Friends trail Great trail! Easy path to follow, roots and…read morerocks make it unstable for any stroller or wheels. Clean area, the river is beautiful! The path also leads up to a cliff area. Must stop and walk when town. Our 2 year old followed us everywhere on the trail.

What a great time at Beavers Bend State park. It's a beautiful time of year with small crowds. The…read morearea is very accessible from Hochatown. If you are in the area it's worth it to check it out!

Although the Cossatot is better known for white water boating, levels were too low and my company…read moretoo young to do so safely on our visit. Instead, we hiked - first along the river itself, making use of skills that felt more like light mountaineering to scale and descend the massive rocks jutting up out of the earth; then along a more traditional mountain path. The rocks were fun, and we wanted more of them, but alas, the path eventually forces you into the water if you want to continue, and we weren't equipped for that. Instead, we hit a mountain trail that, while fun, clearly doesn't see much traffic (the path was pretty overgrown in some places). All in all, it was a great experience that I would recommend to anyone with an appreciation for the beauty of the outdoors. Just one word of warning: the maps they provide at the visitor center are almost totally useless, so fooling with them is probably a waste of time. Fortunately, trails and camping areas are all clearly marked with signage, so you should be able to find your way around fairly easily.

Beautiful hiking trails for the whole family. We took our…read moredog on leash as well. The trails are nicely signaled.

Amazing location with a great background history. A nice escape and hidden gem!…read more Gift store is nicely stocked and now open seven days a week. I am a little biased as I'm on the FHR board but saying this park is beautiful is not a stretch

Stop here it's fun and beautiful!!! Nice for fishing and pictures!!! Funnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnread more

Quick look rating: 5/5 Quality, 5/5 Service, 5/5 Experience…read more For my 100th review of 2015, I thought it would be best to write about a great little trout fly fishing spot that's not to far from Dallas, TX. **To note: This review is written about the creek before the floods in early spring of 2015. In the spring of 2015 we had major rains and flooding in the area. The engineers for the dam had to release a large amount of water from the spillway. Downstream was a major washout. Spillway Creek is below the spillway dam at Broken Bow Lake. It is just a little over 3 hours drive time from Dallas or 20 to 25 minutes from Broken Bow, Oklahoma. The water released from this dam comes from about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way down from the top of the water. This keeps the water released cold, cold enough for trout to live for the first couple of miles to about twelve miles worth of stream before it gets to hot for trout. The spillway is stocked with trout nearly every two weeks with at least two trucks of stock trout. The Spillway Creek is on the Ouachita National Forrest and Beavers Bend State Park, and I noticed that they are doing a great job of keeping this park and wildlife area, very well maintained! Help keep this park clean, what you pack/carry in, well then carry out, thank you in advance! At the time of spring there was two nice fly fishing shops in the area, while the Dallas has some really nice fly shops to help you out as well! Some of the Fly shops in Dallas have some guides that will take you up there as well! My thoughts / suggestions: 9ft rod - 4 or 5 weight rod, 9ft leader with a 5x tippet, take 5,6, and 7x tippet spools. Flies: RS2, maybe some tiny midge nymphs. Carry a wading staff! The water can be stiff in some areas! **To note: Check with the local fly shops for what kind of fly's to use and what types of tippet and leaders are being used at that time. **Emergency Note: Always listen for any sirens in the valley / creek area. When they release water from the dam, the engineers will blow that horn/whistle. If you hear it, head to high ground IMMEDIATELY! Please keep in mind where your fellow fly fishing buddies are located! For the most part there is phone reception in the area, but double check. It is pretty good idea to go to text mode when fly fishing and keep it on vibration/silent mode. Be safe, and let others know where you are located! I'll be back!

Best unkept secret! It was kinda eerie that there were no other people around. There are hiking…read moretrails, ATV and equestrian trails and primitive camp sites. Picnic tables, bbq grills and fire pits are also there. There is a stream down below with rocks. You can camp or just enjoy lunch with a view!

Wolf Pen Gap has over 40 miles of dirt bike and all-terrain vehicle trails through the Quachita…read moreNational Forest. The looping trails vary in difficulty- from easy to more rugged and challenging. There are 3 trailheads. Hubby and my two sons have ridden dirt bikes here for over a decade and report the scenery on the trails can't be beat. Check out the website: fs.usda.gov for maps, details and further information.

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.

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 stunning fall day, the air was crisp and the parking lot was totally packed. What a…read moregorgeous day to explore Robbers Cave. We brought a picnic and the fur babies and made a day of it! The only tiny complaint was the QR codes were scratched out so there was no way for people to pay for parking. A sign update is definitely needed but this was during the government shutdown so I'm sure that wasn't available. Bathrooms were clean and well stocked, trails were in excellent shape, trash cans were pretty full due to all the people but not overflowing. If you can make it on a week day it would be a lot easier to find parking. This is an Oklahoma must do!

I checked in for the annual fall festival that always falls during fall break in October. It's a…read morefabulous festival with car show, tons of food options, and great vendors to shop. They have a carnival and inflatables for kids too. But this state park itself is one of my favorites. I've been going since I was a child, and the lake is so beautiful. I love to rent a paddleboat! They have yurts to rent, putt putt golf, and a snow cone/coffee stand that has become better and better over the years. The lookout kitchen is finally open after that whole debacle with the state, but I need to go back and try it. The building is beautiful though and right in the water. We've camped here in our RV too, and the spots are spacious, quiet, and very woodsy. It's always fun to hike up to the cave too. The history of this area is so cool. The trails are great, and there are options for ability levels. I always go green or yellow. You can often find people rappelling too! Definitely give this state park a try.

Queen Wilhelmina State Park is located on Rich Mountain, Arkansas' second highest peak. We stayed…read morenearby in an Air BnB and came up to hike one day and another time to watch the sunset. Both activities did not disappoint. There are 41 campsites along with picnic areas and 4 hiking trails of varying lengths and difficulty levels. The trails are: Lover's Leap Trail, Reservoir Trail, Spring Trail and the Quachita National Hiking Trail (National Recreation Trail). There is an old train engine to look at. I wonder how in the heck did they get that up there? There is a playground and small train tracks that appears to be for fun kiddie train rides in the summer months. Several lookout areas in the park. The Lover's Leap lookout area near the lodge has two viewing scopes (bring two quarters to use). Be careful, the one on the right has a stain near the eyepiece and you can't see out of it. Of course I only had two quarters and unfortunately put it into that viewer. This area is so beautiful with scenic views anywhere you look.

Wonderful place to spend a few days. We have stayed at the lodge and in our travel trailer here…read more Arkansas keeps their state parks is great shape and this goes for the lodge as well. The lodge rooms are large, clean and appear new. The restaurant has good consistent food and service.