The Incredible Spring-Fed Pool In Arkansas You Absolutely Need To Visit
By Carol Ann Carson|Published October 30, 2017
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Carol Ann Carson
Author
Arkansas native, Carol Ann Carson, has written for OnlyInYourState for three years now. She resides in Western Arkansas' Mountain Frontier but calls NWA home as well. The graduate of University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, Carol Ann earned her B.A. in English and will soon be pursing her M.A. in Library Science. She loves exploring the trails around the Buffalo National River and has yet to find a waterfall that wasn't her favorite.
The natural state is abound with unique geological features from caverns to crags. One of those places you should definitely visit is Arkansas’ spring-fed pool. The weather may be too cold for swimming right now but that certainly doesn’t stop this area from being enjoyable year-round.
About 30 miles north of Jonesboro resides Crowley's Ridge State Park.
Crowley's Ridge is one of the original six state parks in Arkansas. The others are Petit Jean, Mount Nebo, Devil’s Den, Lake Catherine and Buffalo River, if you were wondering.
The park was built in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, near the start of President Roosevelt's New Deal projects. Two lakes are at the park. Lake Walcott was built primarily for fishing.
And this gorgeous spring-fed lake, Lake Ponder, is for swimming. The lake was named for State Park Commissioner and Senator Harry L. Ponder of Walnut Ridge. Although it's a small three acres, this is one of the most popular swimming areas in the state.
Don't be sad just because its too cold to swim right now, Lake Ponder is fantastic no matter the season. Originally the area was turned down as a park site because it was swampy with poor-soil farming land. But after approval, ten thousand trees were planted throughout the park.
Besides swimming, the lake can be used for kayaking and pedal boating. Bass and catfish are popular catches at the neighboring Lake Walcott. It’s not uncommon to score a 10 pound largemouth bass.
The trails are what should motivate you to plan a trip sooner rather than to wait for summer. Five trails zigzag around the lakes. The CCC aimed to create trails that blended in with the landscape.
Lake Ponder is an excellent destination to add to any natural state tour. Arkansas has countless captivating geological oddities and a spring-fed pool is one that shouldn't be skipped over.
