Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas

What lives in a lake? If you are like most of us, your first thoughts were fish, snakes, and turtles. Believe it or not, that’s only a small part of the life below Lake Dardanelle!

Cedar Creek Trail is one of Petit Jean State Park’s many scenic trails. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s, this trail's rock steps and bluffs offer a moderately strenuous challenge. However, there are endless places to stop, rest, and let yourself enjoy the peaceful sounds of flowing water and the cool, refreshing feeling of the forest’s...

Mount Magazine State Park is crisscrossed by over 15 miles of trails, connecting beautiful overlooks, tranquil forests, and the highest point in the state. Visitors from all over find their way across these trails and not just humans. Wildlife finds their way all over the park, year-round, using their own pathways. Their trails may not be as well-marked but are just as...

Escape to Lake Dardanelle State Park’s largest aquarium exhibit and see some of our native fish from a unique underwater perspective. Inside Lake Dardanelle State Park Visitor Center is 7,000 gallons of aquarium exhibits that provide an up-close connection with Lake Dardanelle’s native fish species.

While we wait for cooler temperatures to come to The Natural State, here are the top 10 ways to stay cool at Arkansas State Parks during the dog days of summer.