Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas

Waymon Cox

Noreen Wredberg of Granite Bay, Calif., found the 4.38-carat yellow diamond sitting on top of the ground within an hour of searching. It’s the largest diamond found so far this year at Crater of Diamonds State Park.

Noreen Wredberg's yellow diamond sitting next to a marble for scale

Find Mesmerizing Mimetoliths at Crater of Diamonds

Waymon Cox

Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! Have you ever looked at clouds and imagined dogs, elephants, or dragons? Have you noticed faces or creatures in the knots and holes of a tree trunk? If so, you have experienced pareidolia, the ability to see meaningful shapes or patterns in everyday objects. Most of us experience pareidolia at some level. Certain rocks and...

Crater of Diamonds State Park mimetolith

Pollinator Party

Sasha Bowles

Arkansas State Parks are committed to protecting our natural resources within the parks, including the native plants and their pollinators. That is why we are partners with the Arkansas Monarch and Pollinator Partnership. Lake Dardanelle State Park in Russellville has many “garden” areas throughout the park that are planted and maintained to benefit pollinators...

Two bumble bees with pollen sacks full of bright orange pollen fly in to collect nectar and pollen from the deep purple blooms of a lead plant.

Get Back to Nature This Fall

Arkansas State Parks Staff

As bright mornings give way to chillier weather and the leaves start to turn to auburn, garnet and gold, you’ll feel the pull to get outside. Whether you want to spend an entire weekend living around nature’s beauty or want to feel the thrill of speed as you race down a Monument Trail, Arkansas State Parks has something for everyone this autumn.

Fall camping at White Oak Lake 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