Lake Chicot State Park is a Arkansas state park in

Chicot County Chicot County ( ) is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 11,800. The county seat is Lake Village. Chicot County is Arkansas's 10th county, formed on October 25, 1 ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

within the

Arkansas delta The Arkansas Delta is one of the six natural regions of the state of Arkansas. Willard B. Gatewood Jr., author of ''The Arkansas Delta: Land of Paradox'', says that rich cotton lands of the Arkansas Delta make that area "The Deepest of the Deep ...

. The park is located along

Lake Chicot Lake Chicot ( ) is a lake adjacent to the Mississippi River. The lake is located on the east side of Lake Village, Arkansas in Chicot County. It is not only the largest oxbow lake in North America, but the largest natural lake in Arkansas, form ...

, a

oxbow lake An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. In South Texas, oxbows left by the Rio Grande are called '' resacas''. In Australia, oxbow lakes are call ...

that was formerly the main channel of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. The lake, formerly a polluted eyesore for the area, has been restored to its current condition through the cooperation of many agencies to return its natural, cultural and recreational value. As the state's largest natural lake and the largest oxbow lake in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, Lake Chicot State Park features unique fishing and camping opportunities among large cypress trees, creating a

bayou In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...

environment for both wildlife and visitors.

Description

Nestled in a pecan grove, the park offers 122 campsites (39 Class AAA, 16 Class AA, and 67 Class B including several sites with Class C options), 14 cabins with kitchens (many with fireplace, lake view patio and fishing dock), a swimming pool (open in summer), picnicking, standard pavilions (screened), laundry and playground. The park operates a combination store/marina which offers food, gifts, fuel and bait for sale and also rents boats, motors and personal water craft and operates a launch ramp. The visitor center features interpretive exhibits that tell of the area's history and natural resources and also rents bicycles.

References

State parks of Arkansas Protected areas of Chicot County, Arkansas {{ChicotCountyAR-geo-stub

Description

See also

References