Arkansas State Parks

Arkansas State Parks

The Adventure's Guide to Visiting Arkansas.

Park Descriptions, Facilities and Fees
Arkansas's state parks are open year-round; however, some facilities close seasonally or daily. Please contact the individual state parks for details.

If you have any questions about Arkansas State Parks, please contact the Little Rock office at: Arkansas State Parks, One Capitol Mall, Little Rock,AR 72201; phone (501) 682-1191

Arkansas Post Museum

5530 1 Hwy 165 South / Gillett, AR 72055 (870) 548-2634

Arkansas Post was the first settlement in Arkansas, and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. It served as an important military and trade outpost for France, Spain and Britian during the colonial period of the 1600s and 1700s prior to the Louisiana Purchase. The actual site of the Post is now a lake bed due to the Arkansas River's change of course.

This museum collects, preserves and interprets the Territorial Era of Arkansas's development as a state and its relationship to the settlement of the lower Mississippi Valley.

Stroll through this complex of five exhibit buildings including a dog-trot log house, reproduction carriage house, kitchen and main house furnished with artifacts and documents.

The museum is located six miles south of Gillett on U.S. 65 near its intersection with Arkansas 169 (which leads to the Arkansas Post National Memorial).

Museum Entrance Fee
Adult $2 each
Child (6-12) $1 each
Group Rates (20 or more with advance notice) $.25 off above fees
Bona Fide School Groups (with advance notice) $.75 per person

Hours of Operation
Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (Mon.-Sat.); 1 p.m-5 p.m. (Sun.)
Closed New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Hampson Museum State Park

P.O. Box 156 / Wilson, AR 72395 (870) 655-8622

Hampson Museum exhibits a remarkable collection of artifacts from the Nodena site, a Late Mississippi Period culture.
The Nodena were farmers who developed a complex civilization of art, religion, political structure and trading networks. This remarkable collection owes its preservation to Dr. James K. Hampson. He and his family meticulously excavated, studied and inventoried the mounds and subsurface remains of this complex civilization which inhabited the area from A.D. 1350 to 1700. The collection was donated to the State of Arkansas in the 1950s. Adjacent to the museum are picnic sites and a playground.

Hampson Museum is located at the junction of U.S. 61 and Lake Drive in Wilson (seven miles east of I-55).

Museum Entrance Fee
Adult $2 each;
Child (6-12) $1 each
Group Rates (20 or more with advance notice) $.25 off above fees
Bona Fide School Groups (with advance notice) $.75 per person
Hours of Operation Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (Tues.-Sat.); 1 p.m.-5 p.m. (Sun.)
Closed Mon. (except Mon. holidays), New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Herman Davis State Park

This one-acre park surrounds the monument to Private Herman Davis, an Arkansas farm boy and World War I hero. Fourth on General John J. Pershing's list of World War I's 100 greatest heroes, Davis received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Croix de Guere and the Medaulle Militaire awards from the American and French governments.
The monument is located on Ark. 18 in the community of Manila (16 miles west of Blytheville).

Jacksonport State Park

P.O. Box 8 / Jacksonport, AR 72075 (870) 523-2143

During the 1800s, steamboats made Jacksonport a thriving river port. In the Civil War, the town was occupied by both Confederate and Union forces because of its crucial locale. Jacksonport became county seat in 1854, and in 1869 a two-story brick courthouse was constructed. The town began to decline in the 1870s when bypassed by the railroad. In 1891, the county seat was moved and the stores, wharves and saloons vanished.

The park is dominated by the restored 1869 courthouse which includes exhibits of Jackson County's rich history. The landscaped courthouse square leads to the river's edge where the Mary Woods No. 2, a reconstructed White River paddlewheeler, is available for walking tours. The park offers 20 Class A campsites, a swimming beach on the White River, a standard pavilion and picnic sites.

The park is on Ark. 69 in Jacksonport (just three miles north of Newport).

Courthouse Museum or Mary Woods No. 2 Riverboat Museum
NOTE: The 1869 courthouse and the Mary Woods No. 2 riverboat museum are closed temporarily for renovations following tornado damage in March 1997.
Gazebo $30/use

Lake Chicot State Park

2542 Highway 257 / Lake Village, AR 71653

PARK/CAMPSITE RESERVATIONS: (870) 265-5480
CABIN RESERVATIONS: 1-800-264-2430

The Mississippi Delta's quiet beauty and abundant recreational opportunities come together on Arkansas's largest natural lake. A 20-mile long oxbow lake, cut off centuries ago when the mighty Mississippi changed course, is a peaceful site for fishing and boating. Fishing for crappie, bass and bream is popular, especially on the upper end of the lake during spring and fall. Fishing for catfish is outstanding year-round.

Nestled in a pecan grove, the park offers 127 campsites (Preferred with sewer, Preferred and Class A), 14 fully-equipped cabins with kitchens (many with lake view patio and fishing dock), pool (summer), picnicking, standard pavilions, laundry and playground. You'll find food and gifts at the store/marina plus boats, motors, fuel, bait and a launch ramp. A visitor center presents the area's history and natural resources through exhibits and programs.

Located in the Mississippi Flyway, the park offers outstanding bird watching. Each September the park hosts party barge tours of the lake, levee tours and programs for viewing a wide variety of birds and other wildlife. The park is eight miles northeast of Lake Village on Ark. 144.

Cabins (with kitchens)
Lake view (fireplace) $60/two persons/day; $70/two persons/day (Mar. - July)
Lake view $55/two persons/day; $60/two persons/day (Mar. - July)
Woods view $50/two persons/day; $55/two persons/day (Mar. - July)
Special Rates: Sun. - Wed. (four days for the price of three):
Lake view $170; $185 (Mar. - July)
Woods view $150; $165 (Mar. - July)
Sun. - Thurs. (five days for the price of four):
Lake view $225; $245 (Mar. - July)
Woods view $200; $220 (Mar. - July)
Each additional person (rollaway included) $5/day
Swimming Pool $2/person/day
Marina Fishing Boat $7/one-half day; $12/day
Boat w/Motor $8/hour; $18/one-half day; $27/day
(Fuel extra on all motor rentals)
Bicycle Rental Regular bicycle $1.50/hour, $8/day; Bicycle for two $2.50/hour, $10/day
Interpretive Services Party Barge Scenic Tour on Lake Chicot: Adult $5.25 each; Child (6-12) $2.65 each

Louisiana Purchase State Park

At the junction of Lee, Monroe and Phillips Counties, this park preserves the initial point from which all surveys of property acquired through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 initiated. The park includes 36 acres within a headwater swamp, a fast-disappearing ecological setting in eastern Arkansas. A boardwalk with exhibits provides access to a monument in the swamp's interior marking the survey's initial point. This site is a national historic landmark.

>From I-40 at Brinkley, take U.S. 49 and travel 21 miles south, then go two miles east on Ark. 362 to the park.

Parkin Archeological State Park

P.O. Box 1110 / Parkin, AR 72373-1110 (870) 755-2500

Parkin represents a turning point in American history. This park interprets the Mississippi Period Native American village located here from A.D. 1000 to 1550 and visited by the Hernando de Soto expedition in 1541. Arkansas State Parks and the Arkansas Archeological Survey manage the site as a research station and interpretive center. Archeological excavations are conducted July thru October. The park is at the junction of U.S. 64 and Ark. 184 in Parkin.

Gallery Pass and/or Archeological Site Walking Tour
Adult $2 each; Child (6-12) $1 each
Group Rates (20 or more with advance notice) $.25 off above fees
Bona Fide School Groups (with advance notice) $.75 per student
Hours of Operation Open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Tues. - Sat.); Noon - 5 p.m. (Sun.)
Closed Mon. (except Mon. holidays), New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Plantation Agriculture Museum

P.O. Box 87 / Scott, AR 72142 (870) 961-1409

Exhibits and programs interpret the history of cotton agriculture from 1836 through World War II when agricultural practices quickly became mechanized. See early cultivation tools, the blacksmith shop and rare cotton gins.

The museum is at the junction of U.S. 165 and Ark. 161 in Scott (just 30 minutes from Little Rock/North Little Rock).

Museum Entrance Fee
Adult $2 each;
Child (6-12) $1 each
Group Rates (20 or more with advance notice) $.25 off above fees
Bona Fide School Groups (with advance notice) $.75 per person
Hours of Operation Open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Tues.-Sat.); 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. (Sun.)
Closed Mon. (except Mon. holidays), New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Prairie County Museum

Route 2, Box 154 / Des Arc, AR 72040 (870) 256-3711

Learn the story of Arkansas's navigable rivers as a dramatic part of American history. Exhibits interpret early Arkansas settlement, transportation routes and the river based economy including fishing and shelling. The museum is at the western end of Main Street in Des Arc.

Museum Entrance Fee
Adult $1.50 each;
Child (6-12) $.75 each
Group Rates (20 or more with advance notice) $.25 off above fees
Bona Fide School Groups (with advance notice) $.50 per person
Hours of Operation Open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Tues.-Sat.); 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. (Sun.)
Closed Mon. (except Mon. holidays), New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park

490 Toltec Mounds Road / Scott, AR 72142 (501) 961-9442

Toltec preserves and interprets Arkansas's tallest Native American mounds. These mounds and the earthen embankment are the remains of a large ceremonial and governmental complex inhabited from A.D. 600 to 1050. This interpretive center is managed by Arkansas State Parks and the Arkansas Archeological Survey. Facilities include a visitor center with exhibits, an A/V theater and archeological research laboratory. Site tours are available along the park's 3/4-mile, barrier-free trail.

>From Little Rock, take Exit #7 off I-440 and go nine miles southeast on U.S. 165.

Gallery Pass and/or Archeological Site Walking Tour
Adult $2 each; Child (6-12) $1 each
Gallery Pass and Archeological Site Tour By Tram (when available)
Adult $3 each; Child (6-12) $2 each
Group Rates (20 or more with advance notice) $.25 off above tour rates
Bona Fide School Groups (with advance notice) $.75 per student
Visitor Center Meeting Room $25/use; Cleanup deposit $25/use

(NOTE: Public schools, educational groups and state agencies conducting curriculum-related education or park-related meetings may use the meeting room free-of-charge with advance request.)

Hours of Operation Open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Tues. - Sat.); Noon - 5:00 p.m. (Sun.)
Closed Mon. (except Mon. holidays), New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Crowley's Ridge State Park

P.O. Box 97 / Walcott, AR 72474-0097

PARK/CAMPSITE RESERVATIONS: (870) 573-6751

CABIN RESERVATIONS: 1-800-264-2405

This popular recreational retreat lies atop a narrow arc of rolling, forested hills called Crowley's Ridge. The park occupies the former homestead of Benjamin Crowley, whose family first settled the area. Cozy log and stone structures constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps set the mood for the park's rustic warmth.

Facilities include four fully-equipped modern cabins with kitchens; group cabin area with rental kitchen and dining hall; 26 campsites--18 Class A, 8 tent sites; picnic areas; snack bar; trails; standard pavilions; baseball field; 30-acre fishing lake (electric motors only); and swimming lake.

The park is 15 miles north of Jonesboro on Ark. 141; or nine miles west of Paragould on U.S. 412, then two miles south on Ark. 168.

Cabins (with kitchens)
Two double beds (fireplace): Sun.-Thurs. $50/two persons/day
Fri.-Sat. $60/two persons/day
One double bed (fireplace): Sun.-Thurs. $45/two persons/day
Fri.-Sat. $55/two persons/day
Each additional person $5/day

Group Facilities (deposits required)
1 to 20 persons (bunk cabins only) $120/day (Sun.-Thurs.); $135/day (Fri.-Sat.)
21 to 60 persons (bunk cabins only) $4.50/person/day
Kitchen/Dining Hall (w/bunk cabin rental) $25/day
Kitchen/Dining Hall (to others) $65/day

Swimming Beach $1.75/person/day
Pedal Boat $2.50/one-half hour; $3.75/hour
Fishing Boat $4/one-half day; $6/day
Canoe $3.25/hour; $5.50/one-half day; $11/day

Lake Frierson State Park

7904 Highway 141 / Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 932-2615

On Crowley's Ridge in northeast Arkansas, this park is known for its year-round fishing and springtime blaze of wild dogwoods. The lake's 335-acres provides fine catches of bass, bream, crappie and catfish. Park facilities include seven Class B campsites, tables and grills, rest rooms, picnic sites, a playground, self-guided trail, boat rentals, launch ramp, barrier-free fishing pier and visitor center.

The park is 10 miles north of Jonesboro on Ark. 141.

Boat Rentals: Fishing Boat-14 ft. $7/day; Deposit $7/use

Lake Poinsett State Park

5752 State Park Lane / Harrisburg, AR 72432-9571 (870) 578-2064

Anglers find 640-acre Lake Poinsett, nestled atop Crowley's Ridge in northeast Arkansas, a special getaway for bass, bream, catfish and crappie fishing. The park offers 30 campsites (Class A & B), picnic areas, a screened-in standard pavilion (with a special $10 per hour weekday rate), playground, hiking trail, launch ramp and boat rentals.

>From Harrisburg, travel one mile east on Ark. 14, then go three miles south on Ark. 163 to the park.

Boat Rentals Fishing Boat-14 ft. $8/day; Deposit-$7/use