Best RV Parks & Resorts near Chidester, AR

Visiting Craters of Diamonds State Park has always been a bucket list item, and now it is completed.  Spent the day digging for diamonds with no success, but no one else had any either on the day of my visit.  $10 to dig, plus more if you need to rent equipment.  Lots of fun, but get ready to be messy.  The campground is great as well, but be prepared it was nearly full on a mid week day in October so plan ahead.  Picnic tables, metal fire rings, poles ready for you lantern.  RV hook ups are available,  Showers and flush toilets.  This is a nice but busy campground.

At one time it was a KOA then it was renamed Arkadelphia Rv park. Last year it got new owners and the name now is Caddo Valley Rv Park. The sites are large clean and all new full hookups. Still needs landscaping which is coming this spring/summer 2022. The couple that manage the park are very welcoming.

We love visiting! Campgrounds are clean and well maintained. Sites are roomy with full hook-up. Beautiful wooded views, hiking trails, and pet friendly.

This was on my wifes bucket list, didnt find any diamonds, got dirty but had fun and got dirty. Sites and bath house were nice , full hook ups

This is a great spot for a night, a week, or even longer! Full hook-up sites, super clean restrooms and showers, laundry room, and an outdoor pool! Free Wi-Fi included!

We stayed here with another friend to explore the mountain bike trails. We didn't have water at our campsite, but we did have electric, and there were common areas with water spigots throughout the campground. Showers and facilities were nice. From our campsite, we could walk down a steep hill to the shore of the lake and sit in our camp chairs and fish. We also rented a kayak and kayaked out to a little island on the lake for lunch. We made a short drive over to DeGray Lake where they have a disc golf course. Wish they had full hook-ups now that we have a camper, but this is a really great campground.

The Iron Mountain trail system is adjacent to the campground. I love the rustic simplicity of the place. It is older but well maintained and clean. Its such a peaceful and beautiful place. Two loops and one is down near the lake. Those sites are smaller and closer together. The ones up on the ridge have beautiful views of the lake but not easy to get to the lake. Those sites are large and for the most part level. Some with tent sites and some without. Some sites are very level and some are more challenging to level your RV. Some sites are narrow. They’re all electric hookup only. Dump station near the entrance station. Fill up fresh water before you get there. I prefer the simplicity of these sites and appreciate the lower cost because they don’t have full hookups. If you’re looking for a more resort situation there’s a lovely state park with full hookups approximately 10 minutes away. If you prefer a great place to stay with electricity then this is your place. Thanks COE for this lovely place to stay.

This campground offers plenty of access to the lake with water surrounding it. Located on a small peninsula, the Edgewood campground places you right on the lakefront in a clean and peaceful setting. Plenty of sites for RVs with hookups and grills. Parking is limited but what is available is spacious. Arkadelphia isn't far away so forgotten supplies can be remedied by a trip to the local Walmart.

Crater of Diamonds State Park is a place where you literally play the fun and exciting game of“finders, keepers.” The prize here being diamonds! In the middle of nowhere Arkansas(a.k.a. the town of Murfreesboro) is a field of 37 acres where for $10/day you can dig to your hearts’ content looking for diamonds making this the only diamond mine in the world open to the public. And don’t think this is a gimmick. Over 75,000 diamonds have been found in the“Crater” with an average of 600/year. The largest diamond found in North America was found at Crater of Diamonds topping out at 40.23 carats. In 1998, the Strawn-Wagner Diamond weighing 1.09 carats was graded by the American Gem Society as a 0/0/0“D” Flawless perfect diamond– a“one in a billion diamond”– and found right here in Arkansas. 

The park was established in 1972 “to responsibly manage and interpret this unique site and to provide a meaningful diamond mining experience for all guests and future generations.” We find that pretty funny because we have never come across a state park whose intent is to provide a meaningful diamond mining experience mission. All the more reason we wanted to go! The parks campground is set among beautiful pine trees and offers full hook-up sites large enough to fit our 45’ RV without a problem. The campground has 47 nicely shaded RV sites with water/electric/sewer hookup(many of which have tent pads and five walk-in tent sites. The campground has two modern bathhouse with hot showers; one bathhouse includes a laundry and both were very clean and cared for all day long. If you need a dump station one is conveniently located as you leave the campground. There is also free Wi-Fi in the campground. There is a nice hiking trail that leaves from the campground and loops back around after venturing through the forest and along a river. It is not a long trail but a nice walk and we never saw anybody on it while we were there. Now back to diamond hunting. The“crater” is essentially a plowed field that is the eroded surface of a volcanic crater containing a variety of rocks, crystals, and gemstones. The field is plowed periodically to expose underlying layers of dirt and gems. The visitor center has interactive exhibits highlighting the unique history of the park and geology of Arkansas diamonds. They also tempt you with pictures of diamonds that have been found in the park. At the Diamond Discovery Center visitors learn about diamonds, but more importantly, techniques on how to find them. 

Once you have rented (or brought your own) diamond digging equipment like trowels, shovels, buckets, sifting screens, etc. then it is time to head out into the crater. The techniques vary widely from walking along looking for smooth shiny diamonds (because dirt and mud don’t stick to the smooth surface of diamonds) to digging up a bucket full of dirt and sifting through water like gold mining. We talked to one man who uses a paint brush to lightly brush away loose dirt to reveal the diamonds. Diamonds come in a rainbow of colors but the predominant colors found here are white, brown, and yellow. If you think you found a precious stone, staff is on hand to positively identify it for you. And if you want it, you keep it! No matter what it is.

Beautiful State Park. Full hookup, paved and level pads with picnic table, fire ring, grill, tent pad, lantern pole. Bathhouse clean and well maintained. Area we were in is on a peninsula with water on both sides. No road noise, quiet and very peacefull. Say lots of deer. Would absolutely stay again.

Old Cowhide Cove campground has 9 sites,  6 are well spaced, level sites spread out along a lake just inside the trees, remainder are placed upon the hill overlooking those sites.  Campground road is paved with gravel parking pads.  Each site has a picnic table, metal fire ring,  BBQ grill and a small table near the BBQ grill.  Plenty of room for a tent on the grass.  Sites have electric and water hook ups.  Cost is $20.  Campground has a restroom but no showers (showers can be found at the more modern New Cowhide Cove campground located on the other side of the lake from old cowhide).  Campground does have trash service and a dump station.  Their is also a small day use area available.

Nice clean Army Corps of Engineers site. Beautiful location on a peninsula that overlooks the lake. Swimming/beach area away from the campground. Two campgrounds, one for tents only and one for RVs. Bathhouses with hot showers. Rustic but clean. Convenient to Hwy 7 and not far from Hot Springs, Arkansas or Caddo Valley, Arkansas.