Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas

Grady Spann

During this short unnarrated video, the camera shows a mountain biker’s point of view during a fast and exciting ride on Enders Fault Trail at Woolly Hollow State Park. Viewers see thick green forest vegetation and singletrack trail throughout the video.

Mountain biking at Woolly Hollow Sate Park on Enders Fault

Visitor Finds 4.49-Carat Diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Nov 2020

Monika Rued

It was all treat, no trick this Halloween for Steven McCool of Fayetteville, Ark., at Crater of Diamonds State Park. The 34-year-old found the third-largest diamond of the year. He found a 4.49-carat yellow diamond.

Steven McCool's 4.40-carat yellow diamond

Sifting Gravel for Diamonds

Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! Visitors at the Crater of Diamonds get to do something here they can’t do at most other state parks – take the rocks and minerals they find home with them. There are specific rules regarding the type and amount of materials that can be removed from the park. They not only benefit the park but also the thousands of people who...

Sifted gravel from Crater of Diamonds State Park

Photo Essay: The Secrets of the St. Francis

Rachel Lewis

Parkin Archeological State Park in eastern Arkansas focuses on protecting cultural resources. The St. Francis River, a very large and mostly overlooked resource here, has proved to be a lifeline for past cultures that lived on this site. And, it continues to be a valuable resource today. These photos will guide you through past cultures of Parkin to show how the St...

Painting of five American Indians in a canoe traveling on the river.

The Most Colorful Time of the Year

Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! Over the next few weeks, visitors will travel to Arkansas to enjoy cooler weather and beautiful fall foliage. Though the colors of autumn are fleeting, you can collect many colorful minerals at Crater of Diamonds State Park to enjoy all year long!

Basic Angling Tips for White River Trout Fishing

Zachary Fisher

Bull Shoals-White River State Park has become a very popular fishing destination since it was established in 1955, following the completion of Bull Shoals Dam. Two incredible fishing ecosystems were formed here because of the dam’s geographic placement: Bull Shoals Lake, a 45,000-acre mecca for bass, catfish, and walleye fishing; and the White River tailwaters, producing...

Fishing at Bull Shoals-White River State Park

Jailhouse Bed and Breakfast at Historic Washington State Park

Monika Rued

Want to stay in a unique historic place? Historic Washington State Park has the perfect place. The Jailhouse Bed and Breakfast is a jailhouse that has been renovated with all the modern amenities. The original jail was completed in 1873. It was a brick, one-story building with four jail cells. It housed criminals for offenses such as burglary, forgery, assault, assault...

Jailhouse Bed and Breakfast at Historic Washington State Park

The One-Hour Diamond Search

Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! While some people plan extended stays at the Crater, others make a quick stop to spend an hour or so searching for diamonds. A few minutes may be all it takes to find a diamond, but how do you make the most of your time when you don’t have a lot to spare? Here are a few essential experiences if your time at the park has a short...

Crater of Diamonds State Park Search Field

Visitor Finds 9-Carat Diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Kevin Kinard from Maumelle, Ark., first visited Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park on a school field trip in second grade. Kinard has visited the Crater of Diamonds fairly regularly over the past several years, despite having never found a diamond. That changed Labor Day 2020 when he found a 9.07-carat diamond.

Kindard Friendship Diamond next to a quarter for scale

Photo Essay: Wildlife of Rich Mountain