Petit Jean State Park

We spent almost all of this past week at Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas, and I wish I had a better camera and was a better photographer because that shot above is the first picture I took. Stunning views! This was taken from the breezeway between the welcome/registration building and the building where the rooms are. There are cabins and a campground, but we stayed in one of the lodge rooms:

The room was very small, but we weren't planning on spending much time there -did I mention the views? These are pictures taken on the drive up to the lodge:

and this is what you see as you go towards the rooms from the parking lot:

We ate several meals in the lodge restaurant, and this was the view from the tables:

There are people on that rock outcropping in the picture directly above. We never did figure out how they got there, but we had fun watching them and trying to get a photo that would show them.

They keep the hummingbirds well fed:

The park has an interesting history. It was the first state park in Arkansas, being formed in 1923. Mather Lodge is named for the first director of the National Park Service, who was the director at the time of the land's acceptance as a state park.

The Civilian Conservation Corps did work there from 1933-1938.

Several structures they built (including the lodge) are still in use. Some structures from the era are still there but no longer in use. This is the original water tower:

and a fireplace from the time:

Here's that view from the lodge again taken at a different time of day:

I just couldn't get enough of it! I walked a few trails, and I'll give each one of those a separate post. We had a wonderful time!