Crater of Diamonds State Park Camping: Campground, Sites and Diamond-Hunting Guide

Crater of Diamonds State Park camping is the only camping trip in the country where you can spend the day digging for real diamonds and keep what you find. The park sits in Murfreesboro, in southwest Arkansas, on the eroded surface of an ancient volcanic crater. Since it became a state park, visitors have found more than 37,377 diamonds here (the park's count as of January 13, 2026), and the campground is only a short walk from the search field.

This guide covers the campground, site types, reservation rules, search area fees and hours, plus tips for making a camping trip and a diamond hunt work together.

Crater of Diamonds State Park Camping: The Basics

• Address: 209 State Park Rd, Murfreesboro, AR 71958. Park phone: 870-285-3113.
• Operator: Arkansas State Parks. Campsites are booked on the Arkansas State Parks reservation site.
• Campground size: 52 campsites for RVs, trailers and tents.
• Season: the campground and picnic area are open all year.
• Check-in and check-out: both at 3 p.m.

If you're searching "Crater of Diamonds State Park campground closed," the campground itself doesn't have an off-season. The park does close on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and the water park is summer-only (more below).

Campsites: Class AAA and Walk-In Tent Sites

The Crater of Diamonds State Park campground has two kinds of sites.

• Class AAA sites (47 sites). Full hookups with 50-, 30- and 20-amp electric, water and sewer. These are the RV sites, and they suit big rigs and pop-ups alike.
• Class D walk-in tent sites. No electricity or water. You park and carry your gear a short distance to the pad, which makes these the quietest option for tent campers.

Every site has a picnic table, a grill and a fire ring, and a bathhouse is nearby.

Crater of Diamonds Campground Map

Before you book, open the site list on the Arkansas State Parks reservation site and use the calendar view. It shows every campsite two weeks at a time, so you can compare sites and confirm the amperage your RV needs. You can also print the park's brochure map, which is the quickest way to get a Crater of Diamonds State Park campground map PDF for offline use (cell signal around Murfreesboro can be patchy).

Reservation Rules to Know

Arkansas State Parks publishes these camping policies:

• Deposit: a non-refundable deposit equal to the first night's non-discounted rate, plus tax. Cancelling means losing that deposit.
• Maximum stay: 14 nights within a 30-day period. Longer stays need the park superintendent's approval.
• Late arrival: your site is held until 10 a.m. the morning after your arrival date. Call the park if you'll be late, or the reservation is cancelled.
• Occupancy: up to 8 people and 2 structures per site (one RV and one tent, or two tents).
• Quiet hours: 10 p.m. to sunrise.
• Discounts: campers 62 and older (bigger discounts for Arkansas residents) and U.S. citizens with a 100% total and permanent disability get reduced rates. Bring ID or written proof.
• Pets: welcome at all campsites, on a leash and under your control whenever they're outside the camper or tent. See our guide to camping with dogs.

Nightly rates vary by site class and season, so check the current price on the reservation page when you pick a site.

Diamond Search Area: Tickets, Hours and Fees

Camping at the park doesn't include admission to the search field. Crater of Diamonds State Park tickets are sold at the visitor center:

• Adults (13 and older): $15
• Children 6–12: $7
• Children under 6: free
• Search area hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
• Visitor center, gift shop and Diamond Discovery Center: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

The search area is a 37-acre plowed field. Besides diamonds, people find amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate and quartz. The Diamond Discovery Center rents digging tools (screens, shovels and buckets) for $5 to $20 a day with a refundable deposit, and park staff can help identify what you find.

Famous Diamond Finds

The park's best-known find is the Uncle Sam, at 40.23 carats the largest diamond ever found in the United States. Other famous stones include the Amarillo Starlight (16.37 carats), the Star of Arkansas (15.33 carats) and the Esperanza (8.52 carats).

Things to Do at Crater of Diamonds

• Diamond Springs Water Park: open Memorial Day to Labor Day, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission is $10 for kids under 42 inches and $12 for everyone taller, with a $3 non-swimmer rate for adults. It's a good way to cool off after a hot morning in the field.
• Hiking: the Little Missouri River Trail follows the river, the Prospector Trail winds through the park's woods, and the Wildlife Observation Blind Trail leads to a wildlife-viewing blind.
• Picnicking: the picnic area is open all year and close to the campground.

Best Time of Year to Visit

Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons for camping here. Southwest Arkansas summers are hot and humid, and the search field has no shade, so in summer most people dig early, swim in the afternoon and dig again in the last hour. Many regulars plan their trip around a hard rain. Rain washes soil away and can leave diamonds lying on the surface of the field, so the morning after a storm is a popular time to search.

Places to Stay Near Crater of Diamonds

The park has no lodge or cabins, so the campground is the only place to stay inside the park. That's why searches for hotels near Crater of Diamonds State Park and places to stay near Crater of Diamonds are so common. Murfreesboro has a few small motels and private RV parks, and the nearest bigger towns have more hotel choices. If you want to dig right when the gate opens at 8 a.m., the campground is the most convenient option by far.

Tips for Camping at Crater of Diamonds

1. Book a Class AAA site in summer. Full hookups mean you can run air conditioning, and you'll want it from June through August.
2. Bring a camp stove as well as using the grill. Every site has a grill, but a two-burner stove makes quick breakfasts much easier before an early dig.
3. Bring the kids. This is one of the best family-friendly campgrounds in the South. Our camping with kids guide covers planning, and the kids camping checklist covers packing.
4. Get to the visitor center first. Look at the display of rough diamonds before you start, so you know what a real one looks like.

Recommended Gear

• Coleman Sundome Camping Tent: an easy, weatherproof tent for the Class D walk-in sites, with a full rainfly for Arkansas thunderstorms.
• Kids Explorer Kit – 10-in-1 Nature Explore Set: binoculars, a compass and a magnifier give kids something to do between digging sessions and on the wildlife blind trail.
• Coleman Triton 2-Burner Propane Stove: for fast camp breakfasts so you're at the field when it opens.

For the rest of your packing list, start with our tent camping essentials.

Is Crater of Diamonds State Park Camping Worth It?

Yes. Where else can you camp next to a public diamond field and keep what you find? The campground is open all year, the full-hookup sites suit RVs, the walk-in sites give tent campers some quiet, and kids love the water park in summer. Book a site, buy a search ticket and dig early. You probably won't find the next Uncle Sam, but you'll leave with a story, and maybe a diamond.