Little - Keep Trees

56 Local Area Outside the Gate
Falls. This is a fairly rugged hike, and though it is not
particularly far, you should allow a couple of hours. Cedar
Falls, with good reason, is considered the centerpiece of
the park. If the hike is not for you, you can look down on
the falls from an overlook along Highway 154.
If fishing is your goal, head for Bull Shoals-White River
State Park up in the Ozark Mountains a couple hours
north of Little Rock AFB. Bring your own boat to this
45,440-acre reservoir, or rent one from the marina in the
park. The park is located both above and below the dam,
so you can fish either the lake or the river. This is one of
those places that offers the chance to catch trophy
rainbow and brown trout.
History comes alive in two parks close to Little Rock
and another a bit farther away; the Plantation Agriculture
Museum and Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park
near the city, and the Prairie Grove Battlefield in the
northwest corner of the state. The first is dedicated to the
cotton-growing culture of Arkansas; Toltec preserves and
protects America’s tallest Indian mounds dating from
A.D. 600 to 1050; and Prairie Grove marks the site of the
last major Civil War engagement in northwestern
Arkansas. The battle is re-enacted on its anniversary
every year during the first weekend in December.
Crater of Diamonds State Park
Arkansas, The Natural State, is blessed with an
abundance of geological wonders. Crater of
Diamonds State Park, the only diamondproducing
site in the world open to the
public, stands out as a unique geological
“gem” for you to explore and enjoy.
Here, you are invited to prospect in the
park’s diamond search area, a 37 1/2-acre
plowed field that is the eroded surface of an
ancient volcanic pipe. Some 95 million years
ago, the pipe brought to the surface the
diamonds and semiprecious stones that
lucky visitors find here today.
For more information, go to
www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com.
To get a better feel for what
awaits you in the Arkansas State
Parks system, visit
www.ArkansasStateParks.com,
where you can check out the
interactive state parks guide.
This online booklet (also
available in paper for free at
most visitors’ centers) devotes
at least a page to every state
park in Arkansas and is filled
with gorgeous pictures of The
Natural State.
Photo: Magic Sprngs Water and Theme Park.
Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
LITTLE ROCK 2013 AFB GUIDE