe concessionaires.

Cell Phone Additional Information

Cell phone service is not reliable unless you drive several miles towards Jasper on Highway 74 or north of Ponca on Highway 43.

Regulations

Quiet hours are between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Generators may be used between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Maximum length of stay in campground is 14 consecutive days.
Use the trash receptacles for all other refuse. These measures will help prevent nuisance wildlife and
keep the campground clean.
Washing anything in the river is prohibited.
You may use dead and down wood for firewood.
All fires should be completely out when campsite is unattended.
At all times, pets must be confined or on a leash not more than 6 feet in length.
Pets should not be left unattended.
Clean up after pets.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY: contact Park Dispatch at 888-692-1162.
Report all accidents and lost and found property to a ranger.

More about regulations

Reservations

Tent sites 1-13 and horse sites 27-32 are available for reservation at www.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Reservations can be made 5 days to 6 months in advance. Reservations are only accepted for the time frame between March 15 and November 14. All other tent and horse sites are available on a first come, first served basis.

Image Gallery

Tent camping at Steel Creek

Truck and horse trailer in a camp site at Steel Creek.

Mowed lawn with several picnic tables and lantern posts marking each horse camp site.

A tent and a canopy set up in a grassy site at Steel Creek Campground.

Shade trees and picnic tables dot the grass at the Steel Creek Campground.

Tent camping at Steel Creek Campground.
NPS Photo/Terra Fondriest

There are several camp sites available for campers that want to bring their horses.
NPS Photo

Several sites allow for camping with stock animals at Steel Creek.
NPS Photo

Thirteen sites in the Steel Creek tent campground are reservable up to six months in advance.
NPS Photo

Steel Creek Campground is one of the most popular campgrounds on the river, but at times visitors can have very solitude experiences in the campground.
NPS Photo

Accessibility Information

ADA Information - Steel Creek Campground does not have any ADA compliant campsites. The restroom facilities are ADA compliant.

Wheelchair Access - The terrain is grassy and uneven.

RV & Trailer Information - Trailers are only allowed in the horse camp.

RV Allowed - No

Trailer Allowed - Yes

Classification - This campground is a developed campground.

 

Location

Download a map of Steel Creek Campground

Steel Creek Campground is 3 miles east of Ponca, Arkansas, off of Highway 74. Half of the tent only portion of the campground, sites 1 - 13, and sites 27 - 32 in the horse only camp area are available for reservation at www.recreation.gov (see below) or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Sites can be reserved 5 days to 6 months in advance.

All remaining tent only sites (14 - 26) and horse camp only sites (33 - 40) are available on a first come, first served basis. Additionally, a site that is reservable, but has no reservation on it for any given night is also available on a first come, first served basis.

Reminder: the horse campground at Steel Creek is only for campers with stock animals. Payment of cash or check only can be made at the self-pay station in the campground immediately after a site is selected for any first come, first served site. The campground provides flush restrooms and water spigots are located throughout the campground. There are no RV hookups anywhere in the Steel Creek Campground.