Petit Jean State Park is a day-hiking paradise about 65 miles northwest of Little Rock via I-40. A diverse system of over 20 miles of interconnecting trails winds through the forest and along Petit Jean Mountain overlooking the Arkansas River. Cedar Falls, Seven Hollows and Cedar Creek Trails are designated as National Recreation Trails because of their rich history and beauty. The park offers 126 individual campsites (including 37 pull-through sites) with full hook-ups.

Campground History

Adrienne Dumont was a young, beautiful French woman engaged to Chavert, a nobleman set to explore the New World in the early 1700s. Without her fiance's knowledge, she disguised herself as a cabin boy named Jean to won passage on his ship.They sailed up the Mississippi River, and then up the Arkansas River, where they stopped at the foot of a beautiful mountain for the summer. Sailors dubbed her Petit Jean (French for “Little John”).

Alas, a sad ending to this love story. The night before Chavert’s party was to set sail for home, Petit Jean became very ill. With death imminent, she confessed her deception to Chavert and begged his forgiveness. She asked to be taken to the mountaintop she loved, and with Chavert at her side, died there at sunset. Years later, a low mound of earth was found on the mountaintop – Petit Jean’s Grave. That has become the park’s main attraction.

Petit Jean State Park is Arkansas’ first state park. It sits atop a picturesque mountain 1,100 feet above the Arkansas River Valley in central Arkansas. Visitors to the park find a vast number of recreational and educational opportunities from camping, hiking and fishing to learning about the unique natural features and the early human history of the area.

Park website is: www.petitjeanstatepark.com or call 501/727-5441

Kiptopeke State Park located at the southern end of Virginia's Eastern Shore and just a few miles from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Virginia is not just for lovers, it has some pretty lovely beaches, too. The 375-acre Virginia State Park offers nearly 4300-feet of beach that's perfect for swimming, surf fishing, or taking leisurely sunset walks.

The campsites are set away from the beach with sand dunes in between; and each campsite offers a picnic table, fire ring and a pole to hang your camping lantern. The state park's campgrounds include a total of 147 campsites. 86 campsites are open to RVs up to 40 feet in length. There are tents sites and pop-up sites. However, there are no electricity hook-ups.

Before you run away, read about their 5 new lodges built just this year (2007).

The lodges are open year-round and are very popular. The amenities listed on the website for each lodge doesn't sound much different from the room amenities list at Holiday Inn.

• Kitchen comes with refrigerator, coffeemaker, stove, dishes, silverware, even dish towels.
• The bedrooms come with linens (but no room maid to change them daily). You may wish to bring your own pillow as well as a comforter for chilly nights.
• Each lodge has six bedrooms and sleep 16 total. Great for family reunions.
• Porches, heat, air-conditioning, fireplace gas logs make for a very comfortable camping experience, if you still want to call it camping.

For more information: Call (757) 331-2267 or go to their campground website at: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/kip.shtml

Agua Caliente Hot Springs is a 910-acre San Diego County Park, complete with a picnic area and a large campground with shady trees at some sites. It is located near the south end of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in southern California. There are 2 hot spring pools here. One is a large outdoor pool that is kept at a natural 90 degrees (Fahrenheit). The other pool (102 degrees F) is protected inside a glass-walled building and – ready for this? – equipped with whirlpool jets.

Because this is one of San Diego County's most popular parks, don’t expect to [Read more...]

Technorati tags: florida state parks, winter camping florida, winter campgrounds
In Florida, camping doesn't stop in winter. "What winter?" you may ask. Being a New Englander myself, I totally agree with you. Winter camping in Florida is actually preferred by some campers to avoid the annoying ever-present flies in the hot, humid summer months.

Bahia Honda State Park, Big Pine Key

Bahia Honda is one of the best beaches in South Florida. It is located along both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Popular activities include swimming, snorkeling, and fishing. Camping, cabins, 2 exceptional boat ramps, a certified "Clean Marina," and a concession and gift store make Bahia Honda an outstanding recreational destination. Click here for the park photos.

Honeymoon Island State Park, Dunedin

Originally called Hog Island, it became Honeymoon Isle in 1939 when a New York developer built 50 palm – thatched bungalows for honeymooners. Today, visitors can drive across Dunedin Causeway to enjoy the sun – [Read more...]

Technorati Tags: winter camping, winter state parks, winter campgrounds

Snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and other winter sports combined with a temperate winter keep California’s [TAG]state parks[/TAG] system busy through winter. The three parks that were iselected here offer unique opportunities in addition to the common winter sports found in other parks.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park , San Diego

Winter Attraction: Desert wildflowers – they start blooming in late February or early March. For a special wildflower recorded message, call (760) 767-4684. Or mail a self-addressed stamped postcard in an envelope to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, 200 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA 92004. The kind Anza-Borrego folks will mail the card back at just the right time.

Ano Nuevo State Reserve, San Mateo

Winter Attraction: This is the site of the world’s largest mainland breeding colony for the northern elephant seal. Every winter, visitors come to observe the males battle for mates [Read more...]