River Run Resort and Recreation
River Run Resort and Recreation sits along the Caddo River in Glenwood, Arkansas—a small resort of 15 full hookup RV sites in Pike County, 30 minutes southwest of Hot Springs, where the Caddo River's spring-fed current, clear water, and accessible float corridor have made it a destination for the Ouachita Mountain float trip tradition that defines Arkansas river camping at its most authentic. The Caddo's character — cold, relatively clear, spring-fed water in a corridor of mixed hardwood and pine — distinguishes it from the more turbid river systems of the Arkansas lowlands and gives float trips here the clarity and coolness that make them genuinely refreshing in the Arkansas summer.
Fifteen sites with 30 and 50-amp electric service, water, and sewer hookups provide the full hookup RV camping infrastructure, with WiFi connectivity supporting guests who maintain work or communication needs during their stay. River Run operates as a river outfitter alongside the campground, offering canoe, kayak, and tube rentals for Caddo River float trips — the combination of camping and outfitter services in a single property is the defining operational characteristic that makes River Run a functional all-in-one river camping destination rather than a campground where guests need to arrange float equipment separately. Paintball adds an on-property recreation option beyond the river activities, and dining options are accessible nearby in Glenwood.
The Caddo River above DeGray Lake is recognized among Arkansas fly fishing and light tackle anglers as one of the more productive streams in the Ouachita Mountain region for smallmouth bass, spotted bass, and — during the March and April spawning run — white bass and hybrid striped bass that move up from the reservoir in concentrations that can make fishing exceptionally productive. The Caddo's pool-and-riffle structure in the middle reaches above Glenwood provides both float fishing access for anglers covering water by canoe or kayak and wade fishing opportunities at the gravel bars and deeper pools that structure the smallmouth population through the summer season.
Lake Ouachita, north of the resort via Arkansas 84 and Arkansas 88, is the primary large-lake recreation resource within day-trip range — a 40,000-acre reservoir in the Ouachita National Forest with exceptionally clear water resulting from the low-nutrient geology of the Ouachita Mountains that sustains it, providing bass and trout fishing, scuba diving visibility rare for an Arkansas reservoir, and the surrounding Ouachita National Forest recreation infrastructure of camping, hiking, and ATV trails. Albert Pike Recreation Area in the Ouachita National Forest south of Glenwood on the Little Missouri River provides the whitewater canoe and kayak experience on the Little Missouri Falls Scenic Area in a National Forest setting.
River Run Resort and Recreation operates through the Arkansas river recreation season, with the Caddo float trip peak from April through September when water temperatures are comfortable and flow conditions typically allow tubing and canoe navigation. The spring period from March through May provides the best combination of water conditions, comfortable temperatures, and productive fishing — particularly the white bass run in March and April. Hot Springs National Park, 30 minutes northeast, provides the historic bathhouse architecture of Bathhouse Row, the thermal springs that give the city its name and its original character as a nineteenth-century resort destination, and the Ouachita Trail's trailhead access for day hikes in the Zig Zag Mountains.
