View of the Steel Creek area from the Buffalo River Trail
Steel Creek Campground-4
Colorful tents seen on the green grass of Steel Creek Campground. Green trees and a gray bluff line can be seen in the background.
A dirt road can be seen on the right side of the photo with green grass and campsites on the left side.
Steel Creek Horse Camp-1

Featured amenities

Pet Friendly Pet Friendly
River Access River Access

Available sites

39 total sites

About Steel Creek Campground

Steel Creek Campground is situated along the Buffalo River under the towering and picturesque Roark Bluff. One section of the campground offers 26 walk-in tent sites and another section of the campground offers 14 sites for those camping with horses. Half of the sites in the campground are available for reservations. Steel Creek is located about 3 mi (3.1 mi) east of Ponca, just off Highway 74.

Activities & Attractions

Nearby

Hiking

Hiking

Year-round
Horseback Riding

Horseback Riding

Year-round

Seasonal information

2026 (Current year)

2026 Season availability

Current season
Upcoming seasons
Past seasons
Closed periods
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Currently open - Mar 13 to Nov 15

Campground Amenities

Most popular amenities

Pet friendly Pet friendly
River Access River Access
Water Access

Water Access

  • River Access
Pets and Policies

Pets and Policies

  • Pet friendly
Missing information?

Rates, Sites & Availability

Select check-in and check-out dates to see real-time availability for each site.

39 Sites Available

Site
Price
⛺ 01 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 02 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 03 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 04 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 05 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 06 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 07 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 08 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 09 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 10 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 11 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 12 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 13 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 14 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 15 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 16 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 17 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 18 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 19 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 20 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 21 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 22 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 23 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 24 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 25 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 26 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🏕️ 27 - Horse Site, Loop: Horse Camp Equestrian
6 guests · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🏕️ 28 - Horse Site, Loop: Horse Camp Equestrian
6 guests · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🏕️ 29 - Horse Site, Loop: Horse Camp Equestrian
6 guests · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🏕️ 30 - Horse Site, Loop: Horse Camp Equestrian
6 guests · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🏕️ 31 - Horse Site, Loop: Horse Camp Equestrian
6 guests · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🏕️ 32 - Horse Site, Loop: Horse Camp Equestrian
6 guests · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🏕️ 33 - Horse Site, Loop: Horse Camp Equestrian
6 guests · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🏕️ 34 - Horse Site, Loop: Horse Camp Equestrian
6 guests · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🏕️ 35 - Horse Site, Loop: Horse Camp Equestrian
6 guests · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🏕️ 36 - Horse Site, Loop: Horse Camp Equestrian
6 guests · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🏕️ 37 - Horse Site, Loop: Horse Camp Equestrian
6 guests · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🏕️ 38 - Horse Site, Loop: Horse Camp Equestrian
6 guests · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🏕️ 39 - Horse Site, Loop: Horse Camp Equestrian
6 guests · Pet Friendly · Campfire

Reviews (160)

What Guests Are Saying

Steel Creek Campground offers a beautiful and well-maintained location along the Buffalo River, known for its clean facilities and friendly camp hosts. Visitors appreciate the peaceful atmosphere, scenic trails, and wildlife encounters, making it a popular spot for both families and individual campers. While some experience issues with nearby noise and wildlife disruptions, the overall camping experience is highly praised, emphasizing the campground's charm and natural beauty.

Review Summary

4.5
160 reviews
5
74.4%
119
4
15.0%
24
3
4.4%
7
2
2.5%
4
1
3.8%
6

Leland S

Verified

August 20, 2021 • Stayed at: 04 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop

5

Awesome somewhat primitive site. Clean bathroom nearby, close to river and beautiful bluff.

Jana K

Verified

August 19, 2021 • Stayed at: 06 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop

5

I was in site #6 which had fabulous shade all day! There isn't much by way of privacy between sites, but everyone was respectful. Beautiful area, great swimming holes walkable from the campground. Rangers were very helpful recommending hikes.

Jessica C

Verified

July 11, 2021 • Stayed at: 07 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop

5

Amazing. Beautiful. Peaceful. Our favorite family place!

Jessica M

Verified

June 23, 2021 • Stayed at: 06 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop

5

We had an awesome time at Steel Creek! Beautiful, well-maintained campground. We rented canoes from Lost Valley and had an excellent experience. No cell service in campground or in Ponca, so plan accordingly.

Leslie S

Verified

May 31, 2021 • Stayed at: 02 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop

5

We chose this campground because it was mostly an open field - my brother is into night sky photography and it seemed the perfect place. Sadly, it was cloudy the whole time for us, but it could have been awesome!

We had sites 2 and 4, and while there were far from the restrooms, I think they were the most private. Most of the other guests were camped out at that end (we were at the sites closest to the entrance). I liked that there was a path leading to the beautiful river at the backside of my campsite.

Can't say how the campground would be if it were full, but with the time we were there being cold and cloudy (40's at night), it was a nice, quiet stay.

We did use the fire-ring (someone had left wood) and the area was level and picnic tables were clean.

The campground was close to the places we wanted to see in the area, so it was a happy choice for us.

Michael D

Verified

May 31, 2021 • Stayed at: 11 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop

5

My sites were reserved and ready when we arrived. The park ranger was nice and very helpful. Beautiful place, can't wait to return. Thanks

LISA G

Verified

May 17, 2021 • Stayed at: 08 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop

4

Always a great place to camp!! NO cell service/internet so it's a great place to disconnect from the world and enjoy the views/beauty of the land.

Bobbie H

Verified

May 5, 2021 • Stayed at: 04 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop

5

Great campground! Flushing toilets and water available. Firewood is for sale just up the road at several places...bring cash! Great little trails that lead to the river from the campground. I love it at steel creek!

Jorden R

Verified

May 2, 2021 • Stayed at: 07 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop

4

This campsite itself is fantastic. Beautiful scenery surrounded by giant cliffs and a running river.
The downside was the park ranger was overbearing. She would just walk into our campsites without saying a word and just start snooping. It was bizarre. She even at one point took two of our cast irons that were cooling off and began walking back to her ATV with them in hand. We had to run over and tell that those were ours. She acted like we were the weird ones. This was at 9am when checkout wasn’t until 12pm. So it’s not like there was a rush to clean up and pack up. This place isn’t very dog friendly either. You can pretty much only keep your dog at the campsite. There are no trails that allow dogs.

Mandy W

Verified

April 20, 2021 • Stayed at: 10 - Tent Site, Loop: Main Loop

1

Unfortunately, we were kicked out of the campground because we had a van, and friends had a car with a tent on the top. We had made reservations months in advance and were not aware that we couldn't camp with this set up.
Thank goodness we were able to find a spot at Ozark Campground further down the road and still had a nice experience on the Buffalo.

Location & Directions for Steel Creek Campground

386 Nc 2104, Jasper, AR 72641 United States

Elevation: 476 ft

Getting There

<p><strong>From Fayetteville, Arkansas</strong> drive north and take US Highway 412 East for approximately 42 mi (41.9 mi) to the intersection with State Highway 21. Take highway 21 South for approximately 17 mi (16.8 mi) to the intersection of St...

Nearest town

Jasper, AR - 13 mi

About 20 min to downtown

Policies & Rules

General

  • Sites 27 - 39 are our Equestrian Camping Sites only for campers with horses.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
  • The facility is available for camping free of charge outside of the reservation season, generally November 15th to March 15th every year.
  • Climbing and/or diving from the bluffs is dangerous and highly discouraged.
  • Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states.&nbsp;
  • All park trails are closed to pets with the exception of the Buffalo River Trail, only on the section of trail between Ponca and Steel Creek, the Villines Homestead Trail at Ponca, the Mill Creek Trail (trailhead is at the Pruitt river access area in the Upper District), the Tyler Bend Campground trails (Spring Hollow, Buck Ridge, and Rock Wall in the Middle District), and all three Buffalo Point Campground trails (Forest Trail, Overlook Trail, and Campground Trail in the Lower District). For more information visit the Pets page on the park website.
  • Do not swim alone during high water.
  • Please be aware that some special events held at the pavilions or anywhere in the park (such as weddings, press receptions, concerts, et al) require a Special Use Permit in addition to the pavilion reservation. To obtain a Special Use Permit or additional information, please contact the Commercial Services office at (870) 365-2724. For more information visit the Special Park Uses page on the park website.
  • Please be advised that providing business services within an NPS unit is prohibited per CFR 5.3 without a written Authorization or Permit approved by the Superintendent. This includes services such as RV or tent delivery &amp; set-up, firewood sales and delivery, shuttle (transportation) services, and guided hikes, floats, etc. For a list of approved visitor services and to learn more about working with Buffalo National River, please visit the Doing Business with the Park page on the park website.

Nearby Campgrounds

Nearby destinations


Last updated: October 21, 2026

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Explore Jasper, AR

Population: 453

Nearby larger city

Springdale, AR

Approx. 45 mi away (straight-line distance)

Elevation: 850 ft

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