The Diamond Lakes Of Arkansas Are Picture Perfect And You Need To Visit

Arkansas’s secondary nickname is the Diamond State; that’s because we’re home to the world’s only open-to-the-public diamond mine. In addition to the countless actual diamonds that have been found in Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas is also home to five glorious diamond lakes. These diamond lakes are called “diamond lakes” because of their clarity. In fact, you won’t find more sparkly gems anywhere.

Lake Ouachita is near Hot Springs and is surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest.

Coming in at 40,100 sparkling acres of gorgeous water, the largest diamond lake is Lake Ouachita. It’s one of the clearest lakes in the world.

It’s so clear, in fact, that (totally harmless) freshwater jellyfish live there. That’s super cool because those (again, totally harmless) freshwater jellyfish literally can’t live anywhere that doesn’t have super pristine water.

It’s also the largest lake entirely within Arkansas and contains over a hundred islands you can explore.

Lake Hamilton is also close to Hot Springs, and it’s incredibly scenic.

Lake Hamilton was built in 1932, and it’s been a popular place for recreation ever since.

With inns where you can stay on the shores of Lake Hamilton and proximity to Arkansas’s most popular town for tourism, Lake Hamilton has become a popular place for recreation of all kinds.

Lake Hamilton also has a riverboat that will take you for an awesome cruise around the lake.

Lake Catherine is located near Malvern, just minutes south of Hot Springs.

At only 1,940 acres, Lake Catherine is a small lake, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in charm.

Lake Catherine State Park has cozy little cabins where you can relax.

Falls Creek Falls is just a short hike from the shore of Lake Catherine.

Lake Greeson is located between Glenwood and Murfreesboro, and it’s a paradise for fishermen interested in channel cats and rainbow trout.

It’s also a great place to go sailing . . .

. . . or just to sit and enjoy the view.

Lake DeGray is home to Arkansas’s only resort state park, and it’s so scenic that it’s no wonder they chose to call its state park a resort.

The water of Lake DeGray is incredibly clear.

All five of the diamond lakes are incredibly clear and so beautiful. There’s absolutely no excuse for you not to visit every single one.

For more pristine lakes in Arkansas, click here. If you want to find things to do near the diamond lakes, you should check out this post on Hot Springs.

J.B. VanDyke

J.B. Weisenfels has lived in rural Arkansas for three decades. She is a writer, a mom, and a graduate student. She is also an avid collector of tacky fish whatnots, slightly chipped teapots, and other old things. In her spare time she enjoys driving to the nearest creek to sit a while. If you were to visit her, she'd try to feed you cornbread.