Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas Park Crater of Diamonds Historic Washington State Park Village Creek Crowley's Ridge DeGray Lake Resort Moro Bay Davidsonville Jacksonport Millwood Cossatot River Logoly Mississippi River Withrow Springs Daisy Hobbs State Park Conservation Area Lake Dardanelle Lake Fort Smith Lake Frierson Ozark Folk Center Petit Jean White Oak Lake Bull Shoals - White River Cane Creek Devil's Den Lake Catherine Lake Charles Lake Chicot Mount Magazine Parkin Archeological Pinnacle Mountain Powhatan Courthouse Delta Heritage Trail Hampson Museum Lake Ouachita Lake Poinsett Mount Nebo Prairie Grove Battlefield Queen Wilhelmina Woolly Hollow Louisiana Purchase Museum of Natural Resources Plum Bayou Mounds Region Central Northwest North Central Lower Delta [X] Southwest [X] Upper Delta Park Activity Diamond Digging Watchable Wildlife Hiking Kayaking / Canoeing Fishing Mountain Biking Boating / Marinas Swimming Geocaching Horseback Riding Climbing Backpacking Motorcycling Road Cycling Snorkeling / Scuba Diving Lake Tours Hang Gliding River Running Trail Type Day Hikes Horseback Riding Mountain Biking Backpacking Barrier Free (ADA) Kayaking/Water Trails Wilderness ATV Trail Difficulty Easy Moderate Strenuous Author Waymon Cox Arkansas State Parks Staff Monika Rued Meg Matthews Chris Adams Tayler Markham Heather Runyan Sarah Reap Zoie Clift Billy Nations Bonnie Marberry Elizabeth Kimble Grady Spann Ivory Detter Kara Helton Paul Butler Pearl Jangjiravat Cara Curtis Cathy Combs Haley Johnson Jason Parrie Joe Jacobs Josh Williams Kayla Gomance Kelly Farrell Kristina Root Leita Spears Maggie Howard Mary Buchman Matt Manos Megan Ayres Moore Rachel Lewis Robin Gabe Sasha Bowles Shelley Flanary Tara Gillanders Date Published February 2025 December 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 January 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 June 2017 May 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 Pagination Previous page ‹ Previous Page 7 Next page Next › 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... Photo Essay: Creek Crawl Feb 2021 ⁄ Kara Helton Located in northeast Arkansas on Crowley’s Ridge, Village Creek State Park encompasses nearly 7,000 acres with steep forested hills and creek-fed valleys. Part of our mission is to protect the park’s natural resources, and one way for park staff to do that is to monitor the biodiversity of our creeks. Since our creeks provide water to most of the park, when it is time to... More Than 80 Carats of Diamonds Discovered in Arkansas During Record-Breaking Year Jan 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! 2020 was a great year for diamond finds at the Crater. Despite the many changes brought on by COVID-19, more than 129,000 people visited the park in search of diamonds. Following is a recap of diamond finds for 2020, including some of the most memorable discoveries. Photo Essay: Stories in Stones Jan 2021 ⁄ Heather Runyan Village Creek State Park is located in east Arkansas on Crowley’s Ridge. This park exists to help protect the unique natural, cultural, and historical resources of the ridge, including things like fossils. The fossils found at Village Creek State Park tell the story of this unique land. In this photo essay, we will take a closer look. What to Expect This Winter at the Crater of Diamonds State Park Dec 2020 ⁄ Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! Winter officially returned as of Monday, December 21, and will continue until March 20, 2021. With wide-ranging temperatures over the past couple of weeks, many of us are wondering what kind of winter we’ll have this year. Looking at previous winters and considering recent weather trends may give us a good idea of what to... Arkansas State Parks Adjusts Operations to Respond to Statewide COVID-19 Increase Dec 2020 ⁄ Meg Matthews Visitor information centers, museums, restaurants and two marinas at Arkansas State Parks will see a reduction of operating hours to efficiently manage available resources during the recent statewide increase in COVID-19 cases. Pagination Previous page ‹ Previous Page 7 Next page Next ›
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...
Photo Essay: Creek Crawl Feb 2021 ⁄ Kara Helton Located in northeast Arkansas on Crowley’s Ridge, Village Creek State Park encompasses nearly 7,000 acres with steep forested hills and creek-fed valleys. Part of our mission is to protect the park’s natural resources, and one way for park staff to do that is to monitor the biodiversity of our creeks. Since our creeks provide water to most of the park, when it is time to...
More Than 80 Carats of Diamonds Discovered in Arkansas During Record-Breaking Year Jan 2021 ⁄ Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! 2020 was a great year for diamond finds at the Crater. Despite the many changes brought on by COVID-19, more than 129,000 people visited the park in search of diamonds. Following is a recap of diamond finds for 2020, including some of the most memorable discoveries.
Photo Essay: Stories in Stones Jan 2021 ⁄ Heather Runyan Village Creek State Park is located in east Arkansas on Crowley’s Ridge. This park exists to help protect the unique natural, cultural, and historical resources of the ridge, including things like fossils. The fossils found at Village Creek State Park tell the story of this unique land. In this photo essay, we will take a closer look.
What to Expect This Winter at the Crater of Diamonds State Park Dec 2020 ⁄ Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! Winter officially returned as of Monday, December 21, and will continue until March 20, 2021. With wide-ranging temperatures over the past couple of weeks, many of us are wondering what kind of winter we’ll have this year. Looking at previous winters and considering recent weather trends may give us a good idea of what to...
Arkansas State Parks Adjusts Operations to Respond to Statewide COVID-19 Increase Dec 2020 ⁄ Meg Matthews Visitor information centers, museums, restaurants and two marinas at Arkansas State Parks will see a reduction of operating hours to efficiently manage available resources during the recent statewide increase in COVID-19 cases.