Arkansas’s most incredible state parks offer an inimitable slice of elevated taste and luxurious amenities fused with a winning combination of extravagance, excellence, and excitement.
For nearly a century, thousands of visitors have sought out the dramatic vistas, spellbinding wildlife, and delicate ecosystems on display in Arkansas’s state parks. These unforgettable getaways offer an immersive nature experience combined with endless outdoor activities.
Petit Jean State Park
MORRILTON, ARKANSAS
Petit Jean State Park is an Arkansas icon, a state natural and historic treasure that has welcomed travelers over the decades. The natural beauty and ancient geology of legendary Petit Jean Mountain inspired the creation of Arkansas’s first state park, and with it our state park system.
Hiking trails lead through forests, canyons, meadows, and along streams and mountainside. See where nature over time formed sheer bluffs, Cedar Falls, and the Seven Hollows, such distinctive features as Bear Cave, the Grotto, and the Natural Bridge, and other formations sculpted geometrically by nature called Turtle Rocks and Carpet Rocks.
Queen Wilhelmina State Park
MENA, ARKANSAS
A spectacular mountaintop setting. Breathtaking panoramic mountain scenery. Royal hospitality. Queen Wilhelmina State Park is this, and more. The park’s crowning attraction is its renowned hostelry, a historic lodging tradition born in 1898 with the original “Castle in the Sky” resort that graced this same lofty locale high above the Ouachita Mountains over 100 years ago.
Devils Den State Park
WEST FORK, ARKANSAS
Nestled deep in an Ozark valley, Devil’s Den leads backpackers deep into the hills and hollows of the rugged scenic Ozarks. While the park has a spectacular natural setting, the modern amenities enhance the experience and make it welcoming for everyone.
This valley in the renowned Ozark Mountains, ancient sedimentary mountains renowned for their natural beauty and lush oak-hickory forest, is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. Seventeen fully-equipped cabins featuring kitchens and fireplaces are nestled in the natural beauty of this park.
Mount Nebo State Park
DARDANELLE, ARKANSAS
Surrounded by the natural beauty for which the Arkansas River Valley is known, Lake Dardanelle is a sprawling 34,300-acre reservoir on the Arkansas River. These two water resources combined here have put this area into the national spotlight as a major bass fishing tournament site. Lake Dardanelle State Park offers two areas on the lake: one park site is at Russellville, and the other is located at nearby Dardanelle. Both the Russellville (main park) and Dardanelle locations offer camping, launch ramps, standard pavilions, picnic sites, restrooms, and bathhouses with hot showers.
Mount Magazine State Park
PARIS, ARKANSAS
Mount Magazine State Park is on the state’s tallest mountain, the 2,753-foot Mount Magazine. Sweeping vistas of broad river valleys, deep canyons, and distant mountains welcome outdoor enthusiasts to Arkansas’s highest point.
The park is a place to enjoy hiking, sightseeing, exploring the mountain and nature study. It’s also a destination for outdoor sports and extreme adventure enthusiasts that offers rock climbing, rappelling, hang gliding, mountain biking, horseback riding, backpacking, and ATV adventure. An ATV guide service is available.
Mount Magazine is the state park system’s most dramatic location for technical rock climbing. The park also offers overlooks, hiking trails, a picnic area with restrooms, pavilion, and visitor center with an interactive exhibit gallery and gift shop. Park interpreters lead a variety of programs that highlight the mountain’s natural diversity and unique species.
Lake Ouachita State Park
MOUNTAIN PINE, ARKANSAS
Surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest, Lake Ouachita is known for its scenic natural beauty and the clarity of its waters. These pristine waters form the largest manmade lake within Arkansas’s borders. Named one of the cleanest lakes in America, 40,000-acre Lake Ouachita is a water sports mecca for swimming, skiing, scuba diving, boating, and fishing. Angling for bream, crappie, catfish, stripers, and largemouth bass can be enjoyed in open waters or quiet coves along the lake’s 975 miles of shoreline.
Located just a short drive from the spa city of Hot Springs on the lake’s eastern shore, Lake Ouachita State Park is your gateway to this popular water sports lake.