21 State Parks in 2021 #10 Logoly State Park
We learned about our #10 state park, Logoly, while visiting the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources. The Park staff member did not steer us wrong either! Logoly is a small, ecofriendly park in Southern Arkansas. It has an interactive visitor center, walking trails, and a picnic and playground area. The staff is very friendly, and we recommend this park for families.
The Park is located in Mc Neil, AR and is close to El Dorado and Hope, AR. It has 6 tent camp sites with no hook-up facilities. There is a bathhouse available to campers. The Park also has an outdoor amphitheater that is used for educational programs.
Eco-friendly Logoly
Logoly is Arkansas first environmental education state park. The Park calls itself a “living laboratory” and houses many different plant species inside a forest, a pond, and a mineral spring. Logoly uses solar panels to generate electricity and has large cisterns to collect rainwater. This rainwater is used to water plants around the park, and to flush the toilets in the bathrooms. Inside the visitor’s center the lights are on motion sensors to help conserve power.
Logoly Visitor Center
Inside Logoly’s visitor center you will find a world of wonder. It is very family friendly and has multiple interactive and hands-on exhibits for the whole family to enjoy. Morgan loves the sounds of nature section where she can activate many different sounds from the forest. She also loves crawling through the log and finding information about animals and insects that live around in the woods.
The visitor’s center also has an aquarium with fish and creatures you can view. This was my least favorite part due to the small alligator that resides here. Yes, I am completely terrified of alligators.
One of the unique things we have found here that so far, we have not found anywhere else, is the exhibits that you can smell. Several of the pictures on the walls have places kind of like scratch and sniff. You can smell flowers, honey, and trees that are all found locally. Morgan enjoyed this part a lot.
Walking Trails at Logoly
Around Logoly you will find three main walking/ hiking trails. The day we were there it was so hot, and the horse flies were swarming so bad that we decided to not finish the trails. Part of the Crane’s Fly Trail that leads to the Magnesium Springs was also closed off, so we did not get to see all the trails.
Along the Crane’s Fly Trail, you can find a large pond. There is a map that details what makes up the ecosystem and what things live in this area. This is part of what makes up the “living laboratory” in this park.
Picnic and Playground Area
Right when you enter the park you can find the small picnic and playground area. Morgan enjoys climbing, swinging, and sliding on the playground. It is a well shaded area that makes for a nice place to sit and take a break or watch the kids play.
Final Thoughts
We recommend Logoly State Park as a nice day trip for families. It is a great place to learn about nature and ecosystems in a fun and family-friendly way. Our only complaint about this park is all the horse flies were so bad that we couldn’t genuinely enjoy all the park had to offer. The heat also kept us from doing the hiking trails. The spring or fall are good times to visit this park to get to enjoy it all.
We hope that you will enjoy the living laboratory as much as we did. If you do come down to this area be sure and visit our next stop Southern Arkansas Arboretum which is our #11 park in the 21 Arkansas State parks in 2021 Challenge . Remember… Life’s Short… Take the Trip!
Ready to start planning your own adventure? We can help book hotels and cabins around any of the state parks. Email us at: amberh@destinationsinflorida.com
