US Army Corps of Engineers · Arkansas
The Arkansas River is one of the Mississippi's largest tributaries. It flows 1,450 miles from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, through the Royal Gorge, on through Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas to its confluence with the Mississippi River. Four hundred and forty-five miles long with 17 locks and dams, the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MCKARNS) is a reliable, year-round waterway into the Southwest.
Reservations for Arkansas River - Murray Lock and Dam are made through Recreation.gov. In peak season, the most popular campgrounds are typically claimed within minutes of each release — which is why the park reads as "sold out" for most of the year.
Sold out is not final, though. People book far ahead and plans change, so cancellations return to the official calendar throughout the season — with no announcement, at any hour. A cancelled site is bookable by whoever sees it first.
| Managed by | US Army Corps of Engineers |
|---|---|
| Book through | Recreation.gov |
| Location | Conway, AR |
| Campgrounds | 1 |
| Official listing | Recreation.gov |
Set a watch on the whole park, or go straight to the campground you want — each one has its own availability and cancellation pattern:
| Maumelle | 148 sites |
|---|
We scan the official Recreation.gov calendar for Arkansas River - Murray Lock and Dam around the clock. The second a site that matches your dates and equipment opens up, you get a text with a direct link to that exact site. You book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell anything — monitoring is all we do, and it's what your fee pays for. Openings are first-come, so a text beats an email every time.
Page data refreshed 2026-10-29. Availability facts come from the official directory listing for Arkansas River - Murray Lock and Dam; cancellation statistics come from our own scanning logs.