Little Rock has five state parks within 50 miles, and the three closest each go a different way. Pinnacle Mountain, 13 miles northwest, is a day-use park built around a peak you can hike to the top of. Woolly Hollow, 37 miles north in Greenbrier, is a classic lake park with a one-room homestead cabin from 1882. Lake Catherine, 42 miles southwest near Hot Springs, has a trail to a waterfall and stone buildings from the 1930s. This is the outdoor half of the day. The eating half is at the end: one table on the way back from each park.
We run State Park Near Me, a directory of every state park in the country, and we are a guest here. Top of Little Rock asked for the parks. They supplied the restaurants.
The day, in order
All three visitor centers open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m., and all three close on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Pinnacle Mountain’s grounds open earlier, at 6:30 a.m., and the gates close one hour after sunset. None of the three park pages lists an entrance fee; the charges they list are for rentals, pavilions, the Woolly Hollow swim beach and the Lake Catherine horseback rides. If the Lake Catherine marina is part of the plan, go Friday through Tuesday, because it is closed Wednesday and Thursday and shuts for the winter after October. The parks also run Halloween week events, listed under each park below.
Pinnacle Mountain
Just west of the city, the mountain is the centerpiece of a day-use park with more than 33 miles of trails, 18.95 of them for mountain bikes. Hike to the top, or stay low on the Maumelle and Little Maumelle rivers and in the Arkansas Arboretum. A kiosk at the Big Maumelle river access rents kayaks; you scan your phone to reserve and pay. The park is also a certified Trail of Tears National Historic Site, and the mountain saw the removal parties of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole and Chickasaw nations pass. Grounds are open 6:30 a.m. to one hour after sunset, and the visitor center 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Coming up: the Oak-tober Hike and Craft on October 31, a Dutch oven cooking workshop on November 7 and a survival skills workshop on November 14.
Woolly Hollow
This is the classic state park day: fishing, boating and swimming on 40-acre Lake Bennett in Greenbrier, about 18 miles north of Conway. The Soil Conservation Service built the lake in the 1930s as its first watershed project. Canoes, kayaks and pedal boats rent at the launch ramp; bring your own pole, bait and tackle if you fish. The Woolly Cabin is an original one-room family homestead from 1882, mountain bikers come for the 9.4-mile Enders Fault trail, and hikers have three trails. The visitor center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through November; from December it opens 1 p.m. on weekends. Halloween week is busy here: Woolly Holloween on October 24, a Huckleberry nature hike and a Woolly Cabin tour on October 25, Buggy Hollow on October 30 and a Spooky Hollow scavenger hunt on October 31.
Lake Catherine
The park sits on Lake Catherine, one of five lakes in the Ouachita Mountain region, and has the only full-service marina on the lake. The Falls Branch Trail, a National Recreation Trail, leads to a waterfall, and many of the stone and wood buildings date to the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Swimming at the swim beach is free, with no lifeguard. The marina is open Friday to Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., through October, then closed until March 16. Guided horseback rides run at 10 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through Thanksgiving, $60 cash or $62 by card per rider, paid at the stables; reservations are recommended at 501-262-0777. The visitor center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On October 23 the park runs a Cleaning Up the Falls hike and an evening boat cruise.
The full list
Directions, maps and the official site for each of these, plus the other two state parks within 50 miles, are on our side. The state parks near Little Rock page on State Park Near Me lists all five, closest first, with a page for every park.
Where to eat after
The parks sit in three directions, so here is one table on the way back from each, from three Top of Little Rock lists: hidden gems, North Little Rock and the best restaurants in Little Rock. The scores are theirs, not ours.
Layla's Market
Insider Score7.2
Greek and Mediterranean · Rodney Parham Road
After Pinnacle Mountain, on Rodney Parham Road as you come back into west Little Rock. A counter that doubles as a grocery, where you order at the counter and sit among the shelves; the lamb shawarma and the grain bowls are the orders the list names.
Lindsey's Hospitality House
Insider Score7.1
Barbecue · North Little Rock
After Woolly Hollow, in North Little Rock as you come back down I-40. Founded in 1956 by Bishop D.L. Lindsey Sr.; the smoked brisket platter, the baby back ribs and the pulled pork are the orders.
Star of India
Insider Score7.3
Indian · Shackleford Road
After Lake Catherine, on Shackleford Road off I-430 as you come in from I-30. Chicken tikka masala, lamb biryani and garlic naan carry the rating across more than four hundred reviews.
Scores are Top of Little Rock Insider Scores. Restaurant photographs from Yelp and Tripadvisor.
Sources. Arkansas State Parks pages for Pinnacle Mountain, Woolly Hollow and Lake Catherine state parks, checked October 21, 2026. Distances are straight-line from the Little Rock town center, from State Park Near Me. Restaurant scores and notes from the Top of Little Rock hidden gems, North Little Rock and best restaurants guides, October 2026. Top photo: Pinnacle Mountain by Jason Ronza, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; park photo credits are under each photo.
State Park Near Me writes for State Park Near Me. State Park Near Me lists every state park, historic site, beach and recreation area in the United States, with directions and the nearest other parks. Every park page links to the park's official site. This piece was written for Top of Little Rock.