Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas Park Crater of Diamonds Historic Washington State Park DeGray Lake Resort Petit Jean Pinnacle Mountain Lake Dardanelle Moro Bay Plum Bayou Mounds Cossatot River Lake Ouachita Millwood Village Creek Woolly Hollow Devil's Den Hobbs State Park Conservation Area Logoly Ozark Folk Center Withrow Springs Bull Shoals - White River Daisy Lake Catherine Lake Fort Smith Mount Nebo White Oak Lake Cane Creek Crowley's Ridge Davidsonville Jacksonport Lake Chicot Lake Frierson Mississippi River Mount Magazine Queen Wilhelmina Delta Heritage Trail Hampson Museum Lake Charles Plantation Agriculture Museum Powhatan Courthouse Prairie Grove Battlefield Conway Cemetery Lake Poinsett Louisiana Purchase Lower White River Museum Mammoth Spring Museum of Natural Resources Parkin Archeological Region Northwest Upper Delta North Central Lower Delta [X] Southwest [X] Central Park Activity Diamond Digging Watchable Wildlife Hiking Kayaking / Canoeing Fishing Mountain Biking Boating / Marinas Swimming Climbing Geocaching Horseback Riding Backpacking Motorcycling Road Cycling Snorkeling / Scuba Diving Lake Tours Hang Gliding River Running Trail Type Day Hikes Mountain Biking Backpacking Barrier Free (ADA) Horseback Riding Kayaking/Water Trails Wilderness ATV Trail Difficulty Easy Moderate Strenuous Author Waymon Cox Arkansas State Parks Staff Meg Matthews Monika Rued Zoie Clift Chris Adams Tayler Markham Grady Spann Billy Nations Jenn Menge Kayla Gomance Sarah Reap Sasha Bowles David Armstrong Ivory Detter Matt Manos Paul Butler Robin Gabe Amy Griffin Haley Johnson Heather Runyan Jason Baumgartner Jason Parrie Joe Jacobs Josh Williams Kelly Farrell Leita Spears Leita Spears Maggie Howard Megan Ayres Moore Melissa Ray Ron Salley Shelley Flanary Tara Gillanders Date Published September 2025 August 2025 June 2025 February 2025 December 2024 October 2024 September 2024 January 2024 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 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 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 May 2018 March 2018 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 Pagination Previous page ‹ Previous Page 7 Next page Next › 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... Trail of Tears Across Arkansas State Parks Mar 2021 ⁄ Sasha Bowles 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... 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: 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... Video: The Rhythm of Rattle Making Jan 2021 ⁄ Melissa Ray In this video, meet Park Interpreter Melissa Ray from Plum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park and learn how to recreate the rhythmic sound of American Indian rattles. They are simple to make but deep in meaning. Pagination Previous page ‹ Previous Page 7 Next page Next ›
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...
Trail of Tears Across Arkansas State Parks Mar 2021 ⁄ Sasha Bowles 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...
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: 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...
Video: The Rhythm of Rattle Making Jan 2021 ⁄ Melissa Ray In this video, meet Park Interpreter Melissa Ray from Plum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park and learn how to recreate the rhythmic sound of American Indian rattles. They are simple to make but deep in meaning.
