The Ozarks Mountains located in Lake Creek Valley in the northwestern part of Arkansas was chosen in the 1930’s as the site for a park. They named it Devil’s Den State Park. Devil’s Den State Park is the epitome of outdoor greatness, surrounded by “ancient sedimentary mountains” and “lush oak-hickory forests”, it is a must see for any camping enthusiast or novice.
The history and creation of this state park and other state parks alike can be traced back to the Great Depression of the 1930’s. This catastrophic event caused a lot of unemployment and restlessness, which lead to an excess of free time that unfortunately in some instances lead to criminal activity.
As a result of this the federal government decided to step in and in essence kill two birds with one stone and started a number of emergency work programs related to recreation. The aim was to alleviate the job shortage and create positive recreational activities for people.
The one directly related to Devil’s Den State Park is The Civilian Conservation Corps, which helped establish many state’s park systems. The Civilian Conservation Corps managed to use native materials in the creation of Devil’s Den creating:
“rustic style wood and stone structures including an impressive native stone dam that spans Lee Creek in the heart of the park forming a peaceful 8-acre Lake Devil”
It takes a lot to keep a state park clean, attractive, and welcoming to tourists. State Parks have a number of employment opportunities ranging from desk clerks, retail, park upkeep, park rangers, guides, administration, and instructors. All of this information can be found in the state park website
I think that anyone wanting to work for a state park has to have a deep interest in nature and a certain pride for his or her state. Everybody that I spoke to in the park enjoyed their job and truly loved helping people and aiding them in having the best possible experience in their state.
Thanks to all of these wonderful people that dedicate so much of their time anyone is able to experience the outdoors and participate in many different leisure activities. At Devil's Den you can go camping with your own tent or rent a cabin. I went to Devil's Den for about three days with a group of friends and for a small fee we were able to use our own tent and camp out. We had access to a number of hiking trails, caves, streams, and a number of other resources. Trust me we all had a blast. We created our own fires, found or own fire wood, and pretty much grilled all weekend. The campsites were equipped with a small building, which came with a bathroom and showers, which was nice.
It was nice to see that the state park has made it so that everyone can enjoy the park in a variety of ways. You can walk a number of trails with varying levels of difficulty so everyone can participate. They offer canoeing; you can rent mountain bikes, ride horses and take a guided or un-guided tour. It is all about enjoying your surrounding and appreciating our local wonders.
To wrap things up I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Devil’s Den to say the least. I had a wonderful experience with all of my friends. The park had a lot to offer and for being my first camping trip I was not disappointed. The highlight of the trip was going into an actual bat cave and going down about 2 miles underground in complete darkness climbing rock formations as bats lined the walls while they hibernated.
Overall, I don’t think there are many cons in getting a career in this type of tourism especially in the state park area. I figure that if you are considering working for a state park you already like being around nature so that wont be an issue. The only thing that I do know is that the pay isn’t very lucrative. You can make a decent living but it will be just enough. I believe that if you are in this line of work making tons of money may not be a priority. This type of tourism is very important because it not only provides tons of leisure activities it also protects our country's natural treasures.
Devil’s Den State park was a wonderful experience and highly recommend it to everyone!
By: Eddy Herrera
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