The reservoir for the city of Fort Smith Arkansas is located in the heart of the mountains of the Ozarks. It sits nestled in a valley just outside of a small community called Mountainburg Arkansas. The site is a state park and includes camping sites, playgrounds, boats for rent on the lake, fishing on the lake, a state park visitors Lodge, camping accommodations, lodges, campground, accommodations, playgrounds, hiking trails, and more. Bald eagles are easy to spot in the area and the state park offers a marina tour that takes guests out in season to not only take a tour around the lake and learn about the history and the beauty of the area, but also observe the wildlife and the birds naturally live in this area. Often times, eagles are spotted on these Excursions. read more

Great place to go camping, hiking, fishing, and sightseeing. Beautiful areas to camp and lodge. They have a summer time pool. There's a small store inside the building where you register. Many places are nearby if you want to go out to eat or explore the area. read more

Very clean camping area. The only drawback is that there is no view of the lake from any campsites.

This is hands down one of the cleanest state parks I have ever been to! The staff are super friendly and there is a ranger patrolling regularly! Things to do are: hike many beautiful trails, fish on the lake or from the shore, rent a boat and my favorite the paddle boats! The paddle boat was $10 an hour and so easy and fun for my husband and I. There are local restaurants close by like the pizza den and a short trip to Van Buren ( 20 minutes or so ) and every boutique and shopping place you could desire is close by. Deer were present every morning and every night all throughout the park, so have your camera ready! The park doesn't allow swimming in the lake but they have a beautiful pool and splash pad for use! We will travel here again! The waterfall was barely present due to years of drought but still a beautiful hike to the accessible area. read more

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Clean and modern facilities... great campground. Beautiful scenery... you are in nature! Little to no cell service.... read more

We visited the state park over the fourth of July weekend (which was a bit stormy, and during the height of COVID). We stayed in one of the cabins on property, which was a great experience! Few highlights below of the cabin, trails, visitor's center facility and lake. Cabins: I thought the cabins were great. We stayed in one of the single bedroom cabins, which had a big king sized bed (I think the couch pulled out too), a large bathroom, full sized fridge/freezer, kitchen stocked with pots, silverware, plates, cups, etc. A little more on the kitchen (as we brought all of our food with us) - there were cleaning supplies and a dishwasher, along with a roll of paper towels. There was also a coffee pot and some pre-packaged coffee - yay! Inside, there was a 6-person dining room table, and another 6-person table on the covered back porch. Down the stairs off that back deck, there was a charcoal grill and a picnic table. Check-in to the rooms was super easy - you can do a touchless check-in, using a 4-digit code to digitally unlock the cabin door. We could see the back deck of our neighbors, but didn't actually see another person around the cabins that weekend (and they were fully booked). Trails: There were several trails available - including the trailhead of the Ozark Highlands Trail. We walked the short trail from the cabins to the visitors center a few times, and ventured out on the OHT for a few miles as well (we saw more armadillos than people, but also saw a rather large snake too, so keep your eyes open!). The trails were well marked and very manageable to traverse. Visitor's Center/Pool: There were a few storms that weekend - but very little rain! We learned that the pool closes for 30 minutes each time they hear thunder, so even though we made multiple attempts to visit the pool, were unsuccessful in ever entering the facility. The need for safety is good, but it was frustrating when the storms weren't in our area. Masks were required in the visitor's center, and water fountains were not turned on (all COVID related). Lake: This lake is not a swimming lake, so if that's important to you, look elsewhere! But, the plus side of that is that the lake (even on the July 4th weekend) was very lightly trafficked with only a few fishing boats out on the lake - no big groups of people partying or floating in the lake. We were able to rent some kayaks from the marina area, which was an easy experience and it was fun to be able to navigate some of the small coves around the lake, checking out the scenery around the lake (lots of trees in the water) read more

Lake Fort Smith State Park - Parks Near Me - Mountainburg, Arkansas

I am very impressed by the quality and high standard of state parks in Arkansas. I just moved into the area so I am exploring parks in both Oklahoma and Arkansas and there really is no comparison. The state parks in Oklahoma are always disappointing. However, when you get to the parks in Arkansas you can really see what a well funded park looks like. I only did a day trip but I will definitely be coming back to camp. During the day there are so many choices that you can spend the whole day either swimming in the pool, kayaking, or hiking. There is plenty of space if you really want to get away from people and do your own thing. This perfectly manicure state park should be on your list as its remaining in mine as a go to park from now on. read more

Lake Fort Smith State Park - Marina - Parks Near Me - Mountainburg, Arkansas

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A beautiful park. Quiet - at least right now. After 10pm no noise allowed until sunrise. Pads are very nice. All are paved and have a bit of distance between them. The only thing that bothers me are the flies. Can't get away from them, but hey, we're camping! Lots of birds, humming birds (bring feeders) and butterflies. Also spiders, ants and the usual outside bugs! Hiking trails and mountain bikes trails. Small gift shop. Good jelly for sale. Friendly people working there read more

Lake Fort Smith is an important state park in western Arkansas. Located in a geographic transition zone, Lake Fort Smith is part of the Ozark Plateau water table with abundant, crisp, cool water year-round. Nearby, Shepherd Springs Lake contains the same traits as Lake Fort Smith. Officially, Lake Fort Smith is part of the Boston Mountains, which is the southern portion of the Ozark range. Additionally, Lake Fort Smith serves the drinking and recreational needs of the Arkansas River Valley; principally, the cities of Fort Smith (obviously), Van Buren, and the smaller surrounding communities further south. Fishers, boaters, campers, hikers, dog-walkers, and daytrippers will enjoy hours of southern Ozark atmosphere and scenery. The hamlet of Mountainburg is the closest settlement. Mountainburg contains restaurants, atms, filling stations, a grocery store and city services (police, etc.). With the importance of the lake, it is a safe area for individuals, pets, and families. The park is regularly patrolled by local police and game wardens. Also, it is not uncommon for local school districts to pursue end-of-the year field trips here, so as the Spring advances expect large numbers of people from time-to-time from March to May. Multiple docks, boat slips, and man-made points make fishing a key attraction: Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Catfish, and Bluegill (a.k.a Sunfish, Panfish, Bream, etc.) are the most common fare caught. Barbequers and grillers will enjoy the massive covered pavillion, dozens of benches-and-tables, and smaller camping complexes peppering the park; making this one of the best aspects of the park: the sheer opportunity to picnic. Lastly, the Ozark Mountains are synonymous with hiking. Hikers will find an an abundance of nature trails in the vicinity. Certain trails are paved with gravel, while other trails are raw blazes through the woods; all trails would be considered medium to easy in grade and difficulty. Bottom line, Lake Fort Smith to a hiker is manna from heaven: smooth, welcomed, and divinely-inspired. read more

Went here to see what was going on over the weekend. We walked in the visitors center and a lady immediately said "Hey, you can't be here" so we walked out, then she shouted, "what do you want and you can come over to the window" then she listed off all the things that were closed. So I asked here what their was to do, she said "Hiking" we were finally done with her, grabbed a map and drove around looking at the park. Their were people grilling, fishing and camping. Looked like a nice place but the woman in the visitors center was awful and like most government workers they are using the current situation to do as little as possible. read more

Lake Fort Smith State Park is a wonderful and friendly park. My fiance and I have been frequenting Arkansas since she was from Cabot and decided to rent a boat from their marina. The staff there is awesome and very friendly. They answered every one of my, what I thought, were dumb questions and even educated me on something. We rented a john boat, given the crash course, and were on our way. Although you can't swim in their lake it was worth is. The scenery was incredible. The john boat performed as it should with no problem. So rent away and rest at ease that you will have an enjoyable experience. read more

We love this place , it has a beautiful few of a beautiful lake ... the cabins are clean and amazing with two rooms with there own bathrooms and they kitchen and a back porch with table and chairs that look of the woods. But don't go down with out a four wheeler!!!! It look dangerous . There is no wifi to . But this is still awesome. Tell your firends . read more