Petit Jean State Park is an Arkansas classic, a natural and historic treasure that has welcomed travelers for decades. The natural beauty and ancient geology of the legendary Petit Jean Mountain inspired the creation of Arkansas’s first state park and with it the state park system. Petit Jean State Park is located at 1285 Petit Jean Mountain Road in Morrilton, Arkansas. For more information, click here.

The park mirrors the mountain’s rugged beauty with its rustic-style, native log and stone facilities constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps beginning in 1933. The CCC built trails, roads, bridges, cabins, and the focal point of the park, historic Mather Lodge, a 24-room lodge overlooking Cedar Creek Canyon with a restaurant, meeting rooms, and gift shop. The fireplace in the lobby serves as a welcoming gathering place in the winter.

Near the lodge are 33 cabins (21 with kitchens) located along the bluff with views of the canyon. Another cabin with a kitchen is a short drive away. Most of the cabins are rustic CCC-style with modern amenities, and a few are duplex designs.

Upstream from Cedar Creek, a CCC rock dam forms Lake Bailey, 100 acres for fishing, kayaking, and pedal boating. Open in the summer months, the boathouse offers a snack bar, boat rentals, and supplies. The 125 park campsites (35 Class AAA and 90 Class B) are near Lake Bailey. Other options include a group camp area, a rally-style area, and four Rent-A-Yurts. The park also has an airport.

Two swimming pools, picnic areas, playgrounds, pavilions, boat launch ramp, tennis and basketball court, and an amphitheater are also on site.

Hiking trails lead through forests and meadows, over canyons, and along streams and the mountainside. See where nature formed sheer bluffs, the spectacular 95-foot Cedar Falls, Seven Hollows, and such distinctive features as Bear Cave, the Grotto, Natural Bridge, and other formations like carpet rocks and turtle rocks. Interpreters lead programs and special events throughout the year showcasing the uniqueness of this park. Rarely do you find a place that will beckon you back again and again. Petit Jean is that place. Come discover the beautiful, mystical qualities of Arkansas’s first state park.

Petit Jean State Park is a certified Trail of Tears National Historic Trail Site. In the 1830s, Cherokee Indians along with members from the other Southeastern tribes of the United States passed by Petit Jean Mountain during their forced migration to present-day Oklahoma. Petit Jean State Park is located in Morrilton, Arkansas. You can view a portion of this historic route from the overlook at Stout’s Point.

For more of the best adventures in the United States, click here. For the best nearby parks and amazing locations, click here. For the best Hotels, Resorts, and Vacation Homes, click here.

Withrow Springs State Park is a unique little park located at 33424 Spur 23 in Huntsville, Arkansas. For more information on the park, click here.

The park is great for hiking, kayaking, and camping. Outdoor fun also includes tennis courts, baseball and softball fields, picnic areas, a pavilion, and gift shop.

The park serves as a put-in point on this north-flowing Class I stream, typically floatable from March to mid-June depending on rainfall, and is an outfitter and shuttle service for War Eagle Creek. A day of floating or fishing on these gentle waters is relaxation at its best.

The park features 29 Class AAA and 10 walk-in campsites, plus three hiking trails. A unique flower, the rare Ozark trillium, grows here.

The park has 3 excellent hiking trails, the Dogwood Nature Trail, the Forest Trail, and the War Eagle Trail. The War Eagle is my personal favorite at the park. This trail has a cave,unique rock formations, towering bluffs and even a scenic overlook.

For more of the best adventures in the United States, click here. For the best nearby parks and amazing locations, click here. For the best Hotels, Resorts, and Vacation Homes, click here.

Devil’s Den State Park is an Arkansas icon, this special place nestled in Lee Creek Valley was selected as a state park site in the 1930s. Some of the park’s unique characteristics are rock formations and caverns. Devil’s Den State Park is located at 11333 West Arkansas Hwy. 74 in West Fork, Arkansas. For more information, click here.

An impressive rock dam spans Lee Creek forming Lake Devil, an 8-acre lake for fishing and boating with canoes and pedal boats for rent.

The park’s hiking, backpacking, mountain bike, and horseback riding trails lead to the surrounding Ozark National Forest.

Devil’s Den includes 17 cabins with kitchens and fireplaces and 6 camper cabins. The park also offers 135 campsites (44 Class AAA, 24 Class D [no hookups], eight hike-in [tent only], and 42 sites with hookups in the horse camp that includes a bathhouse and access to the horse trails).

The park’s cafe is open seasonally. The pool is open in summer only. Also on-site is a group camp, standard pavilion, store, and a meeting room.

Join park interpreters on hikes along trails and for a variety of programs and special events year-round, like the Ozark Mountain Bike Festival held annually in the spring.

For more of the best adventures in the United States, click here. For the best nearby parks and amazing locations, click here. For the best Hotels, Resorts, and Vacation Homes, click here.

This is a hiker’s paradise with miles of trails that overlook the Sawtooth Mountains and wind down to inland lakes accessible only by foot. Tettegouche State Park is located at 5702 Highway 61 in Silver Bay, Minnesota. For more information, click here.

Park Highlights Include:

The wide variety of plant communities in the park supports more than 40 species of mammals. Most commonly seen are white-tailed deer, snowshoe hare, red squirrel and beaver. Less commonly observed are moose, black bear, red fox, and river otter. Occasionally, coyote, fisher pine marten, northern flying squirrel, and even the timber wolf are seen.

Come to Tettegouche for a great sense of the North Shore: the spectacular overlooks at Shovel Point; rocky, steep cliffs and inland bluffs; the cascading 60 ft. High Falls of the Baptism River; and the historic Tettegouche Camp where visitors can stay the night. This is a hiker’s paradise with miles of trails that overlook the Sawtooth Mountains and wind down to inland lakes accessible only by foot.

Nature lovers adore this park! Hiking trails along the Baptism River provide views of many falls and cascades including High Falls, the spectacular 60-foot waterfall. In addition, a section of the Superior Hiking Trail runs through the park.

For more of the best adventures in the United States, click here. For the best nearby parks and amazing locations, click here. For the best Hotels, Resorts, and Vacation Homes, click here.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park – fondly known as “the Porkies” – features 60,000 acres of old-growth forest, roaring waterfalls, Lake Superior shoreline, rivers, trails and ridges. The park’s incomparable vistas make Michigan’s largest state park a popular destination for camping, hiking, snowmobiling, fishing and more.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is located at 33303 Headquarters Road in Ontonagon Michigan. The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset. For more information, click here.

The park boasts many popular natural attractions, including Lake of the Clouds and the scenic Presque Isle River corridor. Other attractions include the Summit Peak observation tower, Porcupine Mountains Winter Sport Complex, fall chairlift rides, an 18-hole disc golf course and more.

This 60,000-acres is home to a 35,000-acre old-growth forest, roaring waterfalls, miles of rivers and streams, 90-plus miles of hiking trails, a modern and rustic campground, backcountry camping, the Lake Superior shoreline and more. The visitor center is just 3 miles west of Silver City on M-107.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is one of the most amazing parks in Michigan and even the entire Midwest. There is so much to see and explore you could stay all summer. If hiking or camping is your thing, plan a trip to the Porkies!

For more of the best adventures in the United States, click here. For the best nearby parks and amazing locations, click here. For the best Hotels, Resorts, and Vacation Homes, click here.