Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas Park Crater of Diamonds Crowley's Ridge DeGray Lake Resort Lake Dardanelle Village Creek Mount Magazine Petit Jean Withrow Springs Cossatot River Daisy Devil's Den Jacksonport Lake Fort Smith Lake Frierson Lake Ouachita Moro Bay White Oak Lake Cane Creek Davidsonville Hobbs State Park Conservation Area Lake Catherine Lake Charles Millwood Mississippi River Ozark Folk Center Pinnacle Mountain Woolly Hollow Bull Shoals - White River Delta Heritage Trail Historic Washington State Park Lake Chicot Lake Poinsett Mount Nebo Hampson Museum Logoly Parkin Archeological Powhatan Courthouse Queen Wilhelmina Region Southwest Northwest Central Upper Delta Lower Delta North Central Park Activity Hiking Kayaking / Canoeing Mountain Biking Fishing Boating / Marinas Swimming Climbing Geocaching Horseback Riding Road Cycling Backpacking Motorcycling Snorkeling / Scuba Diving Lake Tours Hang Gliding River Running [X] Diamond Digging [X] Watchable Wildlife Trail Type Day Hikes Horseback Riding Mountain Biking Kayaking/Water Trails Backpacking Barrier Free (ADA) ATV Wilderness Trail Difficulty Easy Moderate Strenuous Author Waymon Cox Arkansas State Parks Staff Monika Rued Meg Matthews Tayler Markham Cathy Combs Jenn Menge Pearl Jangjiravat Sarah Reap Sasha Bowles David Armstrong Don Simons Maggie Howard Megan Ayres Moore Robin Gabe Ron Salley Zoie Clift Date Published May 2025 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 December 2022 November 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 September 2018 May 2018 September 2017 June 2017 May 2017 January 2017 December 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 June 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 Pagination Previous page ‹ Previous Page 5 Next page Next › Walking in Mud at the Crater Apr 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! On muddy days at the Crater, lots of people visit and leave with mud-caked shoes, tools, and kids. Visitors often don’t realize how muddy the search area becomes when it rains. Understanding how rain affects the diamond-bearing soil and how to navigate the muddy search area can be helpful when searching for diamonds. Petit Jean State Park Dr. T.W. Hardison Visitor Center Apr 2021 The Dr. T.W. Hardison Visitor Center welcomes visitors to Petit Jean State Park. The newly constructed building, which provides space for camper registration, interpretive exhibits, meetings, special events, and staff offices, is named for the man whose vision for Petit Jean State Park brought about its creation as the cornerstone in the system of Arkansas State Parks. Tips for Finding Diamonds on the Surface Apr 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! One of the easiest ways to find diamonds here is surface searching. Many of the large diamonds people hear about in the news are found on the surface of the plowed search area. As a result, people often have the misconception that most of our diamonds are found this way. While several diamonds are found on top of the ground... 7 Staycations at Arkansas State Parks Apr 2021 ⁄ Arkansas State Parks Staff 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... Creative Contraptions for Discovering Diamonds Mar 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox Since the park has suspended mining equipment rentals during the pandemic, most visitors now bring their own tools from home or from one of the local businesses and individuals who rent and sell mining equipment. Buckets, shovels, and screens are the most common tools of the trade, but it's interesting to see other unique gear people bring to help them find diamonds. Plowing the Search Area Mar 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! We've had beautiful weather over the past few days, and hundreds of people have come to search for diamonds during early March spring breaks. After a wet start to winter, the weather has stayed dry long enough for us to plow part of the diamond search area for the first time this year. Each spring we get lots of questions about... Looking Forward to Spring at the Crater Feb 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! With warmer temperatures in the forecast, it’s hard to believe we experienced record-breaking cold just last week. Ten inches of snow fell at the park, but not even that stopped a few hardy folks from trying their hardest to find a diamond. One visitor braved two of the coldest days to wet sift on the south end of the search... Video: Cruising Lake Dardanelle Feb 2021 ⁄ Megan Ayres Moore 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... Video: The West Drain Feb 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox One of Arkansas' most unique natural attractions is Crater of Diamonds State Park. Located in Murfreesboro, this site hosts thousands of visitors each year. A volcanic pipe erupted here around 100 million years ago, bringing diamonds to the surface. Today, park guests search for their own genuine diamonds in a 37.5-acre plowed field atop the volcanic crater. In addition to... Video: Purple Martins on Lake Ouachita Feb 2021 ⁄ Jenn Menge Part of our mission at Lake Ouachita State Park is to provide access to Lake Ouachita, which is filled with many wonderful natural resources. One of the most unique sights – a huge roost of purple martins – is only visible for a small portion of the year. From mid-July to mid-August, thousands of purple martins flock to a small island on the lake to gather and rest before... Pagination Previous page ‹ Previous Page 5 Next page Next ›
Walking in Mud at the Crater Apr 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! On muddy days at the Crater, lots of people visit and leave with mud-caked shoes, tools, and kids. Visitors often don’t realize how muddy the search area becomes when it rains. Understanding how rain affects the diamond-bearing soil and how to navigate the muddy search area can be helpful when searching for diamonds.
Petit Jean State Park Dr. T.W. Hardison Visitor Center Apr 2021 The Dr. T.W. Hardison Visitor Center welcomes visitors to Petit Jean State Park. The newly constructed building, which provides space for camper registration, interpretive exhibits, meetings, special events, and staff offices, is named for the man whose vision for Petit Jean State Park brought about its creation as the cornerstone in the system of Arkansas State Parks.
Tips for Finding Diamonds on the Surface Apr 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! One of the easiest ways to find diamonds here is surface searching. Many of the large diamonds people hear about in the news are found on the surface of the plowed search area. As a result, people often have the misconception that most of our diamonds are found this way. While several diamonds are found on top of the ground...
7 Staycations at Arkansas State Parks Apr 2021 ⁄ Arkansas State Parks Staff 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...
Creative Contraptions for Discovering Diamonds Mar 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox Since the park has suspended mining equipment rentals during the pandemic, most visitors now bring their own tools from home or from one of the local businesses and individuals who rent and sell mining equipment. Buckets, shovels, and screens are the most common tools of the trade, but it's interesting to see other unique gear people bring to help them find diamonds.
Plowing the Search Area Mar 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! We've had beautiful weather over the past few days, and hundreds of people have come to search for diamonds during early March spring breaks. After a wet start to winter, the weather has stayed dry long enough for us to plow part of the diamond search area for the first time this year. Each spring we get lots of questions about...
Looking Forward to Spring at the Crater Feb 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! With warmer temperatures in the forecast, it’s hard to believe we experienced record-breaking cold just last week. Ten inches of snow fell at the park, but not even that stopped a few hardy folks from trying their hardest to find a diamond. One visitor braved two of the coldest days to wet sift on the south end of the search...
Video: Cruising Lake Dardanelle Feb 2021 ⁄ Megan Ayres Moore 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...
Video: The West Drain Feb 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox One of Arkansas' most unique natural attractions is Crater of Diamonds State Park. Located in Murfreesboro, this site hosts thousands of visitors each year. A volcanic pipe erupted here around 100 million years ago, bringing diamonds to the surface. Today, park guests search for their own genuine diamonds in a 37.5-acre plowed field atop the volcanic crater. In addition to...
Video: Purple Martins on Lake Ouachita Feb 2021 ⁄ Jenn Menge Part of our mission at Lake Ouachita State Park is to provide access to Lake Ouachita, which is filled with many wonderful natural resources. One of the most unique sights – a huge roost of purple martins – is only visible for a small portion of the year. From mid-July to mid-August, thousands of purple martins flock to a small island on the lake to gather and rest before...
