Maumelle Campground is a beautiful Corps of Engineers park next to the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Arkansas. This is a popular family destination and was almost full on the weekend. Just a few miles from grocery stores, shopping, and restaurants it was the perfect place for us to stay. The big sites are all paved with picnic table and fire pit. Our site was on the water with our camper set up beneath pecan trees.
On Friday we took a day trip to the first Arkansas state park, Petit Jean State Park. The 55 mile trip took us through several small towns. The final miles of the journey were up steep, winding roads until we reached the top of Petit Jean Mountain and the state park.
The legend of how Petit Jean mountain was named began in the 1700’s when a French nobleman named Chavet became engaged. He was soon leaving to explore part the Louisiana Territory and claim some of the land. His fiance wanted to get married before he left so she could accompany him on his journey. He refused because he didn’t want her to have to suffer the hardships they would encounter. She disguised herself as a cabin boy named Petit Jean and went on the exploration with him without his knowledge. Chavet never knew who she was until she fell ill and a doctor discovered the truth. She is buried on top of the mountain which was named after her.
Wandering Dawgs 
This looked like a lovely park. I will need to add it to the list. I love your photos with the steam/fog coming off the water.
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We really enjoyed staying there. Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. Early morning on the river was beautiful.
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Looks like a great area. What an interesting story about Petit Jean!
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We didn’t camp at the state park but there was a nice campground there and hiking trails. I love the story about Petit Jean.
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Beth, beautiful photos of this lovely park! I bet you had a wonderful time there!
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We really enjoyed it. Even with an almost full campground it was peaceful and quiet. One afternoon there was a heron walking around the shoreline close to us and we saw squirrels all over the place.
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I remember visiting Petit Jean park as a kid. I still have a souvenir from there, a little cedar box to keep treasures in.
Jean
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We visited the gift shop. They probably still sell those boxes.
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That name, Petit Jean, sounds awful familiar to me. I think we camped there in our earlier years of RVing.
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There was a hiking trail to the bottom of the canyon for a better view of the water fall. There were other trails, too.
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Hi Beth!…Maumelle is a great COE campground. We try to stay there each time we come thru the Little Rock area. Where are you heading from Little Rock? We are currently at Gunter Hill COE outside of Montgomery until tomorrow and then are heading it south to Gulf State Park (Gulf Shores) for a week.
Maynard
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I can’t believe it! We were at Gunter hill this weekend! Site 99 in the old section. Where were you? Hate that we missed each other. I’m a week behind on posts. Back on Georgia now.
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