Park A Day: Lake Dardanelle State Park

On June 27, 1997, breakwater construction began on Lake Dardanelle State Park. In 1992, the lake set a record of 52 bass tournaments, not surprising since it had the overall best ranking of all lakes in the state for bass tournaments in 1991. It's so great for angling, that bass anglers nationwide come to compete.

It's actually an interesting lake since it's not really a lake in the traditional sense. Check the map and you'll see Lake Dardanelle is actually a part of the Arkansas River. The man made reservoir that is the lake was constructed as part of the McClellan – Kerr Waterway Construction Project which helped make the Arkansas river accessible to commercial ships. The damn was constructed in 1964 and Lake Dardanelle Reservoir was created in 1971.

The combination of the river and the reservoir make for excellent fishing and that's the main reason this is such a popular site for camping and boating. They have one of the nicest visitor's centers in the state park system.

Learn more by checking out the title link.

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