White Oak Lake State Park in Bluff City is Arkansas’ 26th state park.
“White Oak Lake State Park is a phenomenal fishing lake with record size bass and plentiful catfish," said Daniel Shelman, park superintendent at White Oak Lake State Park. “The 45-site campground is very family friendly and easily accessible. White Oak Lake State Park is also a great place to watch birds. Eagles are a common sight.”
White Oak Lake, the namesake of the park, is managed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and their rules and regulations apply to the lake. The park is on Lower White Oak Lake. “White Oak Lake is the second largest AGFC owned and managed lake,” said Shelman. “It’s divided into two portions, the upper and lower lakes which are about 600 and 1100 acres respectively. The lake was previously forest areas and trees and stumps fill the lake. This creates a fantastic habitat for fish. The lake flows from south to north along White Oak Creek.”
The park is located in the state’s West Gulf Coastal Plain region, which makes White Oak Lake State Park stand out with terrain that includes sandy soil. This region, which was once covered by the Gulf of Mexico, is known for having loblolly pine and bottomland hardwood forests, sand hill plant communities, white chalk bluffs, and interesting rock and mineral deposits that even include diamonds. Diamonds are a focal point of another Arkansas State Park in this West Gulf Coastal Plain region: Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro.
White Oak Lake State Park opened in the late 1960s and borders Poison Springs State Forest, which is named for a nearby spring. The outdoors are a big draw at the park, with fishing and paddling on the lake and hiking, birding and biking available via the park’s trails. There is a ramp by the boat dock where one can launch their boat from. There are also boat rentals available as well as kayak and paddleboard rentals. There are four trails at the park including Beech Ridge Trail, Coastal Plain Trail, Fern Hollow Multi-Use Trail and Spring Branch Trail.
Onsite is a visitor center that has a small display of information about the park and also exhibits about the Red River Campaign in Arkansas, which once can learn more about a few miles away at nearby Poison Springs Battleground State Park. Camping availability and information about interpretive programs at the park can also be found at ArkansasStateParks.com/WhiteOakLake.
An area known as the Arkansas Little Grand Canyon is also nearby and a map with directions from the park is available at the park visitor center.
More details about the park and lake can also be found via this Arkansas Game and Fish Commission video below.
Zoie Clift
Zoie Clift has been a staff travel writer for Arkansas Tourism since 2006. She covers the Central and Southwest regions of Arkansas. Born in Little Rock and raised in North Little Rock, she now calls Hot Springs home. She has an environmental studies degree from the University of Colorado and a master's degree in journalism from Boston University. She is an avid hiker, mountain biker and kayaker and enjoys exploring the backroads of Arkansas and sharing the wonderful stories of The Natural State with locals and visitors from around the globe.
