Lake Fort Smith State Park

It’s was a hot September with temperatures in the upper 90s to 100s. We arrived at Lake Fort Smith State Park on Monday, September 21st for a four night stay. We got lucky as cool front moved into the area for the week.

We had sites #1 and #2 for the week in the cul-de-sac near the entrance to the campground. Donna and I took site #1 located on top of the hill. This site is secluded from other campsites, but has almost no shade until late in the afternoon. John and Lynda joined us in site #2 next door. Site #2 was well shaded most of the day and enclosed by a small block terrace wall. When we arrived we had neighbors in most of the sites in the cul-de-sac. By midweek everyone else had left and we had the entire section to ourselves. 

Ronnie & Donna Site #1

Chui & Lynda Doing Doggie Stuff 

We've passed the Neon Moon several times when driving highway 71 through Mountainburg, Arkansas. We had never stopped so we thought this time we would give it a try. Turns out this quirky little alien themed roadside eatery had some really good burgers (they also do BBQ). We ate outside, but they have an old school bus (or alien space craft) adjacent to the outdoor seating with air condition. I used the He/She/It/Bigfoot/Alien restroom while there. I got a kick out of the restroom sign that requested you not flush various items including your "Hopes and Dreams". 

Neon Moon with Alien and Flying Saucer on the Roof

BBQ Ribs for Dinner (Missed John in My Selfie)

Thursday morning I took a hike along the Shepard Springs Loop trail. The trailhead is behind the Lake Fort Smith Visitor Center at the western terminus of the Ozark Highlands Trail. The loop continues north along the OHT to the Frog Bayou crossing where it returns along the upper ridgeline above the OHT. Given the dry conditions there was little to no water flowing in the creeks or the water fall and the Shepard Spring had only a trickle of water.

Dry Waterfall

Fisherman on Lake Fort Smith

Old Chimney in the Middle of the OHT

Shepard Spring

Scenic Overlook Bench - Boy Scout Eagle Project

American Beautyberry

Evening sunset at the Lake Fort Smith day use area.

Lake Fort Smith State Park is one of the newest and cleanest Arkansas state parks. As always we enjoyed our stay. Life is Good!

Devil’s Den State Park

On June 10, 2026, we took a four-night trip to Devil’s Den State Park with John and Lynda, Parker, and two other couples. We reserved campsite #97 at the end of Loop E. The site wasn’t on Lee Creek, which I would have preferred, but it was very secluded, with no one behind the trailer. All of our camping friends were scattered around Loop E, just a short walk away.

Ronnie Chillin' in Site #97

John and Lynda in Site #77

Donna Chillin' in Site #97

I took an afternoon walk from the campsite to the day-use area. I followed the Woody Plant Trail along Lee Creek and crossed the creek at the swinging bridge. I walked through the day-use area to the gift shop, stopping for some air conditioning and a cold bottle of water. The Lake Devil Dam had a good amount of water flowing over it, making for some pretty photos below.

The next morning, Parker and I hiked out from the Area A tent camping loop on the Fossil Flats Trail and returned to the campground via the Devil’s Racetrack. Both trails were very well-maintained multi-use trails. I was glad we were hiking rather than mountain biking, as the trails looked pretty advanced to me.

Caged Crevice in the Bluffline

As is typical with this group, we had a guys-versus-girls game night. We played a trivia game until after dark. On this occasion, the guys actually beat the girls!

 

 

The campground was overrun with squirrels. It didn’t help that I was feeding them some of my Diamond lightly salted almonds. I guess I’m getting soft in my old age. After years of fighting with squirrels, I’m now feeding them!

We enjoyed the week with family and friends in the great Arkansas outdoors. Life is Good!