Excellent weekend camping at Craighead Forest State Park outside Jonesboro, Ar.

The park offers four trails, one gravel pedestrian only, one paved multi-use with excercise equipment, a forest trail and one dirt trail for bikers and runners. Three large playgrounds, pavilions and several small playgrounds. A dog park/beach access area and dog dock. Fishing and watercraft access. Camping and a nature center.

When we arrived at the campground we had the choice of several primitive campsites. There is limited parking in the small gravel lot. There are three sites near the lot and then several others about 200 to 300 ft down the gravel trail.

This is the same gravel trail, approximately 3 miles long, that circles the lake. Needless to say there is a lot of foot traffic on it.

There was plenty of room at the site. We set up two tents and a hammock plus had the picnic table, fire pit and gravel pad which is right on the lake. If you bring your fishing gear or water craft it’s easy to tie off right at your campsite.

Directly across from primitive camping are two very large , active playgrounds a pavilion and restroom. There’s a snow cone vendor with loud music who frequents that parking area too. In addition the park is not closed during the night so we got to listen to several loud conversation, music blaring from a car stereo until about 1:30am and a rather colorful argument at one point.

You drive through the RV area on your way in to the primitive area. There is a nice new bathroom facility with uncomfortably warm cranking heat, the metal fixtures were warm to the touch. One drawback to there being only one restroom about 1/4 mile from the primitive area, you know people aren’t walking that far at night when the need to go…, just saying.

So Pros: centrally located, water access, nice trails, good size sites, a lot to do

Cons: foot traffic, noise, no privacy, noise, not limited access