My teacher friend and I are thinking of taking a spring break vacation. Last year we went to Utah (St George and Zion National Park) but we had a third person so we could drive continuously.
We thought we could drive ~ 2/3 of the distance (Utah was ~1500, so about 1000 miles from Southern Minnesota). One spot that came up in the radius is Arkansas. I know about Hot Springs national Park, but ther are also state parks. Any recomendations? We would be tent camping (but not backpacking).
Any other recomendations for a destination withing 1000 miles of MN? (I will already be flying twice in 2013, so a car destination would be preferred – plus it is easier to lug camping equipment)
Yes, in a way. People in Louisiana and Texas use it for that to get away to the ‘mountains’.
Northern Arkansas is really pretty and an underrated part of the country IMHO. There are a bunch of good places but I can recommend Petit Jean state park. It is beautiful and the hiking is really cool. They have cabins or you can stay in a tent. The The Eureka Springs area has a lot to offer as well. I don’t know much about the hiking in that area but there is plenty and the town itself is very pretty although very touristy. There is certainly plenty to do there besides hike.
Hot Springs National Park is very nice. I have never stayed at their campground. Lake Catherine State park has nice camping and hiking trials. I’ve rented cabins their many times.
I have a state park guide with information on all 52 parks, their facilities etc. I’d suggest requesting the Arkansas Vacation Kit from the tourism dept. It’s free and has the state park guide, road map, and other useful info.
One of my life goals is to visit all the state parks. So far I’ve been to about half of them. That link above has lots of good information on tourist spots in my state.
The Arkansas Diamond mine is a fun day event. A small fee gets you in with tools to dig & sift the dirt and look for diamonds. People find small ones pretty regularly. You probably won’t find the mother stone on day 1. But, even the tiny stones can be worth a few bucks.
I’ve taken my family there several times.
Hiking Pinnacle Mountain is a tradition fo anyone in the Little Rock area. I’ve hiked it at least 20 times in the past thirty years. Great little park.
The Ozark Folk center is our biggest attraction for mountain music and crafts. The craft village has 20 artisans working and making hand crafted items. Pottery, quilts, wood craving, soap making, doll making and so on. It’s a wonderful recreation of our heritage. I go up there at least once and sometimes twice a year. Love it.
They have cabins or you could camp at a state park fairly close by and drive over to the Ozark Folk center for a day trip.
My favorite park in Arkansas is Petit Jean State Park. It’s a great place to camp and it has some wonderful hiking trails. I particularly enjoy the Cedar Falls Trails but it’s rocky so bring a good pair of boots.
Arkansas is the Texas native’s dirty little secret. We brag about TX but scamper up to AR for vacation (why do you think we built I-30? )
I came in here to say Petit Jean, but others have beat me to it. If you’re staying in the Hot Springs area, the OuachitaTrail runs through the area, and has a lot of side trails which are great day hikes.
FWIW: The wife and I volunteered for some of the trail building years ago, and were contributors to the project. There’s a really lonely spot overlooking Lake Ouachita with a big bench for hikers to rest. The plaque at that stop has our name on it.
I hope you enjoy your trip. It’s a really beautiful part of the country.
It would never cross my mind to go to Arkansas . . . for any reason.
It if were me, I’d go back to Utah. You already had a taste of it, but there’s so much more . . . especially National Parks like Bryce and Arches. And of course the Grand Canyon.
Lots of people don’t think of going there because it is so underrated. Arkansas doesn’t have the huge mountains that the West does but it is no slacker in the topography department either. Its motto is ‘The Natural State’ for a reason and it isn’t a joke. There is some cool shit to see in Arkansas from the hot springs, the only public diamond mine in the U.S., waterfalls, to deep caves (Devil’s Den and others) that are safe to explore on your own.
The people are friendly and you don’t have to drive several hundred miles between attractions like you do the West plus it isn’t bone dry or at high altitude. I love both areas but Arkansas gets a bad rep or no rep when there is a whole lot there to offer someone interested in nature or unique versions of American culture. You should go if you ever get the chance.
Tourism is a big part of the economy in Arkansas. There is some really beautiful scenery here and interesting places to visit.
We even have a very respected art gallery/ museum that just opened by the Walton family (using that Walmart fortune!). Designed by a world famous architect. I plan to visit next year.
It’s also cheap. There are any number of places in AK where you can rent a nice cozy cabin in the mountains or on a lake for about what it costs to rent a room in a B&B in more populous areas.
North Arkansas is very different from South: it’s more mountainous, but even more, it’s empty. There just aren’t a lot of ways to make a living up there, it’s not on the way to anywhere else, and it’s never quite caught on as a tourist destination the way you’d expect. South Arkansas has paper mills and cotton farms and, while very rural, it’s nowhere near as extreme.
I would recommend taking state highway 7 up from Little Rock if you get a chance. It’s a beautiful road that is a lot of fun to drive.
Nope, sorry. Don’t recommend it. There are people like me in these parts.
It’s gorgeous, but I don’t think I’ve ever thought of it as “fun to drive.” I guess it is, if you’re the type who loves lots of curves, where it can take 2 hours to go 45 miles. (Okay, I’m exaggerating a bit, there.) At least, the part coming from Russellville on up is pretty crooked until you get to Harrison.
But, even the tiny stones can be worth a few bucks.
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