Crater of Diamonds State Park

[Dadstoy]

Anyone ever camp at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas? Looked for diamonds and other stones? We are thinking of going for a short vacation to check it out.

[dhn]

We have camped there a few times. The campground is nice and has a few trails to hike. The "mine", it self is a big open plowed field that you just pick a spot and dig. The staff will help you identify what you find. They say the best time to dig is after it rains. There is a charge for admission. You can bring your own shovels, buckets and screens, or rent them there. You will need sun screen and a hat or some type of shade to keep the sun off.

Here is a link to the park:
http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/digging-for-diamonds/

[Bob Landry]

We checked it out on one of our trips to Lake Catherine. IMO, it turned out to be pretty much a waste of time. The odds of mining the field and uncovering anything of value is pretty much the same as winning the lottery. That said, the State parks around Hot Springs are nothing but top notch. We are making our third Halloween trip to Lake Catherine this year.

[dhn]

I agree with Bob, don't go looking to find a big diamond most that are found are small. There is a list of the diamonds found on the web site. We took the kids and they had fun, but we did not find anything. If you are just passing through and stop, it is a good place to spend the day. If you are coming to spend a week or so, you might want to check out the Hot Springs area. As Bob said, Lake Cathrine State Park is a nice park, and quiet in the fall. Lake Ouachita (Wash-ah-taw) has a nice State Park and a number nice COE parks. You could drive to Crater of Diamonds or Little Rock, for a day trip.

[Bob Landry]

I've heard of the COE parks in AR but havn't checked them out. I need to. We stay at some of them in Texas and that are all top notch.

[dhn]

We usually stay at Denby Point, almost to Mt Ida. It is quiet in the fall. The restrooms and showers are clean. Most spots on the lake have drop offs, so it is hard to park a boat at your campsite. We don't have a boat, so no problem for us. We have stayed at Tomkins Bend, some spots are tight to get into and close together. Crystal Springs is a nice park. I don't care for Brady Mountain, the road going into the park is real curvy, and has some inclines. Some of the spots are real tight and the roads in the campground are narrow. The State Park on the Eastern end of the lake is a nice park, and some sites have full hook ups. It has a real steep grade going into the park. Most of the COE parks we have stayed at here in Arkansas are nice with clean restrooms and showers.
Some do not have water at the site, just electric. We do have a few COE parks here in Arkansas. We have ether stayed at, or drove through most of them.

[curlyfungirl]

We checked it out on one of our trips to Lake Catherine. IMO, it turned out to be pretty much a waste of time. The odds of mining the field and uncovering anything of value is pretty much the same as winning the lottery. That said, the State parks around Hot Springs are nothing but top notch. We are making our third Halloween trip to Lake Catherine this year.

Fairly recently a young boy pretty much tripped over a five carrat(sp?) brown diamond. Pretty exciting, I think, even if it isn't worth a fortune.

[Javi]

There is another beautiful lake in the area which is usually overlooked in favor of Lake Ouachita, check out Lake DeGray it is my favorite spot in Arkansas...

[Dadstoy]

Thanks, from what Ive read ,its a pretty nice place. Even if you don't spend much time looking for diamonds.