Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas

Ivory Detter

Alligators can be observed during the warm months of the year at Millwood State Park in the southwestern region of Arkansas, and they are an important part of the aquatic habitat here. Follow along as we go on a virtual alligator spotting adventure! All of the alligators in the following pictures have made Millwood State Park their home.

Two Visitors Find Large Diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Waymon Cox

Confirmation of two large diamonds found at Crater of Diamonds State Park made for a busy week last week at the park, one of the only places in the world where the public can search for diamonds in their original volcanic source.

Serendipity diamond next to quarter for scale

Photo Essay: Branches in Time

Leita Spears

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.

Giant magnolia tree at Historic Washington State Park

Rivers as Transportation

Sarah Reap

Davidsonville Historic State Park was established in 1957 to preserve the first platted (planned) town in Arkansas: Davidsonville. Established in 1815 along the Black River in northeast Arkansas Territory, the town was the site of many of Arkansas’s firsts. Davidsonville held the first county seat for Lawrence County, Arkansas’s first post office, first courthouse, and...

Video: Reading of the Declaration of Independence

Josh Williams

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...

Video: Deer at Dusk

Heather Runyan

Village Creek State Park offers a chance for survival to many white-tailed deer. Natural resources that are protected here give the deer plenty of spaces to make their homes. The wide variety of plants that grow here provide the deer with food. Also, deer, like all wildlife in the park, are protected from hunting and harassment. All these things together mean that our deer...

Deer grazing at Village Creek State Park

Remember T.R.A.I.L.S. and Be a Safe Hiker

Kara Helton

In this article, we will cover some helpful tips and habits a potential hiker like you can incorporate into your routine. Whether you are an experienced hiker or not, these habits can help you make the most of your adventure while hiking our trails.

arge black letters on white paper spelling out the word TRAILS. Letters displayed on wooden amphitheater steps in a forest setting.

Visitor Finds 2.23-Carat Diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Waymon Cox

The summer of 2020 started with a sparkling surprise for one western Arkansas woman. Fifty-six-year-old Beatrice Watkins, of Mena, visited Arkansas’s Crater of Diamonds State Park, in Murfreesboro, on Saturday, June 20, with her daughter and granddaughters. Within 30 minutes of arriving, she had unknowingly picked up the largest diamond found there, so far this year.

Lady Beatrice brown diamond next to a quarter to show scale

Photo Essay: Spring Bird Migration at Millwood State Park

Ivory Detter

Millwood State Park is located in southwest Arkansas where two major migratory bird flyways intersect. Part of our park mission is to provide safe and enriching educational opportunities about park resources, and one of our most prominent resources is the wildlife protected here.

Make Do & Mend

May 2020