National Natural Landmark

Mammoth Spring (Mammoth Spring State Park)

Arkansas's only National Natural Landmark, Mammoth Spring, is Arkansas's largest spring and the 10th largest in the world. The spring flows nine million gallons of water each hour, forming a 10-acre lake, then flowing south creating the Spring River, a popular trout and float stream.

National Historic Landmarks

Louisiana Purchase State Park

Deep in this east Arkansas swamp is the initial point from which all surveys of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 initiated. Walking the boardwalk you'll experience the beauty of the swamp. Wayside exhibits tell about the Louisiana Purchase, and describe the flora and fauna.

Historic Washington State Park

Washington was a major stop on the legendary Southwest Trail that connected St. Louis, Missouri, to the nearby Red River and Mexico (later Texas). Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie each traveled separately through Washington before they fought for Texas independence. Washington was site of the blacksmith shop where gifted blacksmith James Black made a weapon for Jim Bowie that would become famous as the "Bowie Knife." Today, Historic Washington is a restored 19th-century town with 45 historic structures. Classic examples of Southern Greek Revival, Federal, Gothic Revival, and Italianate architecture stand as a legacy to life in Washington from 1824 to 1889. You'll want to stroll the plank boardwalks along streets that have never been paved, and explore this tree-shaded town, Arkansas's premier pioneer village, that many call "the Colonial Williamsburg of the Southwest."

Parkin Archeological State Park

A 17-acre Mississippian Period Native American village was here from A.D. 1000 to 1550. A large platform mound on the St. Francis riverbank remains, and archeologists continue their discoveries below ground. Many scholars believe the Parkin site is the Native American village of Casqui, visited by Hernando de Soto in 1541.

Red River Campaign

In the last Union offensive in the Trans-Mississippi Region, Union troops marched through southwest Arkansas to invade Texas. Three battle sites that turned the Union troops back (Poison Spring, Marks' Mills and Jenkins' Ferry), plus the Union armory building in Little Rock (later the birthplace of General Douglas MacArthur) and the Confederate capitol of Arkansas in the historic town of Washington, Arkansas are included in the multiple sites of this National Landmark route.
 

Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park

Arkansas's tallest remaining prehistoric Native American Indian mounds, the remains of a large ceremonial complex inhabited from A.D. 600 to 1050, are preserved at this site just 20 minutes east of Little Rock.

National Register of Historic Places

Conway Cemetery State Park

On June 15, 1836, James Sevier Conway (1796-1855), surveyor, planter, and prominent citizen of territorial Arkansas, took office as the state's first governor. The park's major feature is Governor Conway's final resting place in the family cemetery, on the Conway family's former home and cotton plantation called "Walnut Hill."

Crater of Diamonds State Park

Diamonds were discovered here in 1906 and, since then, more than 75,000 diamonds have been unearthed. This is the only diamond mine in the world that is open to the public. Notable diamond finds include the 40.23-carat "Uncle Sam," the largest diamond ever unearthed in the United States; and the 3.03-carat "Strawn-Wagner Diamond" that was cut to a 1.09-carat gem graded "D" flawless O/O/O, or perfect, the highest grade the American Gem Society can award.

Crowley's Ridge State Park

This park includes structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, with a group area, a large and impressive two-story pavilion, and an amphitheater designed to seat 1,000. The trail around CCC-built Lake Ponder features exhibits about the CCC work.

Devil's Den State Park

Devil's Den holds what has been called the most complete example of CCC park architecture in the state. Selected as a park site in 1933, Lee Creek Valley provided the native wood and stone that the Civilian Conservation Corps used to craft the park's CCC/Rustic-style buildings and structures, including a native stone dam, a unique pavilion/restaurant/bathhouse, cabins in several styles and sizes, roads, trails, stone walls, bridges, and furniture. In 1994, when the park was being nominated for recognition by the National Registry of Historic Places, they determined that the park had so many qualifying structures that they designated the entire park as a Historic District.
 

Frisco Depot (Mammoth Spring State Park)

The 1885 Kansas City, Fort Scott, and Memphis Railroad Depot, now called by its last operating name, the "Frisco Depot," is the oldest depot remaining in Arkansas. This charming Queen Anne-style structure, fully restored and interpreted through exhibits, is one of only a few depots in Arkansas, as well as the nation, that have been restored as a museum dedicated to interpreting its role as a train depot.

Herman Davis State Park

This monument honors Private Herman Davis, an Arkansas farm boy who was 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.

Jacksonport State Park

Steamboats made Jacksonport a thriving river port in the 1800s. During the Civil War, both Confederate and Union troops vied for control of the town because of its crucial river locale. Jacksonport became county seat in 1854, but construction of a courthouse was delayed until 1869. The 1872 courthouse preserved here is one of the finest historic restorations in the mid-south. Events and programs tell the story of this historic river port.

Lake Catherine State Park

Five of the 18 cabins in this park, plus the nature center, are beautiful examples of log and stone CCC construction from the 1930s. Lake Catherine was one of Arkansas's first state parks, established in 1935.

Mount Nebo State Park

Rising 1,350 feet, Mount Nebo offers sweeping views of the Arkansas River Valley. Native stone and logs from Mount Nebo were used by the Civilian Conservation Corps to construct many of the park's bridges, trails, rustic-style cabins, and a grand pavilion overlooking the valley below.

Old Davidsonville State Park

Established in 1815 on the banks of the Black River, this important frontier town had Arkansas Territory's first post office, courthouse, and land office. When bypassed by the Southwest Trail from St. Louis to Mexico, the town began to fade, and was virtually unoccupied by the 1830s. Because there has since been little disturbance, archeologists have recently uncovered the town three inches below ground. Finds include corners of buildings, streets, and a volume of artifacts, which are currently at the University of Arkansas being catalogued and preserved.

Historic Washington State Park

Washington was a major stop on the legendary Southwest Trail that connected St. Louis, Missouri, to the nearby Red River and Mexico (later Texas). Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie each traveled separately through Washington before they fought for Texas independence. Washington was site of the blacksmith shop where gifted blacksmith James Black made a weapon for Jim Bowie that would become famous as the "Bowie Knife." Today, Historic Washington is a restored 19th-century town with 45 historic structures. Classic examples of Southern Greek Revival, Federal, Gothic Revival, and Italianate architecture stand as a legacy to life in Washington from 1824 to 1889. You'll want to stroll the plank boardwalks along streets that have never been paved, and explore this tree-shaded town, Arkansas's premier pioneer village, that many call "the Colonial Williamsburg of the Southwest."

Petit Jean State Park

Petit Jean's three National Historic Districts list over 80 buildings, trails, bridges, and beautiful Mather Lodge on the bluff overlooking scenic Cedar Creek Canyon. The bluffs, waterfalls and vistas of Petit Jean Mountain inspired the creation of Arkansas's state park system. The CCC work here is an outstanding example of CCC/Rustic Style architecture and mirrors the mountain's rugged beauty as the native log and stone structures seem to rise from the earth.

Powhatan Historic State Park

Powhatan's 1888 courthouse, 1873 jail, 1840s Ficklin-Imboden log house, 1888 telephone exchange building, and a unique 1880s two-room schoolhouse, are all on their original foundations and each is on the National Register. Restored to the architect's original plans, the courthouse archives some of the oldest records in Arkansas.

Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park

Recognized by the American Battlefield Protection Program as one of the most intact Civil War battlefields in the nation, Prairie Grove gives a view of the December 7, 1862 battlefield just as it appeared to Union and Confederate troops.

Queen Wilhelmina State Park

The "Wonder House" is a stone vacation cabin built in 1931 by Carlos Hill. This unusual structure has nine levels and was designed to take advantage of the scenic views and cooler temperatures high atop the state's second highest mountain.

Village Creek State Park

Within the rolling hills and forests of this 7,000-acre park is a section of the Trail of Tears listed on the National Register. This segment of the old Memphis-to-Little Rock Road is cut deep into the Crowley's Ridge soil and has been touted as the most dramatic remaining section of the Indian Removal route.