Join Jonathan and I as we rent an RV and go digging for diamonds! We enjoyed “life on the road”, traveling in an RV for the first time, as well as checking off some cool spots along the way – the Arkansas high point, Hot Springs National Park, and Crater of Diamonds.
Day 1: Drive from Columbus, OH to the Tennessee Welcome rest stop. We had pizza for dinner and slept at the rest stop (bring a sleep aid – this will NOT be the best sleep of your life!). We drove about 5 hours. It took us a HOT MINUTE to get out of town because the RV rental place was a half hour away, and we had to drive it back to our house to load up.
Here, I’ll take a little bit of time explaining the RV rental situation. Our starting point is in Columbus, OH. It is just the two of us traveling. We rented from CruiseAmerica, which is a GREAT option for those wanting to explore RV life/travel without the commitment. However, it does come at a premium! They did not have the smallest model on hand that we wanted, so we ended up with their standard box-truck sized RV which was nice and had the capability to sleep 6-7 people, however this ended up costing us quite a bit in gas money. Just something to be aware of!
Here is what we paid in October of 2021 – gas $605, RV rental $1751.
Day 2: Hello, Hot Springs!
We drove a little over 9 hours to Hot Springs. We stayed at the Hot Springs KOA this night. We enjoyed a relaxing evening. We cooked in the RV, and had s’mores over the campfire. We can already tell we are getting terrible gas milage! 12mpg. Oh well – we are having fun! Oh, and saving money by taking advantage of that cute little RV kitchen.
Day 3: Hiking at Hot Springs
Today we did a 14 mile hike of what essentially was the entire perimeter of the park. Definitely gives you a sense of accomplishment!! We got to see beautiful views from Hot Springs Mountain. We stopped to tour the Lamar Baths and hit the gift shop there.
From there, we drove a little over an hour to the campground at Crater of Diamonds. Sadly, there was a fire ban here so we couldn’t enjoy a campfire at night, but we loved relaxing and being in nature while we played a board game that we brought (Wingspan) and enjoyed some adult beverages.
Day 4: Diamond Digging
Time to get dirty! We spent a little bit over four hours digging for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park. Bring your sun shirt, sun hat, snacks, and plenty of water, because it can be hot out there! Some people we saw had wagons with them, and we were a little envious. Between entrance fees and equipment rental, I believe we spent around $30 here. Super affordable for the chance to find a diamond! In the end, we went home with some calcite, jade, and other minerals – but no diamonds for us today. If this is your jam, plan a couple extra days in the area at least, because word has it that diamonds are found more often after it rains.
Day 5: Magazine Mountain
Welcome to the Arkansas state high point! It took us about 2.5 hours to drive here – and it is gorgeous! We did an easy 1.5 mile hike round trip, as well as the scenic drive. We enjoyed PB&Js along with our view.
Then here comes the not so fun part – time to head towards home. We drove till bout 2AM CST/3AM EST and slept at a rest stop again this night. The beauty of the RV is that you can be so flexible in where you stop for the night!
Day 6: Home Sweet Home
We dragged ourselves up out of bed around 8AM, and hit the road by 8:15AM. Gotta love it when there are at least two people and you can just wake up and start “driving your house” – haha. We made it back late afternoon to return the RV and get settled back in our real house!
So what’s my verdict? This road trip was a blast! I was honestly not the most jazzed about going to Arkansas, but being that Jonathan loves gems and summiting high points, and I want to go to every national park, this trip resonated with both of us. Now, the RV was expensive – I’ll admit that all day every day. I still recommend renting as a way to learn the ropes and see if you like it – but maybe for the more budget conscious person, stay closer to home and consider doing less driving and more camping in one spot 🙂
Adventures of Jonnie & KayKay 