Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas

Waymon Cox

Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! On muddy days at the Crater, lots of people visit and leave with mud-caked shoes, tools, and kids. Visitors often don’t realize how muddy the search area becomes when it rains. Understanding how rain affects the diamond-bearing soil and how to navigate the muddy search area can be helpful when searching for diamonds.

mud puddle at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Petit Jean State Park Dr. T.W. Hardison Visitor Center

The Dr. T.W. Hardison Visitor Center welcomes visitors to Petit Jean State Park. The newly constructed building, which provides space for camper registration, interpretive exhibits, meetings, special events, and staff offices, is named for the man whose vision for Petit Jean State Park brought about its creation as the cornerstone in the system of Arkansas State Parks.

Petit Jean State Park Dr. T.W. Hardison Visitor Center Statue

Tips for Finding Diamonds on the Surface

Waymon Cox

Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! One of the easiest ways to find diamonds here is surface searching. Many of the large diamonds people hear about in the news are found on the surface of the plowed search area. As a result, people often have the misconception that most of our diamonds are found this way. While several diamonds are found on top of the ground...

Diamond on surface at Crater of Diamonds State Park

7 Staycations at Arkansas State Parks

Imagine waking up to the sound of waves lapping at the shore, birds chirping from tall pine trees, maybe even a boat motor quietly starting its day to bring joy to families spending the weekend away from it all. That’s the kind of wake-up you’ll receive when you staycation at an Arkansas State Park. We’ve chosen seven better-than-a-hotel locales you’re guaranteed to fall...

Paddleboarding at DeGray Lake State Park

The Once and Future Mather Lodge

Mather Lodge is closed for restoration, renovation and major rebuilding, but will stay true to the original design and structure of the CCC era in which it was built.

Wings on the Wind

Don Simons

As you scan the horizon with a good set of binoculars, there is a variety of wildlife to spot in state parks from hawks and eagles to monarch butterflies and song birds.

Crater of Diamonds State Park: A wonderful and crazy place

Waymon Cox

The main thing that makes Crater of Diamonds State Park so unique is that our visitors are allowed to hunt for diamonds, and then are allowed to keep them.

Artifact Tales

Robin Gabe

Artifacts amaze me. It is a simple statement but every word is true. In certain cases, they are the only link that we have to past cultures. The American Indians that lived here are called the Plum Bayou Culture and they left clues to their way of life in the form of artifacts.

Growing up in day camps

Arkansas State Parks host a variety of camps including Archeology Camps, Adventure Camps, Traveling Camps, Nature Camps, and History Camps. With so much to choose from maybe we can turn “I’m bored” into “I want to have an adventure”! There is definitely an adventure for everyone!

The Timelessness of Petit Jean State Park