Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas

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

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

Visitor Finds 4.38-Carat Diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park

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

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