Camping in Arkansas: Best Months, Booking and Fire Rules
Across Arkansas's 3 NOAA reference stations, camping weather is mild from March to May and from September to October, with average highs of 65 to 85 F and lows of 41 to 61 F. Nights at or below freezing show up from October to April, most often in January, when they average 18.7 a month. State park sites are booked through Arkansas State Parks reservations.
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The best months for camping in Arkansas
By NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals, camping weather in Arkansas is mild March to May and September to October. Pick the station nearest your campground below; high ground runs colder than any station.
- Jan52° / 30°Freezing nights
- Feb56° / 33°Freezing nights
- Mar65° / 41°Freezing nights
- Apr73° / 49°Freezing nights
- May81° / 58°Mild
- Jun88° / 66°Hot
- Jul92° / 70°Hot
- Aug92° / 68°Hot
- Sep85° / 61°Mild
- Oct74° / 49°Freezing nights
- Nov62° / 39°Freezing nights
- Dec54° / 32°Freezing nights
Each month shows the average high and low across the state’s reference stations, in F. Mild means an average high of 60 to 85 F with lows of 40 F or more. Freezing nights means the stations average one or more nights a month at or below 32 F.
El Doradoelevation 252 ft
| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56 F | 34 F | 16.2 |
| February | 60 F | 37 F | 10.9 |
| March (mild) | 69 F | 44 F | 4.3 |
| April (mild) | 76 F | 51 F | 0.5 |
| May (mild) | 84 F | 61 F | 0 |
| June | 91 F | 68 F | 0 |
| July | 94 F | 71 F | 0 |
| August | 94 F | 70 F | 0 |
| September | 88 F | 63 F | 0 |
| October (mild) | 78 F | 52 F | 0.6 |
| November (mild) | 66 F | 42 F | 6.5 |
| December | 58 F | 36 F | 14.3 |
Fayettevilleelevation 1,251 ft
| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48 F | 25 F | 23.4 |
| February | 52 F | 29 F | 18.5 |
| March | 61 F | 36 F | 11.5 |
| April (mild) | 70 F | 45 F | 3 |
| May (mild) | 77 F | 54 F | 0.1 |
| June (mild) | 85 F | 63 F | 0 |
| July | 89 F | 67 F | 0 |
| August | 89 F | 65 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 82 F | 57 F | 0 |
| October (mild) | 71 F | 45 F | 2.8 |
| November | 59 F | 35 F | 12.8 |
| December | 50 F | 28 F | 21.5 |
Little Rockelevation 258 ft
| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51 F | 31 F | 16.5 |
| February | 55 F | 34 F | 10.9 |
| March (mild) | 64 F | 42 F | 3.8 |
| April (mild) | 73 F | 50 F | 0.2 |
| May (mild) | 81 F | 59 F | 0 |
| June | 88 F | 68 F | 0 |
| July | 92 F | 71 F | 0 |
| August | 92 F | 70 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 85 F | 63 F | 0 |
| October (mild) | 74 F | 51 F | 0.1 |
| November (mild) | 62 F | 40 F | 5.1 |
| December | 53 F | 33 F | 13.4 |
How to book a state park campsite in Arkansas
Arkansas State Parks takes reservations through Arkansas State Parks reservations.
How many sites
Arkansas State Parks feature more than 2,000 campsites ranging from primitive tent areas to full-service RV pads with water, electric and sewer hookups.Arkansas State Parks, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Quoted from Arkansas State Parks pages read October 18, 2026. Windows and fees change, so confirm on the booking site.
Camping outside a campground in Arkansas
You may camp in a dispersed area for up to 30 days. After 30 days, you must move at least 5 road miles for camping in another dispersed area.USFS, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Campfires when you camp in Arkansas
Campfires on national forest and BLM land
Campfires are allowed when you are dispersed camping unless there are fire restrictions in effect due to high fire danger conditions. Please use existing sites and fire rings. Wood permits are not needed for usage on the forest.USFS, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Where fire restrictions are posted
County Judges Issue Burn BansArkansas Department of Agriculture, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Current restrictions: Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Forestry Division.
Arkansas camping questions
Camping in other states
Where this page’s facts come from
- State park, forestry and federal land pages (read October 18, 2026). Booking windows, reservation systems, campfire rules, fire restriction sources and rules for camping outside a campground, each quoted word for word with a link to the page it came from.
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020 (read October 18, 2026). Average monthly high, low and nights at or below 32 F at 150 reference stations, the same stations the heat season and heating season pages use.
- National Weather Service alerts (live, read in your browser when the page loads). Red Flag Warnings, Fire Weather Watches, Fire Warnings, Freeze Warnings and High Wind Warnings, read live from api.weather.gov.
- National Weather Service 7 day forecast (live, read in your browser when the page loads). The weekend forecast for the ZIP code a visitor enters, read live from api.weather.gov.
Climate figures are NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals at 3 reference stations in Arkansas. Rules are quoted from agency pages and can change.