Park and fish!

Cool destinations offer camping, fishing, more in the Natural State

When the summer heat drives you off the water on the state’s big lakes like Beaver, try the cooling tailwaters for rainbow or brown trout.
When the summer heat drives you off the water on the state’s big lakes like Beaver, try the cooling tailwaters for rainbow or brown trout.

Summer's doldrums have engulfed the Natural State, but there are many cool places to enjoy the rest of summer vacation.

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If the afternoon heat is too much, wait for the sun to go down on any number of the state’s lakes like Maumelle.

Here are a few of our favorites to enjoy great camping, good fishing, hiking and stargazing.

Lake Ouachita

Although very popular, Lake Ouachita is big enough to give you as much or as little company as you want in one of the South's most scenic settings.

An impoundment of the Ouachita River, the lake covers about 40,000 acres and touches about 1,000 miles of shoreline. The Ouachita National Forest encompasses most of the surrounding property, most of which is undeveloped and untouched.

The Army Corps of Engineers maintains about 1,000 campsites at various campgrounds, most of which are on the south side of the lake.

For years, our family vacationed annually at Little Fir Recreation Area, west of Mount Ida. The west end of the lake is very quiet this time of year, which is great for family recreation. The campsites are clean and have water and electricity for RVs.

The islands near Little Fir are close enough to the campground to reach with canoes and kayaks. Fishing is very good for bass and panfish in the mornings and evenings.

My wife and I once swam across the Little Fir Narrows. That's a long way, so I swam to one side while Laura shadowed me in a kayak, and I shadowed her on the return trip.

For a more comprehensive experience, Lake Ouachita State Park near Mountain Pine offers tent, car and RV camping, cabins, hiking trails and a marina.

For more information on Lake Ouachita State Park, call (501) 767-9366 or go to arkansasstateparks.com

DeGray Lake

An impoundment of the Caddo River, DeGray Lake covers about 13,500 acres near Arkadelphia and Bismarck. It is like a smaller version of Lake Ouachita, with deep, clear water ringed by forested hills.

Because it is more remote, DeGray Lake is not as busy as Lake Ouachita. There's a lot less boat traffic, and there are usually a lot fewer people at the campgrounds.

DeGray Lake has excellent fishing for hybrid striped bass, crappie, largemouth bass, spotted bass and panfish. Hybrids are probably its most popular draw and provide an opportunity to catch hard-fighting fish that can approach 10 pounds.

Developed campsites are available at five Corps of Engineers recreation areas. Tent camping is available only at Point Cedar and Ozan Point Recreation Areas.

DeGray State Park has all levels of camping, as well as an acclaimed lodge for those that want hotel-grade accommodations.

The park also has a golf course, disc/sling golf course and hiking trails. You can also rent boats and water toys at the marina.

For more information, call (501) 865-5850 or go to degray.com.

Beaver Lake

Covering about 29,000 acres, Beaver Lake is the smallest of the three largest White River reservoirs, but it packs a big punch when it comes to summer fun.

It has 12 major recreation areas that contain 650 campsites, and most have water and electricity. The upper end of the lake has a distinctly different personality than the lower end, so you get a different experience at Hickory Creek Recreation Area than at Rocky Branch or Prairie Creek Recreation Areas.

The water is deep, clear and cool, which is great for swimming.

Beaver Lake also supports an incredibly rich and diverse fishery that includes striped bass, white bass, hybrids, largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, walleyes, crappie, catfish and panfish.

The bass fishing is good enough to make Beaver Lake the only venue the FLW visits every year. Striper fishing can be good in the mornings.

If you want to get really cool, you can fish in the tailwater below Beaver Dam. The outflow temperature is in the mid-50s, and that's cold enough for trout. The Beaver tailwater is a short trout stream compared to the others in the White River chain, but it's a great place to catch stocker size rainbow trout. I've also caught some big browns there from Parker Bend to the U.S. 62 bridge.

Dam Site Recreation Area below the dam is one of my favorite campgrounds, but the camping is good on the lakeside portion, too.

If you want entertainment away from the lake, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville have restaurants and nightlife to suit all tastes and ages.

Petit Jean State Park

Sometimes altitude is the best antidote to summer heat, and you can get a few degrees of relief at Petit Jean, Mt. Nebo and Mount Magazine state parks.

Petit Jean State Park occupies a high ridge on the south side of the Arkansas River roughly between Morrilton and Atkins. Mount Magazine State Park is on the south side of the Arkansas River near Paris, and Mt. Nebo State Park is south of the Arkansas River near Dardanelle.

Mount Magazine and Petit Jean have all forms of lodging, including lodges, cabins and campsites. Mt. Nebo has a developed campground and cozy stone cabins.

At 2,753 feet, Mount Magazine is the highest point in the state. There's no fishing to speak of on the mountain itself, but the Arkansas River and Blue Mountain Lake are nearby. The Ozark Pool of the Arkansas River has excellent bass fishing, and Blue Mountain Lake is one of the hottest crappie lakes in the state.

Petit Jean Mountain State Park is a quick drive from Lake Dardanelle, the best bass lake in Arkansas. It has produced the past two winners of the Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza.

The same goes for Mt. Nebo. It sits on a flat ridge that rises 1,350 feet and a cool breeze always blows.It also offers some of the best views of the Arkansas River Valley.

For more information, go toarkansasstateparks.com.

White Oak Lake

Southern Arkansas has some excellent vacation destinations, including White Oak Lake State Park. It's on Lower White Oak Lake, which offers excellent fishing for bass, crappie, catfish and panfish. It's also adjacent to Poison Springs State Forest, which augments the park's remote, woodsy vibe.

This park is not as highly developed as those to the north, but you can relax in comfort at 45 full-service campsites. You can rent fishing boats, canoes and pedal boats at the park's marina.

If you get tired of the water, you can walk the park's trails or enjoy 10 miles of mountain biking trails.

For more information, go to arkansasstateparks.com/whiteoaklake.

Village Creek State Park

This 6,900-acre state park is one of the great jewels of eastern Arkansas, and it has everything that a top inland vacation destination requires.

It sits atop Crowley's Ridge among mature hardwoods where nighttime brings a deafening symphony of crickets, tree frogs and cicadas.

Excellent bass fishing is available at lakes Austell and Dunn, which are inside the park. Lake Dunn surrendered what would have been a state-record largemouth several years ago, but the fish was disqualified when the angler that caught it was found to not have a fishing license.

The park campground has nearly 100 sites, most of which have water and electricity.

Hikers and equestrians can enjoy nearly 25 miles of trails and there's also a horse camp with 30 sites.

Bring your golf clubs, too, because the park also has a 27-hole course that was designed by Andy Dye.

For more information, go to arkansasstateparks.com/villagecreek.

Sports on 07/16/2016

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