Lake Dardanelle is a major

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

on the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, USA. and is an integral part of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS), which allows barge transportation from the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

to the

Tulsa Port of Catoosa The Tulsa Ports consist of the ports of Catoosa and Inola near Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, on the Verdigris River, a tributary of the Arkansas River, Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers. The ports are at and near the head of navigation for the M ...

in northeastern

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. MKARNS went into service along its full length in 1971.

Lake description

Lake Dardanelle, a

on the

, provides many recreational opportunities. The lake covers nearly with abundant opportunities for boating, fishing, picnicking, camping and scenic views. The lake extends from Dardanelle Lock and Dam () near Dardanelle, into

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

, Yell, Logan,

Johnson Johnson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Johnson (surname), a common surname in English * Johnson (given name), a list of people * List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters *Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...

and Franklin Counties. The lake reaches upstream the Arkansas River and has of shoreline. Each recreational park on Dardanelle has drinking water, picnic tables and toilet facilities. Most have trailer dump stations, boat launch ramps and electrical sites."Welcome to Dardanelle." U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Little Rock District. Undated.
Accessed December 17, 2017. The only

nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP), also known as a nuclear power station (NPS), nuclear generating station (NGS) or atomic power station (APS) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power st ...

in Arkansas,

Arkansas Nuclear One Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO) is a two-unit pressurized water nuclear power plant located on Lake Dardanelle outside Russellville, Arkansas. It is owned by Entergy Arkansas and operated by Entergy Nuclear. It is the only nuclear power facility i ...

, is located on the northeastern shore of Lake Dardanelle."Radcliffe, Maranda and William Tyrell Leeper."Arkansas Nuclear One". ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture''. Updated June 29, 2017.
Accessed December 17, 2017. Mount Nebo (Arkansas) is close to the area and provides scenic views for visitors along the lake. The

Ozark The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cov ...

and

Ouachita Mountains The Ouachita Mountains (), simply referred to as the Ouachitas, are a mountain range in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. They are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting the Ouachita Fold and Thru ...

also offer great scenery and have mountain springs and recreation parks in abundance. The mountains of the Ozarks and Ouachitas are abundant in wildlife. The

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...

often uses this area for wintering. Eagles can be seen here from late fall to early spring.

Lake Dardanelle State Park Lake Dardanelle State Park is located on two sites on the lake, one in Russellville, Arkansas and one in Dardanelle, Arkansas, on the 34,300-acre Lake Dardanelle Lake Dardanelle is a major reservoir on the Arkansas River in Arkansas, USA. a ...

is located on two sites, one in Russellville and the other, across the lake to the south, near Dardanelle. The Russellville park includes a visitor center with aquariums and natural and cultural history displays, a fishing pier, and a fishing tournament weigh-in pavilion that is used for the many fishing tournaments held on the lake. Both sites offer campsites, boat launch ramps, standard pavilions, picnic sites, playgrounds and bathhouses.

References

External links

Lake Dardanelle
- official site at

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...

{{authority control Protected areas of Franklin County, Arkansas Protected areas of Johnson County, Arkansas Protected areas of Logan County, Arkansas Protected areas of Pope County, Arkansas Dardanelle Dardanelle Protected areas of Yell County, Arkansas Buildings and structures in Franklin County, Arkansas Buildings and structures in Johnson County, Arkansas Buildings and structures in Logan County, Arkansas Buildings and structures in Pope County, Arkansas Buildings and structures in Yell County, Arkansas Bodies of water of Franklin County, Arkansas Bodies of water of Johnson County, Arkansas Bodies of water of Logan County, Arkansas Bodies of water of Pope County, Arkansas Infrastructure completed in 1971

Lake description

See also

References

External links