Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas

Waymon Cox

Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! Colder temperatures will have many of us wishing for warmer weather in the months to come, but winter can be a great season to search for diamonds! Winter this year will begin on Tuesday, December 21, and continue until Sunday, March 20, 2022. What kind of winter will we have this year? Looking back at historical records and...

Snow on the search field at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Winter To-Do List

If you’re looking for ways to come out of hibernation this winter, we have plenty of fun things to do. Here are 10 ideas we rounded up from our Arkansas State Parks team.

Arkansas State Parks Celebrate the New Year with First Day Hikes

Monika Rued

Make a healthy New Year’s resolution by kicking off 2022 with an invigorating First Day Hike at an Arkansas state park near you.

The Right Tools for Wet Sifting

Waymon Cox

Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! Wet sifting is one of the most effective ways of searching for diamonds. It helps you go through more dirt in less time, and you can wet sift just about any time of year! The more dirt you wet sift, the better your chances are of finding a diamond. But having the right type and amount of tools is important! If you plan to wet...

shovel, blue bucket and screen for searching for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds 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