Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas

Zoie Clift

The unique landform of Crowley’s Ridge is one of six natural divisions in the state. A way to experience this interesting landscape is via a trip to an Arkansas State Park.

The terrain at Village Creek State Park.

A Plant for Pollinators: Discovering the Rio Grande Clammyweed

Chris Adams

Historic Washington State Park recently received a generous donation of various native flowering plants, which have been planted throughout the park's gardens. Among these is the Rio Grande Clammyweed (Polanisia dodecandra (L.) DC. ssp. riograndensis Iltis). This perennial plant is native to the southern United States, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. It...

A Plant for Pollinators: Discovering the Rio Grande Clammyweed

Determining Diamond Color

Emma O'Neal

Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! Visitors often ask us, “What happens if I find a diamond?” The answer is, we identify and register it for you, and you get to keep it! When a visitor finds a diamond, they usually bring it to the park’s Diamond Discovery Center to have it identified. After it is confirmed as a Crater diamond, park staff record basic information...

Guest from New York Discovers 2.3 Carat Diamond at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park

Waymon Cox

Weeks of dedication and hard work recently paid off for 31-year-old Micherre Fox, of Manhattan, NY, when she found a 2.30-carat white diamond at Arkansas’ world-famous Crater of Diamonds State Park.

Guest from New York Discovers 2.3 Carat Diamond at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park

Fall Getaways

Arkansas State Parks Staff

Hop on a scenic road, kick up some golden leaves and make your way to a fresh-out-of-your-favorite-fall-movie getaway. Arkansas State Parks has something for everyone — are you more of a cabin or lodge person? — so book your stay now because fall is in season.

Photo Essay: Life in a Rotten Log

Heather Runyan

Village Creek State Park is a 7,000-acre park located in northeast Arkansas. The park’s mission is to protect and conserve the natural, cultural, and historical resources of Crowley’s Ridge. We have an unusual ally in protecting our natural resources: the rotten logs of the forest floor. Where many people see a rotting log as an eyesore, many creatures see it as the key to...

Photo Essay: A Solution for Pollution

Elizabeth Kimble

Crowley’s Ridge State Park in northeast Arkansas is one of Arkansas’s six original state parks, constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Today, those original native stone and wood structures create a setting of rustic serenity among the natural surroundings. To this day, part of the park’s mission is to protect natural resources. Our team strives...

State park ranger holding recycling bucket

Hiking With Man’s Best Friend

Megan Ayres Moore

Lake Dardanelle State Park, located in Russellville, Arkansas, provides a quiet and relaxing setting to enjoy the outdoors with the entire family, including man’s best friend. The park features a large amount of pet-friendly space including open grassy fields, picnic areas, and the Meadowbrook Trail, an easy ¾-mile walk through a wooded section of the park. Responsibly...

Photo Essay: Churn Your Own Butter

Sarah Reap

Davidsonville Historic State Park in northeast Arkansas preserves Arkansas’s first platted (planned) town and the stories of the people who lived here. The people of Davidsonville churned butter as a necessary chore to keep their households running smoothly, but today is a fun activity to connect us to the past. In this photo essay, we will explore the very important task...

A loaf of bread on a table with a container of butter and a piece of bread off to the side with butter on it

Leave No Trace