West Fork, AR

Friday, January 29

The next stop on our journey through Arkansas was Devils Den State Park located in West Fork, AR. Devils Den State Park is one of the most popular state parks in Arkansas, and for good reason — it’s situated in the Lee’s Creek valley with naturally-formed rock formations and caverns within the park. Andi and I were amazed by the number of amenities offered including full RV hook-ups, a swimming pool, ball fields, hiking and mountain biking trails, horseback riding, waterfalls and a small fishing lake. I’d imagine this state park is hard to snag a spot in during the warmer months. Fortunately in late January, we had the park mostly to ourselves.

Andi reserved us a campsite nestled along Lee’s Creek. Once we checked into our site, we drove to the Devil’s Den trailhead for a 1.5 mile family hike. Tory and Aden’s favorite hikes are the ones that feel like an outdoor climbing gym, and this trail did not disappoint! In the 1930’s, the Civilian Conservation Corps crafted this state park’s infrastructure and trails using natural stone and materials & their beautiful craftsmanship is still in great condition. Steps along the trails are made with natural stones. There were several caverns along the way to peer into and natural waterfalls cascading off the sandstone surfaces.

We were all in such a good mood — happy to be outside in a comfortable temperature; happy to be exploring a new-to-us place with cool caves and rocks to climb. Aden said, “Mom, take a picture with me and Dad.”

As we walked along the trail, somehow the hypothetical topic of “If one of us had to jump off a cliff, who would it be?” came up for conversation. Andi, Tory and I each gave the honorable answer that, of course, we’d jump ourselves to spare the rest of our family from the fear and inevitable death jumping off one of the cliffs would result. Aden, on the other hand, said very matter-of-fact, “If one of us had to jump off a cliff, I’d pick Tory.” We all erupted in laughter. “Well, thanks Aden!” Tory responded. “What? I would!” he responded. Can’t blame him for being honest, I guess. We had a little chat about selflessness after that. And, luckily, our conversation about jumping off a cliff wasn’t one we had to worry about anytime soon.

The trail ended on the banks of the beautiful Lee’s Creek. Tory and Aden spent time building rock cairns. Andi found some cool sticks that had been completely chewed down to the wood by beavers.

Back at camp, Andi washed the road salt off the bottom of the RV while Tory and Aden played down by the creek. The kids ate chicken nuggets for dinner and Andi and I each re-heated a pre-made meal we’d purchased along the way. Without any cell phone or internet coverage, we were glad to have Aden’s Nintendo Switch to entertain us before bedtime.

There are many more trails we’d like to explore in Devil’s Den State Park. Unfortunately, it’s suppose to rain all day tomorrow so we are going to make our way south to Hot Springs, AR to visit Hot Springs National Park. Might as well drive while it’s raining. Tomorrow - another adventure awaits!