Arkansas' Under-The-Radar State Park Is A Mountainous Gem Perfect For Peaceful Camping

To visit Queen Wilhelmina State Park, you will have to drive high into the mountains, seeing the rolling, rocky forested peaks spread out below you the higher you rise. Soon, you will find yourself at the top of Rich Mountain, one of the tallest mountains in Arkansas, outside a Victorian-era inn. This unique lodge gives the park its name, which it inherited from Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. At the time the lodge was named, she was just a popular young queen, but went on to be known for resisting Nazi occupation during World War II. Staying at the inn is a luxurious experience, but for those who would rather experience this gorgeous natural landscape from outdoors, this quiet state park can be the ideal destination for your next camping adventure.

While Queen Wilhelmina State Park is close to the borders of Oklahoma and Texas, you'll have to drive pretty far from any major metropolis to see this remote hidden gem. Two and a half hours from the vibrant neighborhoods of Little Rock, Arkansas, about three hours from the wildly underrated music city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and four hours from the complex web of highways in Dallas, Texas, you should expect a road trip to reach this park, no matter what angle you come at it from. Fortunately, it's likely to be a pretty breathtaking drive. The absolute best is certainly in the Sooner State, though, along the gorgeous Talimena National Scenic Byway. Particularly beautiful when the fall season turns the foliage over the road into an impressive tapestry of gold and orange, this route is the perfect way to make the journey to this remote mountain peak park and enjoy the trip.

If you want to experience the best of what the mountains of Arkansas have to offer, you need to camp at Queen Wilhelmina State Park. Here, you can wake up to watch the sun rise over incredible autumn color in the rolling hills all the way to the horizon, spend your days hiking the trails in the warm summer sunshine, enjoy your evening relaxing surrounded by mesmerizing spring wildflowers in bloom (pictured), or while away a clear winter night under the breathtaking tapestry of stars that emerge in this recognized dark sky location, far from the interference of city lights. Just be aware, though, that if you're sleeping outside, this mountainous place can get pretty windy all year long, so you may want to pack warmer than you normally would — though of course, in summer, that may be a nice respite from the Arkansas heat.

There are more than 40 campsites to choose from in the park, offering a wide variety of experiences. If you have an RV, there are many appropriate sites, but if you book in advance and secure your spot, you can also set up a tent here. There are only five ordinary tent sites and just a single hike-in site, but fortunately, this park is still enough of a hidden gem that you should be able to choose the spot you want as long as you can be a little flexible about the dates. At the time of writing, you can expect to pay between $14 for the hike-in campsite on a weeknight and $38 for an RV site with electricity and water on a weekend night.