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Digging for diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park
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Playing golf at the DeGray Lake Resort State Park
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Camping at DeGray Lake Resort State Park
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The Ouachita National Forest
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Enjoying the view at Garvan Woodland Gardens
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Hot Springs National Park was created to protect the 47 naturally flowing thermal springs
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Kayaking on the Cossatot River
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Lake Ouachita is the largest lake in Arkansas
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Sunset on Lake Ouachita
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Mount Ida is known as the "Quartz Crystal Capital of the World
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Queen Wilhelmina State Park
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Cossatot
River State Park/Natural Area – Designated a National Wild and Scenic River, the Cossatot offers
adventurers the most challenging whitewater in Arkansas. The stream snakes over
and between upturned Ouachita Mountains’ strata to create Cossatot Falls, with
rapids and drops rated up to Class V in difficulty. Because of its upland
watershed, the Cossatot rises and falls relatively quickly so floaters are
advised to call ahead to verify sufficient water levels. The park’s Visitor and
Education Center (opened in 2004) hosts exhibits focusing on the river and a
wildlife viewing area. Interpretive programs are available. The park’s more
than 5,480 acres extend about 11 miles on both sides of the river from just
above the Ark. 246 bridge east of Vandervoort to about 1.5 miles below the U.S.
278 bridge east of Wickes. Facilities include campsites, picnic sites and
hiking trails, including the 14.5-mile River Corridor Trail. 870- 385-2201;
www.ArkansasStateParks.com
Crater
of Diamonds State Park –
North America’s largest diamond (40.23 carats) and more than 70,000 other
diamonds have been found in a field southeast of Murfreesboro since farmer John
Huddleston discovered the first gems in the field in 1906. Now the eroding
surface of a volcanic pipe located about three miles southeast of Murfreesboro
is preserved as Crater of Diamonds State Park, the world’s only site where
anyone can dig for diamonds and keep what they find. The park’s Diamond
Discovery Center, which opened in June 2005, offers an audio-visual
presentation giving tips on diamond hunting. Diamond displays and exhibits
detailing the site’s history and geology can be found in the park’s visitor
center. The park also has a campground, a hiking trail, a picnic and play area,
and a seasonal “Diamond Springs”
water play area. A rainbow-trout fishery is located on the Little Missouri
River below the Narrows Dam some nine miles north of the park. 870-285-3113;
www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com
DeGray Lake Resort State Park – Arkansas’s only resort state
park is located about eight miles north of Arkadelphia on 13,800-acre DeGray
Lake, formed when the Caddo River was dammed in 1972. Located on an island and
reached by a short causeway, the park’s 96-room lodge features a hot tub,
heated swimming pool, day spa services, wireless internet access, a
business center, well-equipped exercise room, convention facilities and a
full-service restaurant. Other park facilities include a challenging 7,200-yard
golf course with pro shop, a riding stable, campgrounds and hiking trails.
Water-skiing, sailing, jet-skiing and pleasure boating are other popular DeGray
activities. Visitors can avail themselves of rental watercraft at the park
marina to take advantage of the lake’s fishing or can launch their own craft
for free. A full service marina is open year round that rents canoes, kayaks,
flat bottom boats, personal water- craft, party barges and deck boats. Fuel,
bait, food, ice, and equipment are available. The park offers daily
interpretive programs Memorial Day through Labor Day and throughout the year on
weekends or by appointment. A sales staff is also on hand to help plan group
events. The park also offers 113 campsites equipped for RV or tent camping with
water and electric hookups. 501-865-2801; www.degray.com
Hot
Springs – Hot Springs,
the boyhood home of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, is one of Arkansas’s
top tourist destinations. The city hosts a national park, a top flight
thoroughbred racetrack, a 210-acre botanical garden, a combination theme and
water park, and a thriving arts community. Its host of family attractions
includes live music and magic shows. Summit Arena is connected to the Hot
Springs Convention Center and hosts concerts, sports events and touring shows.
Three area lakes – Hamilton, Catherine and Ouachita – accommodate water-based
recreation, private resorts and two state parks. Oaklawn Park offers live
racing from late January to mid-April and simulcast races during the rest of
the year. Among the many features at Magic Springs/Crystal Falls theme and
water parks are the X-Coaster. Oaklawn Park: 1-800-OAKLAWN; www.oaklawn.com.
Magic Springs/Crystal Falls: 501- 624-0100; www.magicsprings.com. The Hot
Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau provides information on other
attractions and area lakes by phone at 1-800-SPA-CITY and at www.hotsprings.org
Hot
Springs National Park-
Hot Springs and Hot Springs National Park owe their existence to an array of
springs that still supply naturally heated water for thermal bathers. The Fordyce
Bathhouse, located on famous Bathhouse Row, serves as the park’s visitor
center. Hot Springs is the smallest and oldest of the parks in the National
Park System. It dates back to 1832 when Congress established, 40 years ahead of
Yellowstone, the first federally protected area in the nation's history. Hot
Springs Reservation, which was renamed Hot Springs National Park in 1921, was
created to protect the 47 naturally flowing thermal springs on the southwestern
slope of Hot Springs Mountain. Hot Springs National Park: 501-624-3383;
www.nps.gov/hosp
Garvan
Woodland Gardens-The
gardens are located on the shores of Lake Hamilton and are part of the
department of the University of Arkansas School of Architecture. It is the only
botanical garden in the nation that occupies all of a peninsula in a major
water body. Popular garden attractions include The Anthony Chapel, a work of
art that features a 57-foot, open-rafter ceiling supported by pine columns and
crossbeams and the Joy Manning Scott Full Moon Bridge.1-800-366-4664;
www.garvangardens.org
Lake
Ouachita – Arkansas’s
largest reservoir, the 40,000 acres Lake Ouachita offers fishing for striped
and largemouth bass and other sport fish in the backdrop of outstanding
scenery. It is also a popular destination for scuba diving, pleasure boating,
sailing, and water skiing. A number of private resorts with marinas and other
recreational amenities are located on its shores. Houseboat rentals are also
available. Lake Ouachita State Park offers a marina, rental cabins, camping and
hiking. Numerous U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ recreation areas are also
located on the lake, which was formed by the completion of Blakely Mountain Dam
in the early 1950s. Resorts: 870-867-2723; www.mtidachamber.com. Lake Ouachita
State Park: 501- 767-9366; www.ArkansasStateParks.com. Corps of Engineers’
sites: 501-767-2101.
Mount
Ida/Quartz Crystals –
There’s a good reason why each October the town of Mount Ida hosts the World
Championship Quartz Crystal Dig. The nearby Crystal Mountains range of the
Ouachitas contains some of the world’s finest deposits of quartz crystals.
Digging is available year round.
Several area mines allow patrons, for a fee, to dig and keep their
finds. The area has many gem and mineral shops that sell crystals from all over
the world. Specimens range in price from $1 to $10,000 for a 500-pound cluster.
870- 867-2723; www.mtidachamber.com
Ouachita
Mountains/Ouachita National Forest –The Ouachita Mountains were formed when a collision of two
prehistoric continents squeezed up from the ocean floor thick layers of
sedimentary rock. They have lost thousands of feet of elevation to weathering
and erosion since emerging above sea level some 286 million years ago – 40
million years before the first dinosaurs walked the earth. Their tallest summit
now reaches less than 2,700 feet. The ancient Ouachitas now appear as the Rocky
Mountains might look 300,000 millennia from now. The forest was established
in1907, making it the oldest and largest National Forest in the South. Within
the 1.8 million acre forest are back roads and hiking trails that provide
visitors with an up-close experience of the aged mountains. Mountain views
coupled with picturesque streams, rivers and lakes provide a highly
valued setting for outdoor recreation. The forest, situated in central
Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma and headquartered in Hot Springs, offers
nature related sightseeing and scenic driving as well as hunting, fishing and
dispersed camping. An extensive trail system provides for all types of
uses including hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and routes for
off-highway vehicles. A variety of services can be found at developed
campgrounds ranging from rustic tent pads to full-service RV hookups.
Enjoy water-based recreation opportunities including fishing, non-motorized
boating and enjoyment of streams, rivers and lakes. The forest hosts six
wilderness areas (five in AR and one in OK) and two Wild and Scenic
Rivers. The Talimena Scenic Byway winds along the top of Winding Stair
and Rich Mountains on its way into Arkansas. Other highlights in the forest
include the Ouachita National Recreation Trail, which traverses
a lenghty 223 miles across the region, and the Womble Trail, one of the most popular
single-track mountain bike routes in the nation.
www.fs.fed.us/r8/ouachita
Queen
Wilhelmina State Park/Talimena Drive National Scenic Byway – The Talimena Scenic Drive
stretches for 54 miles along crests of the Ouachita Mountains between Mena,
Arkansas and Talihina, Oklahoma. In 2005, as a result of the efforts of the
bi-state Talimena Scenic Drive Association, the route was designated a National
Scenic Byway by the Federal Highway Administration. Sitting atop Arkansas’s
second highest peak and located on the byway 13 miles west of Mena, Queen
Wilhelmina State Park’s lodge accommodates travelers with 38 rooms, including
two with fireplaces and two with spa tubs, and a restaurant and gift shop. A
miniature golf course, miniature train rides and hiking trails, lined with
colorful wildflowers in the spring, provide family activities. Guests using the
park’s campground often include hikers traversing the 223- mile Ouachita
National Recreation Trail which runs through the park. Queen Wilhelmina State
Park: 479- 394-2863; www.queenwilhelmina.com; Talimena Byway:
www.talimenascenicdrive.com. Mena: 479- 394-8355; www.VisitMena.com