Petit Jean State Park — Petit Jean State Park

I found everything to be absolutely amazing! Ive also wanted to visit pettit jean , and when i finally did it was so much more than i even imagined. Beautiful, stunning, and can’t wait to visit again!!!!

Our campsite was perfect. It was near the lake with full hook ups. We had plenty of space and one side was woods.

Gorgeous!! We enjoyed our stay. We had no service, but the lodge was so nice to be able to do homeschool and work. Everyone was super nice.

PROS 

No reservation transaction fee 

Senior discount 

Quiet 

Moveable metal picnic table on a concrete pad, pedestal BBQ grill, fire ring with cooking grate, and one hook lantern pole 

Site 14 partially shady 

Good condition asphalt parking pad with gravel and grass surrounding 

Good view of lake from Site 14 

Sites well spaced 

Campground A toilet/shower building clean and sufficiently stocked. Heated but not air conditioned. 

Site 14 more than long enough for trailer and tow vehicle 

Dark sky friendly as there are no street lights in Campground A 

Very nice 6ft wide asphalt bike trail from Campground B to Mather Lodge

(approximately 1.75 miles) CCC Hike and Bike Trail 

New Visitor Center built 2021 

Beautiful CCC built Mather Lodge

(restaurant added in 2012) 

Grass throughout campground mowed 

Firewood sold in the yards of residences along State Road 154 

CONS 

Site 14 extremely unlevel side to side 

No privacy from other campsites 

No entrance security gate to the park or any campgrounds as State Road 154 cuts thru the park 

No park ranger drive thrus 

Mather Lodge Restaurant OK. Don't expect much from the menu or service but it has a full bar 

3 of our 4 day stay there was a religious group prophetlytizing at the Park Visitor Center WIFI only at Lodge and Visitors Center 

NO TMOBILE service

This is one of my favorite camping trips! The scenery will blow you away. The park has amazing overlooks for those of us that are not big hikers and some trails that are not too long. I recommend hiking sticks because even the shorter trails can be rocky but it is worth it! We drove to every overlook. There are shady areas to enjoy the view and have a snack/lunch. Each area was different so do not skip them! 

We did Rock Cave and Bear Cave Trails that stated the difficulty as "easy". Both trails had obstacles and were not a walk in the park. Take your time and watch your step. I used a walking stick and my partner for support at times. It was slow going in some areas and younger people zoomed right past us. That was okay! The Cedar Falls Overlook was a boardwalk and accessible for strollers/walkers but it was still a little ways to go. 

We camped in our pull behind camper in loop D. Our site was great except it was steeper than anticipated. Be aware of the site you book and come prepared with extra chocks, blocks and/or stabilizers. Our site was spacious and clean. The bathhouse was also clean and well maintained. We drove through the other loops for reference. Loop A looked good all the way around. Loop B looked new, as if all sites are full hookup with smooth, paved drives including a parking area. Loop C was very woody and wild compared to B! Its worth mentioning again...find campsite pictures online so you know what you are booking.

I highly recommend visiting this park! We have already a booked another stay for next spring.

Super cool paths, views and community. Tons of historical value and it's obvious that Arkansas cares about it's forests, natural resources and outdoor communities. Tons of people everywhere no matter where you venture off to though.

Stayed two nights here. Loved it. My one recommendation is that you bring a lot of water hose. I had 50’ and it wasn’t enough. The water was located way at the front of the site and I couldn’t access it. And it was impossible to get my site level. My neighbor had the same issues.

This park is great. It had hiking trails and a CCC hike/bike trail, an antique automobile museum, lots of scenic overlooks, cabins, a lodge, an amazing visitor center and restaurant. I had the best time here. Lots of Civilians Conservation Corps architecture. They built the whole park with the exception of some of the newer cabins .

What a beautiful park! Spacious level site. Clean bathhouse. Rangers were very helpful and knowledgeable about the park. Plenty of adventures to be had (Cedar Creek falls, Seven Hollows Trail, etc.).

Beautiful place to visit and camp. So much history of CCC camp in this area. Plenty of waterfalls and trails to find.

This park is by far one of the most well taken care of parks I have ever visited. Accommodations for everyone. Tent camping, yurts, rv campground, cabins, the lodge rooms, if you can't find something that suits you its on you not the park. Lol. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Hiking trails for everyone. Waterfalls, caves, canoeing, fishing, and even have gift shops. So much to see and do here. Highly recommend.

This is an awesome campground with great bathrooms, all the items you need at the park and plenty of trails to explore.

We stayed in site 26 and were pleased with the cleanliness, serenity, and size of the sites at the campground. Check in was easy. We were really pleased with the bike trail that went from the site to the visitors center. We hiked the trails, biked, walked, and simply had the best time. We did not use the restrooms/bathhouse. The gift store in the visitor center had cute items if you needed anything and the staff were courteous and friendly. We will definitely be back!

We stayed for 3 nights and participated in multiple events that the staff conducted. It was a great time. Learned about hummingbirds, bears, petit jean history.

It is a small State Park, it has a nice fall that takes about an hour and a half to take the trail to the bottom.

We very much enjoyed taking photos looking off the mountain. Missed the water to play in along the hiking trail due to an unseasonable drought but little caves were nice to explore.

The campground was wonderful. Clean bathhouse. Hot showers. The lake and streams were beautiful. Waterfall. Hiking. History. Our campsite was spacious and shaded by the tall pines.

I took my 3 sons, (ages 7,9 and 11). All of them had a blast! There was plenty to explore and none of the trails were too tiring even for my 7 year old. The pictures don’t do this park justice.

We evacuated from the Gulf Coast areas due to Hurricane Ida. We found this parking site on the Dyrt’s app and wasn’t sure what to expect but saw that it had by far the best reviews, and so we took a chance. First, this is a wonderful park w many things to do! If one is hungry there is the Mather’s Lodge which is award winning and given the location an unexpected delight too! The sunset can best be seen next to the campground A at the pavilion. A nice little playground is there for toddlers and smaller children. If you go to the Rock House Cave it’s definitely worth the short little trek. If you have small ones under the age of 5, be prepared to carry them over the turtle rocks though. The Cedar Creek Overlook is a nice place to go as it is fully enclosed along the trail path with a nice decking at the overlook spot. The views from Mather’s Lodge are not to be missed! & cellular/data service w AT&at at least were superb!

10/10 would recommend to anyone who loves the outdoors!! Absolutely loved the place and the campsites were clean and very well maintained!!

Beautiful grounds, great hikes nearby of various lengths. The Rock House Cave hike was worth seeing- has been visited by humans for thousands of years! Cute coffee shop and gift shop nearby.

Love this place because there are so many types of camp sites available. Great areas to look around and hike. Restaurant is pretty decent and breakfast was hot and delicious. There’s a little petting zoo thing close by for kids. Playground was great.

Quite beautiful park and a nice campground. Spaces can be close together, but comfortable. The park just kept yielding pleasant surprises. Be sure to hit the point overlook to the east of the park entrance. Great sunset spot.

Petit Jean is one of the most beautiful camping spots I’ve found in this area. I highly recommend!

Petit Jean (pronounced “petty Gene”) is an incredible state park in a truly unique setting. Petit Jean Mountain rises straight out of the flat Arkansas Delta and is actually referred to as a “mesa” like those in the American West. The rock formations and unusual geology combined with the cool history makes the area very enjoyable and interesting. The campground is divided by Highway 154 but it’s not a heavily traveled route - in fact only park visitors are allowed after 10pm. We stayed in Area D, an older style campground with water and electric. We had a very difficult time getting set up even though the site is a “pull-through” - it just isn’t designed for today’s RV’s and travel trailers. There is a FHU area - Area A - but we were told reservations are more than a year out. We still enjoyed our time and loved the area! Take some time to go to Morrilton, the closest town with stores, coffe shops, etc. It’s a town on the rebound and we really enjoyed it. Probably the only spot for groceries within 25 miles of Petit Jean.

Immaculate, level sites with extra pad, clean facilities! Biking, hiking trails! Beautiful lodge! Other amenities we didn’t use, pool, tennis courts etc! Want to come back longer!!

Incredibly well-maintained park! Wonderful hiking for all abilities - great for multigenerational groups. Incredible scenery can be seen without having to be a great hiker. Bathrooms and showers were very clean. We tent so stayed in campground D - more trees and privacy.

Beautiful park with lots of space between spots and large green belt areas to enjoy. The hiking trails were fun and challenging with not many people and we hiked with our dogs. We stayed in a pull through site in Loop A, Spot 29 with full hookups. It had plenty of room for trailer and truck parking and was pretty level. There was no wifi or cell service for T-Mobile. We rode our bikes to the Visitor Center to access wifi and were able to get cell service at the Mather Lodge overlook. There is a really nice walking / bike trail from the campgrounds to the Mather Lodge. The park is well maintained with clean bathrooms and showers. Trash bins were located throughout the camping area. We will visit here again.

General: This popular state park offers many activities, although we did not partake in many of them, mostly because we were camping in the “shoulder” season. We arrived after the visitor center/office was closed but were able to find our site in the C Loop without too much difficulty. Garbage and recycling bins were located throughout the park; I appreciate the recycling effort all Arkansas state parks we have visited have.

Sites/Facilities: Our site was located on a “cul-de-sac” in Loop C and not too far from the bathroom. Each site in this loop had an electric hookup, a lantern hook, and picnic table. The sites in this loop were all very wooded which provided a decent amount of privacy between sites. It should be noted that some of the sites in the C loop (73-76?) were not level – we noticed this as we were leaving. The sites in the A loop are full hookup and directly on Lake Bailey and are more open (fewer trees). Site 16 is a large pull-through. It did appear that there was a fair amount of algae in the water. We did not explore the other loops. There is also an overflow camping area which I imagine would be full in the summer. 

Bathhouse: The bathhouse was very clean and had soap dispensers, but you should bring your own towel. I didn’t use the shower so cannot comment on this, however, the changing area was in the open and not very private. 

Activities/Amenities: There are many activities you can enjoy at this state park (most in season): swimming, tennis, basketball, a paved multi-use trail, hiking, plus a playground (not near the campground loops but you could access it via the paved trail). However, our main reason for staying here was to see Cedar Falls but that was not to be. The hiking trail was closed due to storm damage and very little rain meant you could not see the trickle the famed falls had become from the viewing platform. We did enjoy the short hike past the unique turtle rocks en-route to Rock House Cave. 

Conclusion: Since we arrived after the office closed, we had to check-in before 10 am the next morning. The staff was not the friendliest, insisting we might have an outstanding balance (we reserved online so this should not have been the case) and not very helpful in describing open hiking trails.

We tent camped Loop C, site 74. The wooded site backed up on a creek that you can faintly hear at night. There was a large hill between us and the site on the right so they were not visible. The site on the left wasn’t super close and there were many trees between the two. There is a site directly across but 74 is set fairly far back from road and again, wooded. The restrooms were just round the bend and well maintained. It was not super crowded the week we were there but it was mid March. Highly recommend this site. Quiet hours were respected. Wood and ice were available at The Visitor’s Center at $6.00 a bundle and $3.00 a bag. However, when we were there, the visitor’s center closed at 5. There is a very limited gift shop that has a few camping supplies. The nearest other store is at least 15/20 minutes away. Many of the locals also sell bundles of wood on the way into the park. There were tons of things to do in the park. We just did the smaller hikes to Bear Cave and Rock House Cave. They say easy but only the 13 year old thought so, lol. Cedar Creek waterfall was very impressive! So many overlooks.
Drive Red Bluff drive for some impressive views! Speaking of great views, Petit Jean’s supposed grave offers an unbelievable view that I’m guessing is close to 275 degrees around. A must see for sure!

Well run and well kept. The state has spent a healthy amount into the buildings, grounds and maintenance. All of that complements a gorgeous natural setting.

It has a variety of hikes and plenty of other activities.

The Mather Cafe at the Lodge had decent food at okay prices - and a phenomenal view.

It’s worth the effort to see the Cedar Falls from both sides of the creek.

There is a nice coffee shop just outside the park’s east entrance.

Lots of varied camping spots - all seemed to be nicely wooded.

Our only negative point was a loud group of neighbors a few spots down. I think they were the only other ones in Camp D, but they made enough noise to make up for the empty spots.

At one point, judging by the whomping sound, they must have been playing a game that involved throwing a wet 5 pound sack of corn against a plywood wall...maybe some version of corn hole or something? I actually have no idea what it really was - but it was loud and repetitive. Louder than the barking dogs, screaming kids and music they played.

Not the parks fault and that is just part of camping - lots of great neighbors and sometimes inconsiderate ones.