Arkansans can’t help but feel proud of the many, many scenic spots in our state and the lakes here in the Natural State are no exception whatsoever. Check out this list of beautiful hidden lakes in Arkansas! Okay, maybe they’re not all hidden, per se, but they sure are magical, especially when you’re looking for somewhere to watch the sunset at!
1. Lake Ponder
Crowley's Ridge State Park, 2092 AR-168 North, Paragould, AR 72450, USA
This peaceful spot is found in Crowley's Ridge State Park. Located on the former homesite of pioneer Benjamin Crowley, Lake Ponder is in Greene County, Arkansas.
This lake is located in Rogers, Arkansas. Built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration, the lake is named for Atalanta Gregory, wife of O.L. Gregory, who donated most of the land that now forms the lake. It's beautiful, and well worth a visit.
The largest reservoir made by a game and fish commission in the United States. It is located just a few miles southeast of Conway, Arkansas. There are unfounded rumors that a Lake Conway "monster" exists and lurks around the small islands on the lake. While no photographs are known to exist of the Lake Conway monster, reports of large creatures in the lake and strange goings-ons are allegedly still filed to this day.
This historic district in Washington County, Arkansas, is located within the Lake Wedington Recreation Area. Built by the Works Progress Administration in 1938, the area also contains six modernized cabins for overnight visitors.
This lake was created by Fayetteville Dam in 1949. Popular among sportsmen, the lake's most popular features include a boat dock and easily-accessible fishing piers.
This lake sits on the border between the flat Delta lands of eastern Arkansas and the rolling woodlands of the West Gulf Coastal Plain, found in south central and southwestern Arkansas. Guided kayaking tours are available on the lake.
A reservoir in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas, this lake is perfect for boating, water sports, swimming, and fishing. Bull Shoals Dam was created to impound the White River via one of the largest concrete dams in the United States, and the 5th-largest dam in the world at its inception.
8. Norfork Lake
Norfork Lake Drive, Norfork Lake Dr, Arkansas 72544, USA
Most of the lake lies within Baxter County, Arkansas, with its northernmost portion being in Ozark County, Missouri. Bass, crappie, walleye, catfish, and bream are all found in the lake alongside almost all other varieties of freshwater game fish. Game on!
A man-made lake in Pulaski County, Arkansas, Lake Maumelle is one of the primary drinking water sources for the city of Little Rock. The lake was created in the late 1950s, with construction beginning in 1956 to dam the Big Maumelle River, and with water flowing into the system for the first time in 1958.
This reservoir near Hot Springs, Arkansas, was created by the damming of the Ouachita River by Blakely Mountain Dam. Lake Ouachita is the largest lake whose borders lie completely within Arkansas, as the larger Bull Shoals Lake extends into Missouri.
A part of the Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arkansas, this lake is located on the confluence of the Saline and Ouachita Rivers. In addition to the wetland lowlands of the refuge, there are also areas of pine and upland hardwood forests. The refuge is home to migratory and resident waterfowl as well as marsh and water birds.
This popular Arkansas summer destination is located on the Ouachita River, close to the nearby towns of Hot Springs and Lake Hamilton, Arkansas. The lake was created in 1932, mainly to generate hydroelectricity, but now it also serves as an excellent recreational getaway.
The growing town of Russelville, Arkansas, lies on Lake Dardanelle, another popular spot that provides numerous recreational activities for visitors and locals. Petit Jean Mountain is close to the area and provides amazing scenic views for visitors along the lake. The Ozark and Ouachita Mountains also offer great scenery as well!
This smaller, yet still quite popular spot is situated near Hot Springs. Lake Catherine State Park is located on the lakeshore. Lake Catherine was created in the 1920s with the building of Remmel Dam.
Located less than 10 miles from Ashdown in southwest Arkansas, this lake was formed from the damming of the point where the Little River and the Saline River meet. Millwood has also been known as one of the best bass fishing lakes in the United States. Every year it is home to many bass fishing tournaments and fishing derbies, all in search of Millwood's elusive lunker largemouth bass.
A man-made reservoir in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas, this lake was formed by a dam across the White River. Beaver Lake is the source of drinking water for northwest Arkansas, which is managed, treated, and sold by Beaver Water District.
Approximately 8 miles outside of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, this reservoir on the Caddo River offers a huge span of recreational activities as well as spectacular views. Arkansas Scenic Byway 7 is located on the eastern shore of the lake, and provides views like none other as well as lodging and restaurants.
Located near Lake Village, Arkansas, Lake Chicot is the largest oxbow lake in North America and the largest natural lake in Arkansas, formed 600 years ago by the meandering of the Mississippi River. Lake trivia: Charles Lindbergh made his first-ever nighttime flight over Lake Chicot and Lake Village in April 1923.
An oxbow lake at the eastern tip of the town of Horseshoe Lake, Arkansas, this lake is just 30 minutes by car from downtown Memphis, Tennessee. Changes in the course of the Mississippi River resulted in the shape of Horseshoe Lake. The lake itself is a former meander in the Mississippi River that was cut off, shortening the river, and is no longer connected to the river.
The reservoir formed by Greers Ferry Dam is also often ranked as one of the top ten clearest, cleanest, and most pristine lakes in all of North America. Since the formation of Greers Ferry Lake in the early 1960s, tourism has thrived around the lake in Heber Springs, Arkansas.
This list names the best-known and most-loved lakes in the Natural State, but there are many more great spots, gems, and hidden lakes in Arkansas to visit, too. Do you have any specific hidden lakes in Arkansas you’d like to see us feature? Tell us about it using this form; we love to hear from you.
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More to Explore
Hidden Lakes in Arkansas
Tori Jane|October 23, 2021
What are some fun hidden gems in Arkansas?
If you know where to look, Arkansas can be a pretty fun place! It’s got plenty of popular, touristy kinds of attractions, sure, but if you prefer some off-the-beaten-path hidden gems, you’re in luck. You can visit some old ghost towns, like Rush or Calico Rock. If you prefer natural hidden gems, we suggest checking out Pivot Rock Park in Eureka Springs, which is home to some truly fascinating geology with some interesting outlaw history to boot. Signal Hill is beautiful and also just so happens to be the highest point in the whole state (2,753 feet above sea level, to be exact), so it’s worth a visit. In Heber Springs, fall in love with the beauty of Arkansas while checking out the Collins Creek Cascade, an incredible waterfall that’s part of an ecosystem that contains the only wild trout population in Arkansas. There are plenty of man-made ones, too – like the Beatles Park in Walnut Ridge, which is just as epic as it sounds.
What are the best lakes in Arkansas?
Arkansas is home to more than 2,400 lakes with names. If you want to count the small, un-named ones, there’s plenty more than that. Some of the most popular include Beaver Lake, Lake Hamilton, Norfork Lake, Lake Ouachita, Lake Chico (and honestly all of Lake Chico State Park), Greers Ferry Lake, and more. Lake Dardanelle is another highly popular and much-loved lake, and so is Bull Shoals, which has been referred to as “The Caribbean of the Midwest” a few times in its day. The only thing as awesome as (or maybe a little more awesome than) Arkansas’s amazing lakes are its incredible waterfalls. We’ve devised an epic Arkansas waterfalls road trip that you might want to take some time – it'll be fun, we promise.
