Crater of Diamonds State Park is one of my favorite places to visit. We've traveled from Florida…read moretwice just to come here, and even made a third stop on our way home from our vacation out west - and we've still never found a diamond. Yet I would come back again and again. There's something incredibly therapeutic about the thrill of the hunt and the possibility that the next scoop of dirt could contain something amazing. It's not really about what you find - it's about the experience, the hope, and the adventure. The people here are also some of the kindest you'll meet. Everyone is searching for their own treasure, but they're genuinely excited when someone else makes a discovery. It creates a welcoming atmosphere where people get along, share stories, and celebrate each other's successes. If this place were closer to home, I'd probably spend at least one day every weekend here - maybe all of them. It's a fabulous escape and a special place that keeps calling me back, whether I find a diamond or not.

This was one of the highlights of our Arkansas trip while visiting family from our Florida home…read morebase. For anyone unfamiliar, this is the only diamond mine in the world open to the public where you can actually keep what you find. Some surprisingly large diamonds have been discovered here over the years, so there's always that tiny bit of hope that keeps you searching. What surprised me most was the layout. For some reason I expected caves or mining tunnels, but it's actually a huge open field where visitors search, dig, sift, and surface hunt. We paid $45 total admission for 3 people and thankfully already had equipment provided by our rental house (checkout Punkin's place in Murfreesboro, Arkansas on Airbnb) because you can absolutely spend extra renting tools onsite if needed. We started with wet sifting before moving into dry and surface searching. There were a few muddy sections from recent rain, but overall the conditions were great during our May visit. Slightly overcast skies with an occasional drizzle made the weather perfect for being outside. I honestly can't imagine doing this in the middle of a blazing hot summer afternoon. I had read reviews from people saying they left exhausted, but we approached it a little differently due to some back and shoulder limitations. We worked smart, paced ourselves, and still had a fantastic time. We didn't find diamonds that day, but we did leave with some beautiful rocks and a really fun experience. We would absolutely do this again!

We had a beautiful day to float the Caddo, with two kayaks and two canoes in our party yesterday…read more One canoe had novice paddlers for the 3+ hour float back to the vehicles. Our bus and some of the equipment (paddles, canoe) were a bit banged up or well used. It was a lot of fun, more class 1 or maybe class 2 than expected by the novices. But fun fun fun. We plan to do it again!

I wanted to be sure to come back and write a review as I couldn't find many newer reviews prior to…read moregoing. I'll start out by saying that the owners were great!!! We originally booked a camp side with electric and water for 2 days and would float on our last full day. We decided to extend our campsite and change our float to the next day AND swap to kayaks Instead of tubes. When we went to the office to make the changes and they were more than happy to help us as if it were no big deal! I also watched the owner down by the river everyday we were there just greeting people and chatting and helping in any way possible. I'm pretty sure I saw him pulling someone's car that had broke down. Just a testament to how helpful they are. The Campsite- my wife and I got site L for 3 days. The owner had just finished mowing the grass as we pulled up and it was very clean and level. I had read one old review that said the electric pole was a hundred feet away or something so I showed up with 5 extension cords. lol to my surprise, the electric pole was right at the side and 10 feet away from our tent! But I was ready. The water spigot was also right behind that so it was all very close. There was a nice fire ring and a camp style grill and the picnic table was in great shape. No one was in the site to our right but there were some folks in the site to our left but there was just enough space that it was no bother. The bathrooms were just a short walk up the hill. There was one men's and one women's restroom that stayed clean the whole time we were there and there were two showers, each in its own individual room. All 4 doors had pin pad knobs so they stayed locked and you needed a code to get in, they didn't give us any issues. The showers were push knobs so you have to hold them to keep water flowing but the temps were good. A little warm for my tastes but my wife loved it. The River- we decided on the kayaks instead of the tubes as we have tubes the river a few times and wanted to check out a little more. Since we were camping at the shuttle site, we just had to jump on a van once we were ready and they took us on a ten minute ride to the river. The driver was very knowledgeable and gave us some good tips. We ultimately floated for about 4 hrs to get back. The river was around 5.3 river level gauge so we did have a few spots where I had to get out but my wife slid right over. Guess I should lose a few pounds hahaha. It's definitely an easy paddle and kid friendly. There were a few spots with some faster moving water but nothing to be alarmed about. All in all it was a great experience. I will say, if you are looking for a quiet, in the woods campsite, this isn't it. It is close to the road so you hear every truck going down the road and those boys in Central Arkansas love their glasspack mufflers! lol but if you are looking for somewhere to camp after floating the river, this place is perfect! You don't have to drive to a shuttle area and then when you get done, you are back at camp. Caddy River Camping & Canoe, you guys are doing a great job!!

We Found the Real Diamonds -- and Their Names Are Sarah and Lynn!…read more Hands down the best campground we've ever stayed at! The place is spotless -- the tent sites are clean enough to eat off (not that we tried), and the bathhouse looks like it belongs in a glamping ad. Sarah and Lynn are absolute gems -- actually, scratch that, they're the real diamonds around here. They loaned us all the gear we needed to go mining and even showed us how to do it. We didn't strike it rich, but after hanging out with them, we felt like we did. They sell firewood at great prices and have a few handy items in the little shop -- not everything, but enough to save your forgetful self. The campground is quiet, beautiful, and ridiculously welcoming. We only planned to stay a couple nights, but six nights later we were still trying to come up with excuses not to leave. Perfect spot for hitting the Crater of Diamonds and a bunch of pretty lakes within a half hour's drive. If you're heading this way -- just book it. You'll dig it (literally).

Sarah and Len, the campground hosts are two of the kindest people who treat you like family. We…read morestayed a week and our daughter-in-law with our 2 grand kids stayed in an on site cabin.....it was perfect! Sarah loaned us the digging equipment and taught us how to use the equipment AND how to spot a diamond. Never found any diamonds but digging, washing and inspecting, although hard work, was fun. We highly recommend this RV park....clean, conveniently located and PERFECT!!

Definitely the best kayaking trip we've been on! My wife and I came to Arkansas for our honeymoon…read moreand are so glad we found this place. Franks was super nice and helpful and the prices are the best ones you can find. The views were absolutely gorgeous, it was very quiet, and the water felt amazing. Can't recommend this place enough to anyone looking to go kayaking. *Still open during covid- you have to wear a mask during the shuttle to launch spot.

Just wrapped up my 7th trip to Two Spirits. I had a great time, like every time before. Frank and…read moreSusan are the best, they treat you like family. The views, the cold cabins and the awesome food are well worth the money. Can't wait for next year!

Beautiful! Secluded! The water was so clean and the campsites were clean. Our family of 6 enjoyed…read moreit.

Our campsite was on the lake. We had power power and water. Bathrooms were clean with hot showers…read more Phone service was good. The water level is down but people were out on kayaks fishing. We walked around and at night enjoyed a campfire. Wood is sold in the office.

We drove through part of Lake Ouachita State Park in late July 2025…read more Entrance was free. The lake looked clean everywhere we went. I was impressed. Many boaters, some swimmers (with designated areas and beaches even), some fishermen, and hikers scattered this area of Arkansas just outside of Hot Springs. It was fairly hot when we went, but still good fun and beautiful scenery. If time had permitted, I would have liked to take my daughters to Three Sisters Springs and other places. We instead stayed at Echo Canyon which is not technically part of the state park, but exists on Lake Ouachita.

It was a beautiful morning, perfect for exploring trails along the state park. We drove :30, 2…read moremiles out of Hot Springs. We started in the visitor center with Wi-Fi, maps, and a small gift shop. We followed the trails down to the marina. We passed campsite's & pullouts. Kayaks, paddle boats, pontoon boats are all available. There was a small beach with two people sitting on chairs.

Good fun, good people and a good time was had by all!! Weather was not being helpful but we didn't…read morestop and was rewarded with great views!!

My husband and 8-year old daughter did a one hour trail ride and enjoyed the scenery very much. I…read morestayed at the ranch with my 5 year old who rode a horse around near the barn. We also got to walk and pet friendly miniature horses. Marsha was a very nice host and I enjoyed her conversation very much.

We stayed at Lake Catherine for 6 days and 5 nights. We had site #70…read more This site was plenty big, had a fishing dock (although the water was low) we still fished and enjoyed it. Only caught 1 small fish. Lake Catherine is about 15- 20 minutes to Hot Springs. We drove around section C looking for good spots and found several. We never went into section A or B. But this was a great, clean and quiet area. We will be back.

Clean and comfortable - natural beauty sitting just around the bend and over the next hill and…read moreunder the placid water of Lake Catherine! It's fun and easy to reach/enjoy with family friendly opportunities for hiking, fishing, boating, swimming, grilling, camping (cabins available too) - very close to Hot Springs which has a lot of beauty from the National Park in downtown to the lookout tower atop the highest point in downtown - including the natural hot springs which makes this place famous for America's first off season professional baseball camps and the likes of gangsters and movie stars all mingled alongside the everyday persons enjoying the same or hanging out at the horse races. It's a cool place to visit and you'll have a super time at the park - with other states parks and lakes and rivers/hiking and nature all around!

HIGHLY recommend! I went with my 10 yr old grandson. We stayed in the bunkhouse and it was perfect…read more If you need a no frills place to sleep, microwave and small frig it's perfect! (The other cabins looked great too. ) Owners are so sweet and helpful! We had planned to go into Hot Springs a few days, but the river was so pretty, fishing was great, swings were super cool, and kayaking was a blast so we never left the campground. Thanks Amanda, Casey, and Nolan!!! See you again sometime!Melissa Wright

Awesome people, kid friendly, and great fishing on a beautiful river. We really enjoyed our canoe…read moretrip and will be back!