Petit Jean State Park

Great park. Plenty of trails to hike, well appointed lodge to grab a reasonably priced lunch, and beautiful even in the dead of winter. Will be back for a longer stay

We had an awesome time and look forward to making this into a annual tradition with all the family. The trails were very clean and nice, I will be taking my camper next year now that we have seen how nice the camp is.

We recently traveled 7,000 miles in 9 weeks east of the Mississippi. Petit Jean was, hands down, the nicest campground we visited in 15 states. The campsites are huge. It was like camping on a one acre putting green. There is a lot to do, hiking trails and bike trails abound.
There were waterfalls to see, and geocaches. We selected Petit Jean randomly, from the map, and were pleasantly surprised. The staff is super friendly and helpful, helping us pick the best campsite with the best view of the lake. The facilities are immaculate. It’s not that far from the interstate, and even if you are just spending one night, it’s worth the drive.

Beautiful views and nice hiking trail to the overlook of Cedar Falls. Very pretty and clean park.

Heard from a friend that this was his favorite place to camp so we decided to make the 8 hour drive and spend a week at Petit Jean. Since we vacation in July we always make sure we have a pool for the kids to swim and stay cool. We were unaware however that the pool there costs $ 4.00 plus tax per person daily. They have no discounts for campers. This was very disappointing. So to swim everyday would have cost our family an additional $ 140. And the pool hours are noon until 6. This is my only complaint but it is a big issue for our family. Longer hours or even a discount would have made a big difference. Other than that gorgeous views, free hot showers, tennis courts, and paved Bike path were great. And if we came in October it would be perfect. THIS JUST IN– Even though they say the have lighted tennis courts they do not. When we told them the lights were not working they informed us that they are broken and not enough people play tennis there to fix them. Maybe they should fix their website to reflect that. Hmmmm.

This little gem of a state park is definitely worth the visit. The Cedar Falls trail is a must. Bring water and hiking shoes and be ready to sweat a little but the waterfall is worth the effort. Also, don’t miss the overlook a few miles East of the park. It has great views of the Arkansas river and valley below the park.

Earlier this month my girlfriend and I had the opportunity to stay in one of the cabins at the Mather Lodge, and it exceeded all of our expectations. The rooms were clean, comfortable and well maintained. The staff was very attentive to the rooms, more so than in many nice hotels. Outside of the cabin, the grounds were fantastic. There are more than enough trails to have days of hiking. The trek to Cedar Falls was difficult but well worth the time, I highly recommend it. I was overall very impressed with how well maintained the grounds and trails were. I will almost definitely be back for another visit.

One of the finest State Parks in the south! The Mather Lodge is a wonderful rustic structure built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, but has been tastefully and skillfully updated. However, all of the new construction was done in such a way to match the historic structures. The trails here are well marked, and two of them are listed as National Recreational Trails. Cedar Creek and Cedar Falls are wonderful attractions, but the views from the mountain and the historical structures are just as awesome. There are very few places in Arkansas that can compete with Petit Jean!

We loved the park and stayed at Mather Lodge cabins. The weather wasn’t nice at all, but we still had fun. The hike down to Cedar Creek Falls was really great. It was strenuous but not too bad. We also enjoyed the Rock House Cave very much.
I think we’d all recommend to anyone visiting.
The cabins were very clean with spectacular views. The food in the lodge was excellent and priced inexpensively. All accommodations were perfect. We had a nice time.
The staff was very friendly and helpful. Southern hospitality at its finest.

BEAUTIFUL WATERFALL! DO NOT FORGET YOUR SWIM GEAR!
What goes up must come down?.. true, but not in this case. To my surprise, this trail takes you down, then you have to climb back up. Worth it! Honestly, I enjoyed this trail and waterfall more than a waterfall I went to in Hawaii.
If you have the courage I highly suggest to climb up behind the waterfall! It is so beautiful looking through the cave from behind. I promise, you will not regret it, it may be tough at first, but go with a couple of friends and you will be fine. What I enjoyed about this hike was that it wasn’t too crowded with people. Of course, when you get to the falls there will be many people there, but throughout the trail you won’t have to worry about waiting for people to go through.
Oh, and I can’t forget to mention… you can take a little swim in the water where the falls hit. There is plenty of room!
Definitely my best hiking experience so far!

We stayed in one of the yurts. They are all located next to the lake. Yurt 1 is the furthest from the bathhouse, and yurt #4 is the closest. It only took a couple of minutes to walk to the bathhouse from #4. It was around 25* when we went and we kept the yurt warm with a couple of small space heaters. Petit Jean is a beautiful state park and everything is well maintained and clean. We loved walking the trails. There is also a paved bike trail. The staff was very helpful and friendly.

Today by chance I came here. Absolutely beautiful. So peaceful and well maintained. If your a nature loving person you must visit here.

Probably… No Definitely the best State Park that I have ever been to and I have been to quiet a few.
Apparently the locals pronounce it Pet-​it Gene, despite it’s obvious French name but who am I to argue I don’t live here. Their incorrect pronounciation is the ONLY thing wrong with this park. The hiking is spectacular, the scenery is second to none and the rest of the park is top notch as well. The lake was calm and peaceful with swimming, canoeing and kayaking. The visitor center has competent people working, very detailed maps that lay out the entire park. These maps give a brief description of each hike, the distance and the level of experience needed for each hike. We hiked 2 different trails plus walked to the waterfall overview. Perfect hiking!
The first trail we hiked was the Cedar Creek Trail. I messed up thinking it was the Cedar Falls Trail. Stupid Cedar. They couldn’t have named the creek after a different tree? Anywho. This train is 1.25 miles long and mostly along a creek with small waterfall. Perfect for a leasurely stroll if you have youngins as they can take their shoes off and play in the creek itself. It get’s a little tough at times as you have to climb over a few smaller rocks and then ends going back up the hill.
The 2^nd trail we took was The Seven Hollows trail. It’s 4.5 miles and another .5 miles if you want to see the grotto. Of course you want to see the grott so let;s call it 5 miles. This trail is a little more difficult but if you can walk 5 miles then you can do this hike. I would’t take Aunt Mildred off her hovaround and try to get her to do it or bring little kids. Although I did see a family with a baby, a toddler and a 5 year old while pushing a jogging stroller. There are so many boulders to climb over that I have no idea how he did it. He may not have, he may have said to hell with it and stayed at the grotto. The grotto is at about the half way point and a perfect spot to relax. There are no Playboy Bunnies at this grotto to my dissapointment but there is a nice little beach, a small waterfall and knee high water to wade in. There is also a lot of rock wall formations, a cave and a natural bridge along this trail. Well worth it. The trail map is very well done and there are markers everywhere along the trail. The park says it takes 4 hours but we did it in 2.5. Yes we are that badass
The final stop we made was the Cedar Falls overview. This waterfall is gorgeous and I am still kicking myself for not hiking to the bottom to swim in the falls. GRRRRR. The overview is where you find the old, the handicap and the out of shape. I felt defeated at having to have seen the waterfall from only this view.
I will definitely be back but next time I may get a cabin.

Petit Jean is a great weekend getaway close to central Arkansas. Good for families or couples, with a lodge and plenty of campsites, lots of outdoor activities including a variety of hiking trails, horseback riding, and sight seeing. It’s one of our favorite mini vacation spots when we are craving outdoor activity.

This is a beautiful park. If you are here, be sure to visit Petit Jean’s Grave. It’s well worth the extra drive. While we visited on a motorcycle, and didn’t have hiking boots, I’ve been before and highly recommend hiking several of the trails!

From St. Louis, it’s a 7 ½ hour drive. We got a camp site that had water and electricity, and it was 20 a day. There is a big swimming pool that is $ 6 a day, but it is very nice, especially if you have kids. There are very neat cave formations and good trails you can hike, and on the top of the mountain, there are incredible views. I wish there were more fishing places that didn’t need a boat, for the bank fishing is a bit limited. You can rent boats out for the day at a pretty reasonable price. As for the falls– because of the lack of rain, the falls were not worth the hike to get to them, the rangers told us. They do have posted tours almost every night, so that is something that you should do– they were very fun and informative. If you like camping and are around the area, I would check it out!

I’m a little sad looking at these pictures of the falls at Petit Jean. When I was there is was a small trickle. So go when there has been rain.
Also the trails are not super hard. The one we went on only took about 40 to get to the falls and we stopped for pictures.
Be VERY careful if you decide to stand under the falls. (you are not suppose to go swimming in any of the water, but I think a lot of people do) the rocks are crazy slippery. Go in on your butt or risk a concussion.

We live in Fort Worth and Petit Jean State Park is an 8-​hour drive for us. This is our 4^th time to return to the park. It’s SO worth the drive for us. It is now our favorite state park to came at.
The «A» loop ROCKS, with sites #13, 22 and 21 being our favorite sites to stay in. The facilities are all first-​rate and well maintained. The park’s staff is incredibly helpful. The lodge has gone through a complete renovation and is absolutely beautiful.
Nature abounds throughout the park, it’s a great please to kick back and relax. I can’t recommend Petit Jean State Park highly enough. Come visit, you won’t be sorry!

We camp a lot and this is one of our favorite places to go for long trips (usually 8+ days). We rent the camps here (avoid the tee pees). My family has been coming to Petit Jean for 5 years now. I often meet people who have been coming to the park for 20+ years as a family tradition. I plan to be able to say that too one day.
I recommend visiting the park in mid-​May and stopping first in Ponca, AK to canoe 8 – 10 miles of the Buffalo River (there are tons of outfitters to rent you canoes and pick you up at the end out there). Then after a nice day on the river enjoying the wonderful scenery (good fishing too if you’re into that), stay somewhere with a good bed and then head over to Petit Jean to camp.
We’ve hiked every trail at Petit Jean, and there are quite a few so I feel like this is worth noting. Each trail has its own character and neat things to see. This park is great for kids too. They publish a weekly calendar of events and the park interpreters regularly put on shows at night for the family. Shows like, «The Owls of Petit Jean» and «Frogs of the Park» etc. the content is surprisingly good and my kids always love it.
In addition, this is the sort of park where you can meet friends and family who do not like to camp and stick them in the Mather Lodge cabins which are more like hotels (I think you have to rent them a year in advance), and they will have a lot of activities to do while you take the kids out on the trails in the afternoons.

Arkansas is called the «Natural State» for a reason. Petit Jean State Park offers breathtaking views, historic landmarks, a cozy mountain top lodge, and you can even hike to Cedar Falls. Great for a weekend getaway, a trip with the family, or just some much needed serenity. You won’t be disappointed.