Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas

You are welcome at Arkansas State Parks. We have one of the most pristine state park systems in the nation to enjoy. In order to protect and make sure your state parks are available for generations to come, it’s important to stay on designated trails, pick up after yourself and don’t litter (cigarette butts are litter), and recreate responsibly. Recreating responsibly has...

Family picking up trash at Pinnacle Mountain State Park

Photo Essay: Black Gold In 1920s South Arkansas

The oil-rich town of Smackover is in the heart of the Arkansas oil fields. The 1920s south Arkansas oil boom brought danger and destruction, but also a sense of opportunity and change that has lasted through the generations. Today, one mile south of town is the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources, which aims to connect people to the lasting cultural and economic impacts...

In a big, open field a wooden derrick spewing oil that covers a large flooded cotton field and a cloud of oil in the air to the right of the derrick.

Video: Devil's Den State Park CCC Interpretive Trail Virtual Guided Hike

Mystina Swaim

Devil’s Den State Park, nestled in Lee Creek Valley of the northwest Arkansas Ozarks, was selected as a state park site in the 1930s. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) used native materials to build the park’s rustic-style wood and stone structures that mirror the surrounding natural beauty. The park now stands as one of the most intact CCC sites in the U.S., with a...

Self-Guided Tour of Historic Washington State Park

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.

Video: Fun on Enders Fault Trail

Grady Spann

During this short unnarrated video, the camera shows a mountain biker’s point of view during a fast and exciting ride on Enders Fault Trail at Woolly Hollow State Park. Viewers see thick green forest vegetation and singletrack trail throughout the video.

Mountain biking at Woolly Hollow Sate Park on Enders Fault

Visitor Finds 4.49-Carat Diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Monika Rued

It was all treat, no trick this Halloween for Steven McCool of Fayetteville, Ark., at Crater of Diamonds State Park. The 34-year-old found the third-largest diamond of the year. He found a 4.49-carat yellow diamond.

Steven McCool's 4.40-carat yellow diamond

Sifting Gravel for Diamonds

Waymon Cox

Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! Visitors at the Crater of Diamonds get to do something here they can’t do at most other state parks – take the rocks and minerals they find home with them. There are specific rules regarding the type and amount of materials that can be removed from the park. They not only benefit the park but also the thousands of people who...

Sifted gravel from Crater of Diamonds State Park

Photo Essay: The Secrets of the St. Francis

Rachel Lewis

Parkin Archeological State Park in eastern Arkansas focuses on protecting cultural resources. The St. Francis River, a very large and mostly overlooked resource here, has proved to be a lifeline for past cultures that lived on this site. And, it continues to be a valuable resource today. These photos will guide you through past cultures of Parkin to show how the St...

Painting of five American Indians in a canoe traveling on the river.

The Most Colorful Time of the Year

Waymon Cox

Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! Over the next few weeks, visitors will travel to Arkansas to enjoy cooler weather and beautiful fall foliage. Though the colors of autumn are fleeting, you can collect many colorful minerals at Crater of Diamonds State Park to enjoy all year long!

Basic Angling Tips for White River Trout Fishing