Devil's Den

[Marek 4]

Anyone ever been to Devil's Den State Park in Arkansas? We are heading there next week for a family reunion / camping trip.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Sounds a bit ominous to me. Never been, but there is a an area on the Gettysburg battlefield called Devil's Den. A lot of soldiers died there.

 

[Us3]

We did a lot of camping in this area when we lived in Texas. If I remember correctly, Devils Den was very "woodsy" and lots of great bike trails. I LOVE hiking and this is a GREAT place to hike! We also tent camped (a long time ago) at Petit Jean SP and loved it. If you like scenic drives...the drive up to Queen Wilhelmina SP is beautiful!! We always went camping in that area in May (Mothers Day weekend). It was cool and a great break from Texas heat! I'm afraid it'll be hot and humid now...but everywhere is hot right now, huh?

Have fun!

 

[Marek 4]

I know Devil's Den does sound ominous, but I was thinking that in July it probably means "hotter than hades" . From what I've seen and read the hiking/biking looks great - there are even caves to explore. There is a pool (hooray!) and a lake (double hooray!) and even sites to bring your horses. We are taking the RV along with some other families and the rest are staying at the cabins there. The style of everything looks like an old CCC built campground. However, there is only one way that RV's can enter since the main road in is one-lane, winding and hilly - unfortunately it takes an extra hour to go the long way and enter from the north (and of course we are coming from Texas which is on the wrong side) and they warn you to GAS UP since the last known gas station is quite a ways from the campground.

 

[Us3]

You are right about entering with the RV from the north! I completely forgot about that! We checked out the cabins while we were there and they were spacious but dated. The insects were plentiful and didn't mind making their way into the cabin...so staying in your own RV is probably the way to go! This was probably about 6 years ago.

 

[kc5grw]

I've been at Devil's Den once, about 36 years ago. It was a pretty nice place back then from what I remember. Can't speak for what it's like today.

 

[Marek 4]

We are back from Devil's Den SP in Arkansas (in the foothills of the Oazarks). We were there for 5 days and I was very impressed. The RV sites were huge and with full hook-ups. There were huge trees everywhere for shade. The pool was ice-cold with spring water - even had water slides and a splash pad for the kids. Hiking was wonderful - there were all different levels and challenges of hiking for all ages. The shortest was a 1/2 mile and the longest was 14 miles. There were caves and crevices to explore. Part of the group rented a 3 bedroom cabin which had been beautifully renovated. The area was remote - no grocery/convenience store for about 30 miles. That made it nice!!!! Our loop had volleyball nets, basketball courts and large/well-maintained comfort stations. There was a baseball field with pick-up games each afternoon. The RV loops were in a valley, so the younger kids had a great area to bike. The older kids could bike on certain trails. There was a section called "horse camp" that you could camp with your horse - and there were 2 separate horse trails - one 8 miles and one 15 miles. Somewhere at the edge of the park was a private stable where you could go on trail rides. The other edge of the park had an ATV/motorbike area for off-roading trails. Bugs were minimal (just chiggers on the trail if you didn't put on enough bugspray). No mosquitos. No flies (they do an excellent job containing trash).

I must say, this park had a lot to offer. I would recommend it - we met family from up north and had a wonderful family reunion!

 

[Marek 4]

Oh yeah, I forgot that there was an area for canoeing and paddleboating. I think there was a lake nearby also for fishing/boating - just not in the park.

 

[Us3]

Glad you had a good time! Also glad to hear they renovated those cabins!! The hiking and exploring *is* a lot of fun in this park and surronding area!

 

[PolynesianPixie]

I missed this thread before! I've been here, but never camped. We used to live very close to it and my DH did a Mountain bike race here and used to ride for the heck of it. Glad to hear you had a great time!

 

[Marek 4]

We did have a great time! It was one of the first places EVERYONE was pleased with - young and old alike!