Welcome to Lake Charles State Park!
Lake Charles is located about 40 minutes west of Jonesboro, just below Powhatan in Northeast Arkansas. Originally developed as a watershed and flood protection project near the Black River, Lake Charles was made possible by a joint effort between Arkansas Game and Fish, Lawrence County officials, local residents and The Publicity and Parks Commission in the 1960's and was the first of its kind and size in the nation.
For his help in making the park possible, the 645-acre lake was named for the late Charles C. Snapp, who served as District Director of the Lawrence County Conservation District and as chairman of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The 140-acre park was dedicated on May 28th, 1967 and is a quiet, peaceful place to get away from it all. Known for it's fishing, it's the lake where the largest number of 20-inch bass have been caught in Northeast Arkansas and it's regularly stocked by Arkansas Game and Fish. Try your luck fishing along the shoreline on one of the barrier-free fishing piers or use the boat ramp to get out on the water.
On the northern side of the park, you'll find 60 hookup campsites with modern bathhouses. There is also a yurt available to rent with bunkbeds sleeping for six, a covered grill and a beautiful deck overlooking the lake. The southern side of the park offers guests a day use area including a large swim beach, picnic tables and a group pavilion available to rent.
There are lots of wide open spaces for games as well as a playground to keep the kids entertained. The Nature Center offers recreational activities and environmental education programs on the weekends and there's also an archery range open November through February. The Visitor's Center has ice, firewood, camping supplies and park gifts available along with bait and snacks.
Now, let's talk about trails...
The Butterflies and Blooms Trail is a third of a mile and connects the Visitor's Center to the one and a half mile White Oak Trail. The Cedar Trail is a one and a quarter mile paved, ADA accessible trail that follows along the shoreline from the campground to the day use area. The one mile Mockernut Trail is located by the swim beach and is great for wildlife viewing. Because of it's central location, Lake Charles State Park is the perfect place to establish a basecamp and venture out to explore one of the areas scenic rivers, along with Powhatan, Davidsonville and Jacksonport State Parks.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this look into Lake Charles State Park and we encourage you to get out and experience The Natural State! For more information on the park, visit ArkansasStateParks.com and make sure you follow Arkie Travels on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more Arkansas adventures!
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