Campgrounds and RV parks near Rison, AR

Water recreation drives most trips in this part of Arkansas. At Moro Bay State Park, anglers target bream, bass, crappie, and catfish, and birders use easy hiking trails or calm paddling routes to spot waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds, and raptors. The park marina offers boat and slip rentals along with fuel services, and a camp store at the visitor center stocks groceries, camping supplies, ice, firewood, and bait and tackle. At Lake Catherine State Park, activities expand into the Ouachita foothills. Visitors can rent pontoon boats, fishing boats, kayaks, canoes, or pedal boats at the marina, fish from docks and piers, cool off at the swimming beach, hike the Falls Branch Trail to a scenic waterfall, or ride horseback on seasonal trails from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Rison itself is small; plan on stocking groceries in Pine Bluff or Monticello before heading to the campground.

South-central Arkansas has a long camping season. Moro Bay and Lake Catherine both stay open year-round, but conditions and amenities shift by season. Moro Bay State Park runs a peak season from March through November with the visitor center open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and an off-peak season from December through February with reduced weekend hours. At Lake Catherine, the campground stays open all year, while horseback riding and some seasonal services run only from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Spring and fall are the most comfortable stretches for RV travel, with mild days and lower humidity. Summers are hot and muggy, and winters are short, cold, and wet, with afternoon thunderstorms common in warmer months and biting insects active in the piney lowlands near the Ouachita River. Winters are generally mild, with occasional cold snaps and rain rather than snow. Fishing is popular year-round where Moro Bay and Raymond Lake join the Ouachita River, so cool-weather anglers still find plenty of open water.

State park sites in the region are built for RVs. At Moro Bay, all 23 sites offer full hookups on level concrete pads, the layout accommodates RVs up to 45 feet, and each site includes a concrete pad, tent area, picnic table, fire ring, and lantern post. Sites are level with many lake views, screening between neighbors is minimal, and street lighting stays on through the night at most sites. Lake Catherine is larger and more forested. The campground has 70 developed sites, 47 with full hookups and 23 with water and electric, and many are on the lakeshore, plus modern restrooms, showers, a dump station, a full-service marina, boat ramp, and playgrounds. Cell coverage in both parks is usable but not strong; download maps and reservations before arrival.