Attractions in Ouachitas

Cossatot River State Park/Natural Area – Designated a National Wild and Scenic River, the Cossatot offers adventurers the most challenging whitewater in Arkansas. The stream snakes over and between upturned Ouachita Mountains’ strata to create Cossatot Falls, with rapids and drops rated up to Class V in difficulty. Because of its upland watershed, the Cossatot rises and falls relatively quickly so floaters are advised to call ahead to verify sufficient water levels. The park’s Visitor and Education Center (opened in 2004) hosts exhibits focusing on the river and a wildlife viewing area. Interpretive programs are available. The park’s more than 5,480 acres extend about 11 miles on both sides of the river from just above the Ark. 246 bridge east of Vandervoort to about 1.5 miles below the U.S. 278 bridge east of Wickes. Facilities include campsites, picnic sites and hiking trails, including the 14.5-mile River Corridor Trail. A 24 hour river stage number is 870-385-3141. This gives paddlers the river stage in feet. For further information call 870- 385-2201. www.ArkansasStateParks.com


Crater of Diamonds State Park – North America’s largest diamond (40.23 carats) and more than 70,000 other diamonds have been found in a field southeast of Murfreesboro since farmer John Huddleston discovered the first gems in the field in 1906. Now the eroding surface of a volcanic pipe located about three miles southeast of Murfreesboro is preserved as Crater of Diamonds State Park, the world’s only site where anyone can dig for diamonds and keep what they find. The park’s Diamond Discovery Center, which opened in June 2005, offers an audio-visual presentation giving tips on diamond hunting. Diamond displays and exhibits detailing the site’s history and geology can be found in the park’s visitor center. The park also has a campground, a hiking trail, a picnic and play area, and a seasonal “Diamond Springs” water play area. A rainbow-trout fishery is located on the Little Missouri River below the Narrows Dam some nine miles north of the park. 870-285-3113; www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com


DeGray Lake Resort State Park – Arkansas’s only resort state park is located about eight miles north of Arkadelphia on 13,800-acre DeGray Lake, formed when the Caddo River was dammed in 1972. Located on an island and reached by a short causeway, the park’s 94-room lodge features a hot tub, heated swimming pool, day spa services, wireless internet access, a business center, well-equipped exercise room, convention facilities and a full-service restaurant. Other park facilities include a challenging 7,200-yard golf course with pro shop, a riding stable, campgrounds and hiking trails. Water-skiing, sailing, jet-skiing and pleasure boating are other popular DeGray activities. Visitors can avail themselves of rental watercraft at the park marina to take advantage of the lake’s fishing or can launch their own craft for free. A full service marina is open year round that rents canoes, kayaks, flat bottom boats, party barges and deck boats. Fuel, bait, food, ice, and equipment are available. The park offers daily interpretive programs Memorial Day through Labor Day and throughout the year on weekends or by appointment. A sales staff is also on hand to help plan group events. The park also offers 113 campsites equipped for RV or tent camping with water and electric hookups. 501-865-2801; www.degray.com

Hot Springs – Hot Springs, the boyhood home of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, is one of Arkansas’s top tourist destinations. The city hosts a national park, a top flight thoroughbred racetrack, a 210-acre botanical garden, a combination theme and water park, and a thriving arts community. Its host of family attractions includes live music and magic shows. Summit Arena is connected to the Hot Springs Convention Center and hosts concerts, sports events and touring shows. Three area lakes – Hamilton, Catherine and Ouachita – accommodate water-based recreation, private resorts and two state parks. Oaklawn Park offers live racing from late January to mid-April and simulcast races during the rest of the year. Among the many features at Magic Springs/Crystal Falls theme and water parks are the X-Coaster. Oaklawn Park: 1-800-OAKLAWN; www.oaklawn.com. Magic Springs/Crystal Falls: 501- 624-0100; www.magicsprings.com. The Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau provides information on other attractions and area lakes by phone at 1-800-SPA-CITY and at www.hotsprings.org

Hot Springs National Park – Hot Springs and Hot Springs National Park owe their existence to an array of springs that still supply naturally heated water for thermal bathers. The Fordyce Bathhouse, located on famous Bathhouse Row, serves as the park’s visitor center. Hot Springs is the smallest and oldest of the parks in the National Park System. It dates back to 1832 when Congress established, 40 years ahead of Yellowstone, the first federally protected area in the nation's history. Hot Springs Reservation, which was renamed Hot Springs National Park in 1921, was created to protect the 47 naturally flowing thermal springs on the southwestern slope of Hot Springs Mountain. Hot Springs National Park: 501-624-3383; www.nps.gov/hosp

Garvan Woodland Gardens – The gardens are located on the shores of Lake Hamilton and are part of the department of the University of Arkansas School of Architecture. It is the only botanical garden in the nation that occupies all of a peninsula in a major water body. Popular garden attractions include The Anthony Chapel, a work of art that features a 57-foot, open-rafter ceiling supported by pine columns and crossbeams and the Joy Manning Scott Full Moon Bridge. There is also a 1.5 acre Evans Children’s Adventure Garden that provides a maze comprised of massive boulders for children to negotiate and a manmade cave with an entry behind a 12-foot waterfall.1-800-366-4664; www.garvangardens.org

Lake Ouachita – Arkansas’s largest reservoir, the 40,000 acres Lake Ouachita offers fishing for striped and largemouth bass and other sport fish in the backdrop of outstanding scenery. It is also a popular destination for scuba diving, pleasure boating, sailing, and water skiing. A number of private resorts with marinas and other recreational amenities are located on its shores. Houseboat rentals are also available. Lake Ouachita State Park offers a marina, rental cabins, camping and hiking. Numerous U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ recreation areas are also located on the lake, which was formed by the completion of Blakely Mountain Dam in the early 1950s. Resorts: 870-867-2723; www.mtidachamber.com. Lake Ouachita State Park: 501- 767-9366; www.ArkansasStateParks.com. Corps of Engineers’ sites: 501-767-2101.

Mount Ida/Quartz Crystals – There’s a good reason why each October the town of Mount Ida hosts the World Championship Quartz Crystal Dig. The nearby Crystal Mountains range of the Ouachitas contains some of the world’s finest deposits of quartz crystals. Digging is available year round. Several area mines allow patrons, for a fee, to dig and keep their finds. The area has many gem and mineral shops that sell crystals from all over the world. Specimens range in price from $1 to $10,000 for a 500-pound cluster. The Lake Ouachita Vista Trail is also here. 870- 867-2723; www.mtidachamber.com


Ouachita Mountains/Ouachita National Forest –The Ouachita Mountains were formed when a collision of two prehistoric continents squeezed up from the ocean floor thick layers of sedimentary rock. They have lost thousands of feet of elevation to weathering and erosion since emerging above sea level some 286 million years ago – 40 million years before the first dinosaurs walked the earth. The tallest summit now reaches less than 2,700 feet. The ancient Ouachitas now appear as the Rocky Mountains might look 300,000 millennia from now. The forest was established in1907, making it the oldest and largest National Forest in the South. Within the 1.8 million acre forest are back roads and hiking trails that provide visitors with an up-close experience of the aged mountains. Mountain views coupled with picturesque streams, rivers and lakes provide a highly valued setting for outdoor recreation. The forest, situated in central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma and headquartered in Hot Springs, offers nature related sightseeing and scenic driving as well as hunting, fishing and dispersed camping.An extensive trail system provides for all types of uses including hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and routes for off-highway vehicles. A variety of services can be found at developed campgrounds ranging from rustic tent pads to full-service RV hookups. Enjoy water-based recreation opportunities including fishing, non-motorized boating and enjoyment of streams, rivers and lakes. The forest hosts six wilderness areas (five in AR and one in OK) and twoWild and Scenic Rivers. The Talimena Scenic Byway winds along the top of Winding Stair and Rich Mountains on its way into Arkansas. Other highlights in the forest include the Ouachita National Recreation Trail, which traverses a lengthy 223miles across the region, and the Womble Trail, one of the most popular single-track mountain bike routes in the nation. www.fs.fed.us/r8/ouachita

Queen Wilhelmina State Park/Talimena Drive National Scenic Byway – The Talimena Scenic Drive stretches for 54 miles along crests of the Ouachita Mountains between Mena, Arkansas and Talihina, Oklahoma. In 2005, as a result of the efforts of the bi-state Talimena Scenic Drive Association, the route was designated a National Scenic Byway by the Federal Highway Administration. Sitting atop Arkansas’s second highest peak and located on the byway 13 miles west of Mena, Queen Wilhelmina State Park’s lodge accommodates travelers with 38 rooms, including two with fireplaces and two with spa tubs, and a restaurant and gift shop. A miniature golf course, miniature train rides and hiking trails, lined with colorful wildflowers in the spring, provide family activities. Guests using the park’s campground often include hikers traversing the 223- mile Ouachita National Recreation Trail which runs through the park. Queen Wilhelmina State Park: 479- 394-2863; www.queenwilhelmina.com; Talimena Byway: www.talimenascenicdrive.com. Mena: 479- 394-8355; www.VisitMena.com