Arkansas is not well known for its national parks, but you will find many of its parks are gorgeous and rich in history.
Map of Arkansas’s National Parks
Arkansas Post National Memorial
Just under a 2-hour drive from Little Rock, visit the memorial and its natural charm.
Be sure to explore the Visitor Center and museum to learn about the 300 years of human history at the Arkansas Port.
The visitor center offers historic armament demonstrations and guided historical tours, both of which require registration.
Good to know: The musket and cannon demonstration is on a set schedule during peak hours.
Buffalo National River
The first national river, established in 1972, is one of many national parks in Arkansas you won’t soon forget. This river flows through some of the most beautiful limestone bluffs in America.
Plan a stay in one of the many campsites featured around the park. Choose from several campsite locations and be sure to check the fees on the website to be prepared.
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Calling all history buffs to Fort Smith National Park! Visit this Arkansas national historic site where the wild west once reigned.
Take a walk along the Arkansas River and learn about the Trail of Tears. Visit the overlook lined with information panels that tell the story of the five tribes forcibly removed to Indian Territory.
Hot Springs National Park
This Arkansas national park could be the sole reason you visit Arkansas, and you would leave happy. Ancient thermal springs, mountain views, 26 miles of hiking trails, and abundant creeks, what more could you ask for?
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
Central to the civil rights movement, the visitor center features many exhibits where you can learn about the desegregation of the Little Rock Central High School.
Take a trip to this Arkansas park and learn about the massive resistance in the South that provoked opposition to integration in Little Rock during the 1957 crisis. Learn more about the brave Little Rock Nine, the first black students to attend an all-white school, and their challenges during the turbulent time.
Pea Ridge National Military Park
Many national parks in Arkansas are rich in Civil War history, and Pea Ridge National Military Park is no exception.
Just north of the Ozark National Forest in northwest Arkansas, you’ll find Pea Ridge, a park that was a pivotal battleground that saved Missouri for the Union. If you enjoy history, take a stroll along one of the most intact battlefields in the United States, and it’s perfect to brush up on the history of the Civil War.
President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home
Hope, Arkansas, is the birthplace of the 42nd president of the United States, President William Jefferson Clinton.
Take a guided history tour with park rangers and learn about a range of programs at the site, including Hopalong Cassidy, Family Tree, and a Photo Tour. Feel free to ask one of the rangers at the site about our programs.
Enjoy the gorgeous rose garden dedicated to Bill Clinton’s mother.
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
The Trail of Tears is a site of injustice. In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, which meant that the Indian Tribes of the Cherokee, Choctaws, Muscogee Creeks, Seminoles, and Chickasaws in all southeastern states along the Mississippi River had to give up their land in exchange for relocating to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).
Many Indians fought this movement, but most agreed to move on. More than 16,000 Cherokee Indians were uprooted from their homelands in Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia.
The forced migration executed more than 1,000 Cherokee and deserted hundreds along the way, which was only completed in 1839.