August 13-19, 2012

We are in the middle of one of the hottest summers in Arkansans. If you are like hundreds of other Arkansans, you spend a lot of time trying to figure a way to get out of the house and yet not suffocate in these sultry, sweltering days. If so, I have just the thing – visit one of the many lakes in our Natural state. Recently, I ventured out and did just that, choosing to explore a lake fairly close to home, and the largest lake in Arkansas, Lake Ouachita.

Lake Ouachita, pronounced “Wash-ah-taw”, is about an hour and a half drive from Little Rock, and it is absolutely beautiful! Located in Garland County, it is abundant with things to do. I visited seven resorts and marinas, all offering restaurants, boat and Jet Ski rentals, camping, rental cabins, hiking, fishing, houseboat rentals, paddleboat rentals, canoeing, some with condominiums, and some with horse stables. The options for enjoying nature around Lake Ouachita are endless – and it is all right out our backdoor.

And if that is not enough to get your attention, maybe I should mention the “Bird Island Tours”. Bird Island, located in the middle of Lake Ouachita, hosts up to 50 thousand purple martins each night during the summer. A tour barge goes out to the island, just at sunset, so visitors can observe the birds swirling and flying in to the nest of cypress trees. Visitors will also be able to view egrets and herons. So, grab a camera and take off!

When researching the history of the lake, I found that is was the first of three lakes built on the Ouachita River, and was formed after construction of the Blakely Mountain Dam was completed in 1953. The Ouachita River starts in the Ouachita Mountains as a small mountain stream just west of Eagleton, Arkansas. The Ouachita River flows through eleven Arkansas counties and six Louisiana parishes, before finally emptying into the Red River.

Lake Ouachita has over 40,000 acres of water, 200 islands, and averages 50 feet deep; however, there is one point that reaches 200 feet deep. Another feature of the lake is that it has one of the largest crystal veins in the world.

Lake Ouachita was not clear-cut before it was formed, so there is still a forest beneath the surface, and some of the trees were over 60 feet tall. This can make it difficult to maneuver in some areas because it can go from over a 100 feet deep to 2 feet deep in a very short distance.

Also, one of the cleanest lakes in Arkansas, Lake Ouachita attracts scuba divers from miles away. The lake is home to freshwater, non-stinging jellyfish, and fresh water sponges. I did not go Scuba diving, so I missed seeing these rare fishes during my visits, but it sure makes me wish I had learned that skill in my younger years. I snorkel, but that is about as adventurous as I dare to get in trying to spot underwater wildlife.

Now, this should be about all the information needed to get you up and running to the lake. Just to give you that extra little push, should you need it, here are some photos. So beat the heat…explore our wonderful natural state and all the things it has to offer.