These 20 Gorgeous Lakes In Arkansas Are Demanding Your Attention This Summer

Arkansans can't help but feel proud of the many, many scenic spots in our state and the lakes here in the Natural State are no exception whatsoever. Check out this list of beautiful hidden lakes in Arkansas! Okay, maybe they're not all hidden, per se, but they sure are magical, especially when you're looking for somewhere to watch the sunset at!

1. Lake Ponder

This peaceful spot is found in Crowley's Ridge State Park. Located on the former homesite of pioneer Benjamin Crowley, Lake Ponder is in Greene County, Arkansas.

2. Lake Atalanta

This lake is located in Rogers, Arkansas. Built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration, the lake is named for Atalanta Gregory, wife of O.L. Gregory, who donated most of the land that now forms the lake. It's beautiful, and well worth a visit.

3. Lake Conway

The largest reservoir made by a game and fish commission in the United States. It is located just a few miles southeast of Conway, Arkansas. There are unfounded rumors that a Lake Conway "monster" exists and lurks around the small islands on the lake. While no photographs are known to exist of the Lake Conway monster, reports of large creatures in the lake and strange goings-ons are allegedly still filed to this day.

4. Lake Wedington

This historic district in Washington County, Arkansas, is located within the Lake Wedington Recreation Area. Built by the Works Progress Administration in 1938, the area also contains six modernized cabins for overnight visitors.

5. Lake Fayetteville

This lake was created by Fayetteville Dam in 1949. Popular among sportsmen, the lake's most popular features include a boat dock and easily-accessible fishing piers.

6. Cane Creek Lake

This lake sits on the border between the flat Delta lands of eastern Arkansas and the rolling woodlands of the West Gulf Coastal Plain, found in south central and southwestern Arkansas. Guided kayaking tours are available on the lake.

7. Bull Shoals Lake

A reservoir in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas, this lake is perfect for boating, water sports, swimming, and fishing. Bull Shoals Dam was created to impound the White River via one of the largest concrete dams in the United States, and the 5th-largest dam in the world at its inception.

8. Norfork Lake

Most of the lake lies within Baxter County, Arkansas, with its northernmost portion being in Ozark County, Missouri. Bass, crappie, walleye, catfish, and bream are all found in the lake alongside almost all other varieties of freshwater game fish. Game on!

9. Lake Maumelle

A man-made lake in Pulaski County, Arkansas, Lake Maumelle is one of the primary drinking water sources for the city of Little Rock. The lake was created in the late 1950s, with construction beginning in 1956 to dam the Big Maumelle River, and with water flowing into the system for the first time in 1958.

10. Lake Ouachita

This reservoir near Hot Springs, Arkansas, was created by the damming of the Ouachita River by Blakely Mountain Dam. Lake Ouachita is the largest lake whose borders lie completely within Arkansas, as the larger Bull Shoals Lake extends into Missouri.

11. Lake Jack Lee

A part of the Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arkansas, this lake is located on the confluence of the Saline and Ouachita Rivers. In addition to the wetland lowlands of the refuge, there are also areas of pine and upland hardwood forests. The refuge is home to migratory and resident waterfowl as well as marsh and water birds.

12. Lake Hamilton

This popular Arkansas summer destination is located on the Ouachita River, close to the nearby towns of Hot Springs and Lake Hamilton, Arkansas. The lake was created in 1932, mainly to generate hydroelectricity, but now it also serves as an excellent recreational getaway.

13. Lake Dardanelle

The growing town of Russelville, Arkansas, lies on Lake Dardanelle, another popular spot that provides numerous recreational activities for visitors and locals. Petit Jean Mountain is close to the area and provides amazing scenic views for visitors along the lake. The Ozark and Ouachita Mountains also offer great scenery as well!

14. Lake Catherine

This smaller, yet still quite popular spot is situated near Hot Springs. Lake Catherine State Park is located on the lakeshore. Lake Catherine was created in the 1920s with the building of Remmel Dam.

15. Millwood Lake

Located less than 10 miles from Ashdown in southwest Arkansas, this lake was formed from the damming of the point where the Little River and the Saline River meet. Millwood has also been known as one of the best bass fishing lakes in the United States. Every year it is home to many bass fishing tournaments and fishing derbies, all in search of Millwood's elusive lunker largemouth bass.

16. Beaver Lake

A man-made reservoir in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas, this lake was formed by a dam across the White River. Beaver Lake is the source of drinking water for northwest Arkansas, which is managed, treated, and sold by Beaver Water District.

17. DeGray Lake

Approximately 8 miles outside of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, this reservoir on the Caddo River offers a huge span of recreational activities as well as spectacular views. Arkansas Scenic Byway 7 is located on the eastern shore of the lake, and provides views like none other as well as lodging and restaurants.

18. Lake Chicot

Located near Lake Village, Arkansas, Lake Chicot is the largest oxbow lake in North America and the largest natural lake in Arkansas, formed 600 years ago by the meandering of the Mississippi River. Lake trivia: Charles Lindbergh made his first-ever nighttime flight over Lake Chicot and Lake Village in April 1923.

19. Horseshoe Lake

An oxbow lake at the eastern tip of the town of Horseshoe Lake, Arkansas, this lake is just 30 minutes by car from downtown Memphis, Tennessee. Changes in the course of the Mississippi River resulted in the shape of Horseshoe Lake. The lake itself is a former meander in the Mississippi River that was cut off, shortening the river, and is no longer connected to the river.

20. Greers Ferry Lake

The reservoir formed by Greers Ferry Dam is also often ranked as one of the top ten clearest, cleanest, and most pristine lakes in all of North America. Since the formation of Greers Ferry Lake in the early 1960s, tourism has thrived around the lake in Heber Springs, Arkansas.

This list names the best-known and most-loved lakes in the Natural State, but there are many more great spots, gems, and hidden lakes in Arkansas to visit, too. Do you have any specific hidden lakes in Arkansas you'd like to see us feature? Tell us about it using this form; we love to hear from you.