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Arkansas State Parks Camping + Exploration. The best way to see 7 amazing parks in 4 days.
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Arkansas State Parks Camping + Exploration. Being almost halfway through our timeline of seeing all 52 Arkansas State Parks in a year, we needed to pick it up a notch.
So we planned 7 parks in 4 days. A challenging task, but with planning (and flexibility), we managed to see + fully enjoy all 7 parks. Here’s what this round of Arkansas State Parks Camping + Exploration had to offer…
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Table of Contents
Arkansas State Parks Camping + Exploration
1. Louisiana Purchase State Park
AR Hwy 362 Brinkley, AR 72049
The first stop on this trip, Louisiana Purchase State Park, took 4.5 hours to reach (from NWA). This historic state park takes only an hour to enjoy. A boardwalk leads you through the swamp, to the location of the National Historic Monument- the point from which land surveys were made for most of the Louisiana Purchase.
Plaques along the way give information on this headwater swamp’s wildlife and history. With a bathroom and picnic tables at the site, this is a nice little secluded place to visit and maybe enjoy a swamp picnic.
2. Delta Heritage Trail Arkansas State Park
5539 Hwy 49 Helena-West Helena, AR 72390
A short drive down the road lands you at Delta Heritage Trail State Park. The visitor’s center (railroad-themed) is one of the most unique ones we have encountered so far.
This park has miles and miles of hiking and biking trails running along the Mississippi River, and crossing the Arkansas and White Rivers.
Bike rentals are available at the visitor’s center. After researching the area and talking to the park ranger, we opted for kayaking.
Honestly, we are accustomed to the spectacular hiking in NWA and were less than excited about hiking the flatlands on the east side of the state. Heading 20 miles S/SW we found our kayaking location at Old Town Lake.
With abundant cypress trees and wildlife (snakes, owls, birds, fish), Old Town Lake did not disappoint and is easily my favorite lake I have ever kayaked.
If you have never weaved through cypress trees while kayaking… DO IT! It’s such a unique and amazing experience.
3. Mississippi River Arkansas State Park
2955 Hwy. 44 Marianna, AR 72360
The next stop, Mississippi River State Park, is a quick drive north. The incredible visitor’s center is the first thing you will notice about this state park.
This beautiful (and huge!) building seems to come out of nowhere.
After exploring the interactive visitor’s center, and researching activity options, we chose kayaking again. There is one small nature trail available to walk (1 mile) at the visitor’s center.
But the draw of this location is the 3 lakes sitting in the St. Francis National Forest (Bear Creek Lake, Storm Creek Lake + Horner’s Neck Lake).
Bear Creek and Storm Creek Lakes are larger lakes that offer camping with hookups and bathhouses.
Bear Creek is minutes from the visitor’s center, while Storm Creek is 12 miles (30mins on curvy, small roads) south.
Since Beech Point Campground (at Bear Creek Lake) was full, we drove a half hour south to camp at Storm Creek Lake.
This works out well if you kayak the small, scenic Horner’s Neck Lake, which is about 5 minutes from the Storm Creek Lake Campground.
Horner’s Neck Lake is a more secluded lake that also has the cypress trees we loved so much on our previous kayaking adventure. This state park has multiple other primitive campsites available as well.
Arkansas Adventures
Your Guide to Kayaking through the Cypress Trees!
4. Village Creek Arkansas State Park
201 County Road 754 Wynne, AR 72396
The next stop on this journey of state parks is further north, at Village Creek State Park.
With many multi-use trails (hike, bike, horse ride) intersecting at various points, you will want to take along a map if you hike (get the “Hiker’s Guide” from the visitor’s center).
Two nearby lakes, Lake Dunn and Lake Austell, offer water activities. We chose kayaking Lake Austell for some peaceful fishing (and beaver watching!) at sunset.
There were plenty of people using the campground facilities on a Saturday night, including a nearby band playing peaceful banjo music most of the evening.
This is the perfect place to set up a hammock to kick back and relax. Just be sure to keep an eye on your food because the camp raccoons seem fairly unphased by people.
Hammock
Our hammocks- Wise Owl Outfitters Camping Hammock.
The campsites have full hookups, a table, a grill, a dump station, boat docks, launch ramps, and 5 modern bath houses (individual with toilet + shower).
5. Parkin Archeological Arkansas State Park
60 State Hwy 184 Parkin, AR 72373
Another short drive will get you to Parkin Archeological State Park. This state park is an archeological site and research center. It has a museum with interactive areas and an outdoor 3/4-mile walking trail.
The trail has a view of The St. Francis River, the Parkin Mound, an old schoolhouse, and a cemetery. It doesn’t take long to fully explore this state park and is an interesting little stop along the way.
6. Lake Poinsett Arkansas State Park
5752 State Park Lane Harrisburg, AR 72432
Lake Poinsett State Park is a half-hour drive down the road from Parkin. It has just one hike at 1.1 miles, some camping spots, and a lake.
The hiking seemed bland, so we chose kayaking and fishing at Lake Poinsett. This lake wasn’t spectacular for kayaking, but we made the best of it and explored the shoreline for an hour or so before calling it quits.
7. Jacksonport Arkansas State Park
111 Avenue St. Newport, AR 72112
The final stop on this journey is Jacksonport State Park. The visitor’s center is a beautiful building sitting on the White River.
The main attraction at this park is The Courthouses of Jackson County (a historic museum). If you love history, this place will be great. If not, it’s meh.
The camping site has a river view with some available sandbars to enjoy at the river’s edge. Beware of snakes (we spotted a copperhead just feet from the water’s edge on the sandbar).
After touring the courthouse, sit back at the campsite and enjoy a sunset over the White River. The campsites have full hookups, a dump station, a picnic area, a boat ramp, and a bathhouse.
Final Thoughts: Arkansas State Parks Camping + Exploration
Seeing 7 Arkansas State Parks in 4 days was a tall task, but manageable with the planning and route we chose (even with the drive to/from the area at 5 hours for us).
Visiting our final state park on this trip landed us at our 25th park, and earned us the Club 52 Arkansas State Parks playing cards. A small prize, but much sought after for us!
If you get a chance, check out the Arkansas State Parks Club 52 challenge and start your journey of visiting all of our beautiful Arkansas State Parks!
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We would LOVE to hear from others who are on their journey of Arkansas State Parks Camping + Exploration! What Arkansas State Parks have you visited? Which one was your favorite? Which one do you look forward to visiting the most? Leave a comment!
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Arkansas State Parks Camping + Exploration Park Links
Delta Heritage Trail State Park
Parkin Archeological State Park
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Thank you for sharing your itinerary and suggestions! We were already trying to visit all the Arkansas state parks before the Club 52 program began, so will have to backtrack some in order to get the previous passport stamps, at some point. But we are enjoying the journey and the beauty of our home state! Have fun Travelin’ Arkansas!
Luckily we found the passport books by accident at our 2nd state park, so we only had to backtrack to one (but it was a good one we wanted to return to anyway!).
This is awesome. Do you know if other states do this?
Not that I am aware of. Many states with do a rewards program, where you get points for dollars spent inside the state park. But the Arkansas State Park incentive program is completely free (free to visit the parks, free to get the passport book).
Great article, I love the video of the owl. We saw a huge on in our backyard a few months ago, but he didn’t stay still long enough for me to get a picture.
These owls didn’t even care that we floated right up to them! I’ve never experienced antything like it.
Great information. Thank you for sharing.
The Horner’s Neck Lake trees look stunning! Thank you for sharing your tips and suggetions