Courtesy Photo | District boundaries and project offices are mapped in the Little Rock area.... read more read more
1. Beaver Lake, Rogers, Arkansas
With about 487 miles of natural shoreline and 31,700 surface acres of water at top of flood pool, Beaver Lake offers the best recreational opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. Beaver Lake is a nature lover’s delight during all seasons. Towering limestone bluffs, natural crevices, a wide variety of trees and flowering shrubs, and a diversity of wildlife and birds afford shutter bugs, hikers and nature lovers many hours of enjoyment throughout the year. Crystal clear waters beckon boaters, campers, fisherman and scuba divers alike. Naturalists and hunters can enjoy the public lands bordering the lake as well as the Hobbs State Park Conservation Area, which covers 12,055 acres along the southern shores of Beaver Lake.
Beaver Lake is also the largest supplier of water for Northwest Arkansas, serving more than 400,000 customers.
2. Blue Mountain Lake, Havana, Arkansas
Located in the shadow of Mount Magazine, Arkansas's highest peak, Blue Mountain Lake has offered many recreational opportunities since its completion in 1947. Modern campgrounds provide tent and trailer spaces, electrical and water hookups, showers, boat launching ramps, parking areas, fish cleaning stations, and many other amenities. The excellent fishery in the lake includes largemouth and white bass, crappie, bream, and catfish. Other water sports, such as water skiing, swimming, and boating are also very popular activities. A shady, cypress tree-lined swimming area in Waveland Park provides a relaxing respite from a busy day at the lake.
The Blue Mountain Wildlife Demonstration Area is located on the west end of the project property. It is a world class bird dog field trial area that attracts visitors from throughout the United States and several other countries. The abundant public forests around the lake are open to in-season hunting, hiking, birding, sightseeing, and other outdoor activities.
Blue Mountain Lake’s location between the Ozark and Ouachita National forests compliments the natural beauty of the area. There are plenty of activities available to keep any Blue Mountain Lake visitor busy.
3. Bull Shoals Lake, Mountain Home, Arkansas
Seeking a clear, clean and uncrowded water playground? Set in the scenic Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri, Bull Shoals Lake has hundreds of miles of lake arms and coves perfect for boating, water sports, swimming, and fishing. Twenty-three developed parks around the shoreline provide campgrounds, boat launches, swim areas, and marinas. Sixty thousand acres of public land provide a variety of other opportunities.
With more than 100,000 acres of land and water combined, this is the place to meet all of your recreation needs. With more than 45,000 surface acres of clear, blue water for boating, skiing, fishing and relaxation, twenty-two boat ramps located around the lake provide ready access for all.
4. Clearwater Lake, Piedmont, Missouri
Whether it is boating, swimming, water skiing, camping, picnicking, sightseeing, hunting, or fishing, Clearwater Lake in southern Missouri can meet your recreation needs.
The absence of private boat docks appeals to those seeking a "wilderness lake," permitting boaters freedom to find a bit of unspoiled shoreline nearly anywhere on the lake. Boating enthusiasts and skiers have acres of smooth, deep water for sport. Whether you are an experienced sportsman or a beginner, Clearwater Lake has a place for you to cast lines. Bass, crappie, bream and catfish lurk beneath the sparkling clear waters of the lake.
The vicinity is noted for the grandeur of its hills, natural springs, and general outdoor beauty. The shoreline is studded with high picturesque bluffs covered with sweet williams flowers, indented bays and coves. Oak, hickory, and maple trees are numerous, and the beauty of the area is enhanced each spring by the sight of flowering shrubs and trees, such as redbud, hawthorn, dogwood and wild plum.
5. DeQueen Lake, DeQueen, Arkansas
Located on the Rolling Fork River in Sevier County, Arkansas, DeQueen Lake offers outdoor enthusiasts excellent opportunities for year-round enjoyment of the project. DeQueen Lake provides 32 miles of shoreline for visitors to enjoy. Whether you enjoy boating, fishing, skiing or canoeing, Dequeen Lake has everything you need. Fish species available for the angler include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, hybrid striped bass, black and white crappie, channel and flathead catfish and various species of sunfish. There are three campgrounds, six boat ramps, three swimming areas, many picnic areas and three picnic shelters for visitors to enjoy.
Opportunities for hunting on project lands are as equally good for the hunting enthusiast. Principal game species include bobwhite quail, mourning dove, turkey, squirrel, cottontail rabbit, and deer.
6. Dierks Lake, Dierks, Arkansas
The Dierks Lake dam site is located at river mile 56.5 of the Saline River in Sevier and Howard counties in west-central Arkansas. The site is about 5 miles northwest of the town of Dierks and 30 miles from the only active diamond mine in the United States. The 1,360 acre lake can provide an enjoyable experience for boating enthusiast looking to swim, fish or water ski. Blue Ridge, Horseshoe Bend and Jefferson Ridge campgrounds, open year-round, are all tucked back in secluded wooded areas with access to the lake.
7. Gillham Lake “The Bright Spot on the Cossatot,” Gilliam, Arkansas
Whether you enjoy boating, canoeing, fishing, swimming, picnicking or hiking Gillham Lake has an activity for you. Gillham Lake has five recreation areas around the lake, five boat ramps, three campgrounds, two picnic shelters and one designated swim area.
Canoeing and fly-fishing on the Cossatot River is a popular attraction for visitors. The river can be paddled from a point below the dam to U.S. Highway 71 South, a distance of about 16 miles. For shorter canoe trips, there are access roads to the river at Mize Crossing and Ladd Bridge.
Need a waterless activity? Gillham Lake has the Coon Creek Walking Trail which is located on the entry road to Big Coon Creek Park. The trail is about two miles and makes its way through rolling hills and offers breathtaking views of the lake. The best time to enjoy the Coon Creek Walking Trail is during the spring when dogwood and redbud trees bloom or in the fall when the autumn colors are peaking.
8. Greers Ferry Lake, Heber Springs, Arkansas
At the foot of Round Mountain in the beautiful Ozark Mountains of north-central Arkansas stands Greers Ferry Dam. Behind that structure dedicated in 1963 by the late President John F. Kennedy, glistens one of the foremost recreational areas in the central United States. More than 30,000 acres of water surface, the lake serves as a playground for all kinds of water sports. Eighteen parks around the shoreline provide modern campgrounds, boat launches, swim areas and marinas.
Greers Ferry Lake is widely known as a record-producing fishery. The lake is currently home of the state record walleye weighing 22 pounds 11 ounces, hybrid-striped bass 27 pounds 5 ounces and lake trout 11 pounds 5 ounces.
No trip to Greers Ferry Lake would be complete without a visit to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers William Carl Garner Visitor Center. The exhibit area setting begins in prehistoric time and moves visitors through local history to the present. Visitors learn the history of early exploration of the area, the events that led to the building of Greers Ferry Dam, and detailed information on the purpose and history of the lake, dam and power plant.
9. Millwood Lake, Ashdown, Arkansas
Located in southwest Arkansas Millwood Lake has some of the best fishing in the country along with a wide variety of wildlife viewing opportunities. With an abundance of food and varied habitats, multitudes of birds are attracted year-round to Millwood Lake. Birders from across the nation come to Millwood to get a glimpse of a wide variety of birds that include over 333 species reported within a 7.5-mile area. A flock of white pelicans reside year-round on the lake, while bald eagles, golden-winged warblers, gulls, and several species of ducks are among the birds making an appearance throughout the year.
Millwood Lake has 12 recreation areas around the lake. There are 12 boat ramps, eight campgrounds, three picnic shelters, and one designated swim area. Millwood more than 150 campsites available for all types of campers. Some are primitive campsites for “getting back to nature” while others are equipped with water and/or electricity. Seasons vary for each campground generally running from spring to fall.
Alligators are a part of the natural habitat at Millwood so be cautious and keep safety in mind while boating or fishing. There is no swimming in Millwood Lake.
10. Nimrod Lake, Plainview, Arkansas
Cradled between the Ouachita and Ozark mountains, Nimrod Lake has proven popular with fishermen and hunters since its completion in 1942. It is home to the oldest Corps of Engineers dam in Arkansas.
The most popular sporting activity on Nimrod is fishing. The lake has an abundance of crappie, largemouth bass, bream, catfish and white bass. Other water sports such as water skiing, swimming, and boating are also very popular activities.
In-season hunting is permitted throughout the lake area except in or near parks. A 2400-acre “green tree” public duck hunting area is available on project lands as well as a mobility-impaired hunting area.
11. Norfork Lake, Salesville, Arkansas
With wide open, breezy stretches for sailing and quiet secluded coves for skiing and swimming, the clear uncrowded waters of Norfork Lake are ideal for water sports. Scuba diving is excellent, attracting divers from throughout central United States. With 22,000 surface acres of water, Norfork Lake is also known as a great place for fishing. The wooded and mostly undeveloped shoreline allows for ample room to enjoy the hills and hollows.
Developed parks offer campsites that range from rustic to modern with electrical hookups, playgrounds, group picnic shelters, designated swimming areas and boat-launching ramps.
The 32,000 acres of public land around Norfork Lake provides the hunter with good opportunities for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, squirrel, rabbit and quail. Migratory birds and waterfowl, such as doves, ducks and geese are also found here. Some areas are cooperatively managed with state and volunteer organizations to provide maximum benefits for both game and non-game wildlife.
12. Table Rock Lake, Branson, Missouri
Winding down through the valleys and hollows of the Ozark Mountains, from Branson, Missouri to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Table Rock Lake reaches out for your attention with water as blue as the sky. Table Rock Dam and Lake has become a paradise for boaters, scuba divers, campers, nature enthusiasts and fishermen.
Boating is a popular activity on Table Rock Lake. Fourteen marinas, twenty-four public boat ramps and sixteen public campgrounds are located around Table Rock Lake.
No trip to table Rock Lake would be complete without visiting the Dewey Short Visitor Center. The visitor center has exhibits about the White River watershed, local habitats, Table Rock Dam, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well as several interactive exhibits including maps, power generation stations and water safety. It also features an overlook which allows visitors to view Table Rock Lake, the dam, and Lake Taneycomo from one viewing deck.
On the grounds, you may enjoy picnicking or fishing along the shoreline. Don't forget to make use of the beautiful Table Rock Lakeshore Trail, which is located adjacent to the visitor center’s parking lot.
Wherever your recreational interest lies, please play it safe at the lake. Leave the area in a better condition than you found it. Avoid damaging trees and plants. Properly dispose of all refuse. Take only photographs and memories; leave only footprints.
We’ll see you soon!
| Date Taken: | 08.26.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2015 11:24 |
| Story ID: | 174289 |
| Location: | LITT, ARKANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 118 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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