I had planned for us to stay at an Army Corp of Engineers park in Little Rock after Hot Springs, but this one state park had been so highly recommended and only had a few reservable days left, so we went straight to Petit Jean (pronounced "petajean"), even though it would mean backtracking to Little Rock later.
Crossing the huge Arkansas River enroute. Bill and I were surprised - both by the sheer size and by the fact that it is a "navigable river!" The sixth longest US river, its headwaters are in Colorado, and its rivermouth in southeastern Arkansas, where it joins up with the great Mississippi.
Some of the terrain/trees near the base of Petit Jean reminded us of our homeland in the back country of San Diego! Rolling hills and giant oaks.
So here we are finally, at the fabled Petit Jean, Arkansas' first state park.
Mather Lodge, a beautiful building originally built by the CCC and WPA in the 30s but also recently renovated.
One of the pretty, rustic, inside rooms.
Walking through their breezeway to see the view in the back.
A canyon of green! Green, green, and more green!
Bill meets a sweet puppy = instant friends!
Meanwhile, at the campground...
life is rough, as you can plainly see!
I think Petit Jean is always a popular park, but we discovered the reason why it was so booked-up around the time we had wanted to visit. There is a car museum just down the road apiece, and they were holding their huge annual car show, starting then!
Many of the folks staying at the campground had booked reservations a year in advance (I'm surprised we were able to get anything at all!)! Some brought fancy vehicles to show off, like this cute one, and would tour the campgrounds nightly..
One of the prettiest sections of the park.
The Davies Bridge.
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