0
Pull-thru
USFSOzark-St. Francis National Forests · Arkansas
Cove Lake Recreation Area
Overview The Cove Lake Recreation Area is a perfect summer getaway and an ideal place to camp, picnic or recreate.
Sites3721 reservable
Elev.1,007ft
Comf.Mar-Dec8 months
Max rig68 ft
Electricnonesites
From Fayetteville2h00real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 1,007 ft, Cove Lake Recreation Area has a 8-month comfortable window (Mar-Dec). Winter nights average around 33°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 37 sites total: 21 reservable and 16 first-come, first-served. Within about 4 miles: 4 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Sep
Mar-Dec
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
73%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Mar 6
Last spring frost; first fall frost Nov 9.
74°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Fayetteville
98 mi
2h00
02
Little Rock
118 mi
2h38
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 4.8 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 37 SITES
Color byShow only
36 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
2
Accessible
0
Prime
37
Sites
★ The standout
Site 001
A · shaded.
To neighbor
148 ft
Max rig
35 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
18
Peaks
4
Viewpoints
7
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
4.8 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.