Swimming is a popular summer activity for many. Arkansas State Parks have many outlets to enjoy the water, including swim beaches, swimming pools, and water park features. Below is a look at a few of the varied swimming options that can be found. 

Crowley’s Ridge State Park

This state park near Paragould has a new inflatable water feature called Summer Splash Aqua Park. It is the first of its kind in an Arkansas State Park and is located at Lake Ponder. More details about this aqua park can be found at summersplashaquapark.com. There is also a seasonal swimming beach area at this lake too. Lake Ponder is a special lake as it has ties to the Civilian Conservation Corps, CCC, who helped build this park and also dug this lake. Around the lake is the Lake Ponder Trail, where one can learn more about the CCC history of the park. The trailhead for the route is near the CCC Pavilion, which itself is quite historic as it is on the National Register of Historic Places and was the first building the CCC built at the park.

Crater of Diamonds State Park

This state park in Murfreesboro provides a way to cool down before and/or after time spent digging for diamonds and other gemstones. The park’s Diamond Springs Water Park is open seasonally and has features like water slides and waterspouts. For more details on the water park, here is a park page about it. For more information  on visiting the park during the summer and all seasons, check out this Arkansas State Parks article. 

Woolly Hollow State Park

Lake Bennett is a spotlight feature of this state park in Greenbrier. Swimming has been a popular pastime at the lake ever since it was built and the swim beach at the park gives visitors an avenue to enjoy its waters. Be sure to call ahead for updated information such as when the swim beach is open. The lake is named after Hugh Bennett and lot of interesting history can be found at Woolly Hollow State Park, including the history of the lake itself, which has ties to a soil conservation study. You can read more about this history and the park in this Arkansas State Parks article.

Mount Magazine State Park

There are many options to stay at while visiting Arkansas State Parks, including lodges. There are five state parks in Arkansas that have lodges, including  Mount Magazine State Park. The park is located at Mount Magazine, the highest point in the state, and offers many outdoor options, from hiking to rock climbing and more. The Signal Hill Trail at the park even leads to the highest point in Arkansas. For those that are staying in either the lodge or cabins at the park and want to enjoy some pool time too, there is access to an indoor swimming pool at the Lodge at Mount Magazine.

A full rundown of swimming opportunities at Arkansas State Parks can be found at this park page.