Village Creek State Park
🏆 Official Guide: Village Creek State Park — Arkansas’s second-largest state park: nearly 7,000 acres of Crowley’s Ridge forest near Wynne, with 10 cabins, 96 campsites, two lakes, 33 trail miles, and a 27-hole Andy Dye golf course.
Village Creek State Park protects a landscape that shouldn’t exist in the Delta: steep, forested hills rising out of some of the flattest farmland in America. The park spreads across nearly 7,000 acres of Crowley’s Ridge — the long, wind-deposited ridge of loess soil that runs through eastern Arkansas — making it the state’s second-largest state park and easily the wildest thing between Memphis and Little Rock. Tulip poplars, American beech, and sugar maples grow here that belong to Appalachia, not the Delta.
It’s also a park of layers: two fishing lakes tucked into the hollows, a sunken stretch of the Memphis-to-Little-Rock Military Road walked during the Trail of Tears removals, and — up on the ridge top — The Ridges at Village Creek, a 27-hole Andy Dye championship golf course that opened in 2012 and turned the park into northeast Arkansas’s unlikeliest golf destination.
What Makes This Park Unique
Crowley’s Ridge Geology
A geological anomaly: forested loess hills rising from the pancake-flat Mississippi Delta, with Appalachian-style hardwoods found almost nowhere else in Arkansas.
27-Hole Andy Dye Golf
The Ridges at Village Creek — a championship public course draped over the ridge top since 2012 — makes this the only Arkansas state park with big-league golf.
Trail of Tears History
The Old Military Road Trail follows a dramatic sunken remnant of the Memphis-to-Little-Rock road used during the Trail of Tears removals of the 1830s.
33 Miles of Trails + Horse Camp
Multi-use trails wind through the hollows, backed by an equestrian campground with stables — one of eastern Arkansas’s best riding setups.
Things to Do
Hiking & riding: Thirty-three miles of multi-use trails climb through ravines and beech hollows — the Old Military Road Trail is the essential walk, following the sunken roadbed cut by wagons nearly two centuries ago. Equestrians get their own campground with stable facilities.
Fishing & paddling: Two park lakes — Lake Dunn and Lake Austell — hold bass, bream, crappie, and catfish, with boat ramps and seasonal boat rentals. Trolling motors only, which keeps the water quiet.
Golf: The Ridges at Village Creek serves up 27 Andy Dye-designed holes over Crowley’s Ridge terrain, with elevation changes you simply don’t get elsewhere in the Delta. Stay-and-play works well from the cabins.
Learning: A visitor center with a small museum and gift shop interprets the ridge’s geology and the Military Road story; outdoor and indoor theaters host interpretive programs in season.
Camping & Cabins
Choose between 10 modern cabins (one to three bedrooms, fully equipped) and 96 campsites — 24 premium Class A, 5 standard Class A, and 67 Class B, plus the equestrian campground. Campground bathhouses and a day-use area with pavilions round it out. Reserve at reserve.arkansasstateparks.com or (870) 238-9406. Day-use entry is free, like all Arkansas state parks.
Visitor Information
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Size | 6,909 acres on Crowley’s Ridge — Arkansas’s second-largest state park |
| Entry | FREE day use (standard for Arkansas state parks) |
| Lodging | 10 modern cabins (1–3 BR) + 96 campsites + equestrian camp |
| Lakes | Lake Dunn & Lake Austell — fishing, ramps, seasonal rentals |
| Golf | The Ridges at Village Creek — 27 holes, Andy Dye design (2012) |
| Trails | 33 miles multi-use incl. Old Military Road Trail (Trail of Tears) |
| Location | 201 County Road 754, Wynne, AR 72396 (Cross/St. Francis counties) |
| Phone | (870) 238-9406 |
| Official Info | Arkansas State Parks – Village Creek |
Getting There
The park entrance is off AR-284 south of Wynne, about 13 miles from Forrest City and I-40. From Memphis, plan on about an hour west via I-40 and AR-284; from Little Rock, roughly 90 minutes east. Jonesboro is 45 minutes north up Crowley’s Ridge.
Nearby Parks Worth Combining
Follow Crowley’s Ridge north and you hit its namesake, Crowley’s Ridge State Park, with its CCC-era stonework — about 50 minutes via the Crowley’s Ridge Parkway scenic byway. Eastward, Parkin Archeological State Park preserves a Mississippian village visited by the de Soto expedition, and Mississippi River State Park rounds out the Delta trio. The Arkansas state parks guide covers all 52 parks.
Facts verified against Arkansas State Parks (arkansasstateparks.com, reserve.arkansasstateparks.com), July 2026. Cabin and camping rates are set by Arkansas State Parks — check the official park page before your trip.
🐾 Dogs & Pets at Village Creek State Park
- Pets allowed? statewide rule
- Pets are allowed in Arkansas State Parks, including many trails, but must be restrained and under the owner's direct physical control at all times.
- Leash rule statewide rule
- Pets must be leashed, caged or otherwise restrained under direct physical (not verbal) control; no maximum leash length is specified.
- Beaches & swim areas statewide rule
- Pets (other than service animals) are not permitted at swimming beaches or pools at any time, nor in public buildings.
- Cabins & lodging statewide rule
- Designated dog-friendly cabins and lodge rooms exist at all lodging parks (about 25% of cabins at 14+ parks incl. Petit Jean, Mount Magazine, DeGray Lake Resort, Devil's Den); limit 2 dogs per unit, non-refundable per-dog fee at check-in, proof of vaccinations required.
- Pet fees statewide rule
- No day-use pet fee; a non-refundable per-dog fee applies for dog-friendly cabins/lodge rooms.
- Statewide exceptions statewide rule
- Only dogs (no other pet types) are allowed in lodging units.
Are dogs allowed at Village Creek State Park?
Pets are allowed in Arkansas State Parks, including many trails, but must be restrained and under the owner's direct physical control at all times. Individual parks can post stricter rules — check signage on arrival.
Rules verified July 2026 via codeofarrules.arkansas.gov. More: Arkansas state parks guide · Dog rules in all 50 states compared
