Arkansas · Outdoors
The Arkansas Outdoors
State parks, waterfalls and lakes, with the guides to plan them.
Where should you go outdoors in Arkansas?
Start with Hot Springs National Park, Buffalo National River and Crater of Diamonds State Park, then use the guides on this page to choose by what you want to do. Trails, hours and fees change, so check each park's official page before you go.
Making a drive of it? See Arkansas road trips, or browse places by region.
Parks and sights worth the trip
- Hot Springs National Park: Water that fell as rain about 4,400 years ago re-emerges here at an average of 143 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Buffalo National River: The country's first national river, established by Congress in 1972, with about 135 free-flowing miles.
- Crater of Diamonds State Park: Search a 37-acre plowed field, the eroded surface of a volcanic crater, and any rock or mineral you find is yours to keep.
- Hemmed-In Hollow Falls: Plunges nearly 210 feet near Ponca, the tallest waterfall between the Appalachians and the Rockies.
- Petit Jean State Park: The mountain whose beauty inspired Arkansas' first state park, with a log and stone lodge built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
- Mount Magazine State Park: Arkansas' highest point at 2,753 feet, and the state park system's most dramatic spot for technical rock climbing.
- Devil's Den State Park: Rock formations and caverns in Lee Creek Valley, at one of the most intact Civilian Conservation Corps sites in the US.
- Lake Ouachita State Park: Arkansas' largest lake: 40,000 acres of clear water surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest.
- Mammoth Spring State Park: One of the world's largest springs, with nine million gallons of water flowing hourly to form the Spring River.
- Pinnacle Mountain State Park: Just west of Little Rock, with over 33 miles of trails and a hike to the top of the mountain.
- Historic Washington State Park: Where blacksmith James Black forged the Bowie knife, and home to the largest collection of 19th-century buildings in the state.