Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Community Forums > Campgrounds & Destinations
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 09-16-2013, 04:38 AM   #1
Dadstoy
Junior Member
 
Dadstoy's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Southwest Ohio
Posts: 28
Crater of Diamonds State Park

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.
Dadstoy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2013, 06:02 AM   #2
dhn
Senior Member
 
dhn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: East End, AR
Posts: 108
Crater of Diamonds

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...-for-diamonds/
dhn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2013, 07:18 AM   #3
Bob Landry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Austin, Tx
Posts: 1,910
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.
__________________
2011 Outback 277RL
2013 F250 XLT Crew Cab 6.2L

Bitter Gun Owner
Bitter Clinger
Armed Infidel
Bob Landry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2013, 10:02 AM   #4
dhn
Senior Member
 
dhn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: East End, AR
Posts: 108
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.
dhn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2013, 12:30 PM   #5
Bob Landry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Austin, Tx
Posts: 1,910
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.
__________________
2011 Outback 277RL
2013 F250 XLT Crew Cab 6.2L

Bitter Gun Owner
Bitter Clinger
Armed Infidel
Bob Landry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2013, 01:08 PM   #6
dhn
Senior Member
 
dhn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: East End, AR
Posts: 108
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.
dhn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2013, 02:21 PM   #7
curlyfungirl
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Essex Junction Vermont
Posts: 342
Smile

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Landry View Post
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.
__________________
Marianne
2012 F-350 "Festus"
2011 Montana 357RL "Mabel"
Superlow Sportster
Heritage Softail Springer
2009-2012 VRI
curlyfungirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-17-2013, 03:20 AM   #8
Javi
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Waco, Tx
Posts: 5,456
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...
__________________
2015 Ford F350 DRW 6.7 Diesel XL
2020 Avalanche 313 RS
Javi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-17-2013, 09:41 AM   #9
Dadstoy
Junior Member
 
Dadstoy's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Southwest Ohio
Posts: 28
Thanks, from what Ive read ,its a pretty nice place. Even if you don't spend much time looking for diamonds.
Dadstoy is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 05:59 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.