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

Arkansas State Parks Staff

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

Hidden Wonders Scavenger Hunt

All around us are many “hidden wonders”—small animals, plants, and fungi—that may not be as engaging as deer or turkeys, but they are just as important to the ecosystem. You can download and print the Scavenger Hunt below. By carefully looking for the items on this list while you explore Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area, you can discover these hidden wonders and learn...

Photo Essay: Alligator Antics

Ivory Detter

Alligators can be observed during the warm months of the year at Millwood State Park in the southwestern region of Arkansas, and they are an important part of the aquatic habitat here. Follow along as we go on a virtual alligator spotting adventure! All of the alligators in the following pictures have made Millwood State Park their home.

The Delta as the 1815 Surveyors Experienced: Louisiana Purchase State Park

Ryan Smith

Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park, a small lesser-known park in the eastern part of Arkansas near Brinkley, protects the initial survey point for all lands acquired in the United States’ Louisiana Purchase. The park also provides you access to see a granite monument marking the location on an elevated boardwalk in a headwater swamp. This special site is not only a...

Granite monument in swamp with water at its base. Trees growing in background as far as viewer can see.

Two Visitors Find Large Diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Waymon Cox

Confirmation of two large diamonds found at Crater of Diamonds State Park made for a busy week last week at the park, one of the only places in the world where the public can search for diamonds in their original volcanic source.

Serendipity diamond next to quarter for scale

Photo Essay: Branches in Time

Leita Spears

Historic Washington State Park in southwest Arkansas is well known as a historic village filled with preserved 19th-century homes and buildings. Besides these structures, you can also walk through town and explore a unique collection of living witnesses to the history of Washington: its many historic and champion trees.

Giant magnolia tree at Historic Washington State Park

Rivers as Transportation