Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas

Imagine waking up to the sound of waves lapping at the shore, birds chirping from tall pine trees, maybe even a boat motor quietly starting its day to bring joy to families spending the weekend away from it all. That’s the kind of wake-up you’ll receive when you staycation at an Arkansas State Park. We’ve chosen seven better-than-a-hotel locales you’re guaranteed to fall...

Arkansas has hundreds of miles of the Trail of Tears, and of the nine states traversed by the trail, is the only state that witnessed the removal of all five of the Southeastern tribes as they moved west. Arkansas State Parks has five parks that lie along these removal routes. These parks have been certified as National Park Service Trail of Tears National Historic Trail...

Exploring Lake Dardanelle by boat allows you to surround yourself in the beauty of the Arkansas River Valley, an area that a wide variety of wildlife depends on for survival. These waters are home to an array of aquatic species, with a multitude of other animals in the forests surrounding the lake, and skies overhead. Lake Dardanelle State Park sits along the shores of 34...

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...

Click below to download a self-guided walking tour of Historic Washington State Park, which lets you explore Washington, Arkansas, and its history at your own pace. This historic park makes up the largest collection of 19th-century buildings in the state. You can walk on the same ground and see many of the same sights as people in 19th-century Washington, Arkansas.

Want to stay in a unique historic place? Historic Washington State Park has the perfect place. The Jailhouse Bed and Breakfast is a jailhouse that has been renovated with all the modern amenities. The original jail was completed in 1873. It was a brick, one-story building with four jail cells. It housed criminals for offenses such as burglary, forgery, assault, assault...

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.

In the 19th century, in many towns across the U.S., one of the common things done on the 4th of July was to hold a reading of the Declaration of Independence. It was a regular tradition here in Washington, Arkansas. We continue that same tradition today at Historic Washington State Park by reading the declaration and remembering the founding of our nation, the United...

Fishing is a favored pastime at Lake Dardanelle State Park, making people the top of this food chain. We love to catch fish, but often don’t think of all the creatures it took to build that strong healthy fish on the end of our fishing line. Mayflies are an essential part of the food chain that keeps the fishery at Lake Dardanelle State Park healthy. In this photo essay...

The Ozark Plateau sweeps across the northwestern part of Arkansas, bringing with it the beautiful oak-hickory forests and striking bluffs that earned Arkansas the title “The Natural State”. Among these old limestone remnants are innumerable deer, lumbering bears, and a variety of lush plants taking advantage of prime habitat in this premiere natural beauty. One such plant...