There is a moment, somewhere around hole seven at the Craighead Forest Park Disc Golf Course, when the Spanish moss hanging from a cypress at the water’s edge catches the late afternoon light and you stop mid-throw just to take it in. The disc can wait. Jonesboro just handed you something better than a birdie: a genuine pause in a genuinely beautiful place.
Craighead Forest Park is one of the crown jewels of this city — over 700 acres of mature hardwood forest, trails, and lake shoreline tucked right into the urban fabric of Jonesboro — and the disc golf course winding through its southern corridor is one of the most underappreciated ways to spend two or three hours here. It costs nothing to play. Not a reduced fee, not a membership rate — nothing. You show up, you grab your disc (or rent one at the park office if you’re traveling light), and you go.
The course stretches across 18 holes that are designed with real variety: open fairways that reward power throws, tight wooded corridors that punish arrogance, and elevation changes that feel dramatic by Arkansas Delta standards. The terrain shifts from sunny open meadow to shaded forest canopy within a few steps, and several holes skirt the edge of the park’s main lake, where great blue herons tend to be minding their own business along the bank. It is the kind of course that makes beginners feel welcome and gives experienced players something to actually think about.
The disc golf community here is exactly what you would hope for in a mid-sized Southern city: friendly, unpretentious, and genuinely happy to see a newcomer. Weekday mornings tend to be quieter — ideal for a solo round with coffee still in your veins. Weekend afternoons bring out families, college students from Arkansas State, and the regulars who have been playing this course long enough to know exactly which trees have a grudge against them.
What makes this particular activity worth writing home about is how completely it captures what is special about Jonesboro at its best: an outdoors culture that does not take itself too seriously, green space that is maintained with obvious pride, and a level of accessibility that feels genuinely democratic. You do not need gear, a handicap, or a reservation. You just need a couple of hours and a decent arm.
If you are visiting during the warmer months, go early in the morning before the humidity reminds you that Arkansas is, in fact, the mid-South. Bring water, wear closed-toed shoes, and do not be surprised if you lose a disc in the underbrush on hole twelve. Everyone does. The course is well-marked, easy to navigate, and forgiving enough on foot that the whole round stays fun even when your throws are not cooperating.
Craighead Forest Park’s disc golf course sits off Loring Street on the south side of the park. Parking is easy, the restrooms are maintained, and the whole experience is exactly the kind of afternoon that reminds you why getting outside without a plan is almost always the right call. Jonesboro keeps delivering days like this. You just have to show up for them.
