Lake Frierson State Park
Lake Frierson, September 2010
Map showing the location of Lake Frierson State Park
Map showing the location of Lake Frierson State Park
Location of Lake Frierson State Park in Arkansas
Map showing the location of Lake Frierson State Park
Map showing the location of Lake Frierson State Park
Lake Frierson State Park (the United States)
LocationParagould, Greene, Crowley's Ridge, Arkansas, United States
Coordinates35°58′21.2″N 90°42′58.3″W / 35.972556°N 90.716194°W / 35.972556; -90.716194
Area114 acres (46 ha)[1]
Established1975[2]
Named forLake Frierson, itself named after Charles Frierson
Visitors150,000 annually[1]
Governing bodyPark: Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
Lake: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
WebsiteLake Frierson State Park

Lake Frierson State Park is a 114-acre (46 ha) Arkansas state park on Crowley's Ridge in Greene County, eastern Arkansas.

Containing a 335 acres (136 ha) reservoir built by the Soil Conservation Service, the park entered the system in 1975.[2] The park skirts the Crowley's Ridge formation and offers fishing as well as hiking, camping, kayaking, and a visitor center.[2]

In addition to the recreation opportunities at Lake Frierson, the area is home to a unique blend of forests in the state. Located partially in a forest similar to those found in the Appalachians, the park also contains the oak-hickory forest native to the Ozarks and a wide variety of rare trees in Arkansas on Crowley's Ridge's northern slopes, including the cucumber tree, northern red oak and tulip tree.[3]

History

In the 1970s, the Soil Conservation Service (now known as Natural Resources Conservation Service or NRCS) constructed ten dams along the western edge of Crowley's Ridge in northeast Arkansas. The ridge is a geological formation that rises 150–250 feet (46–76 m) above the surrounding flat Arkansas delta. A lawyer from Jonesboro named Charles Frierson was instrumental in acquiring the property as a state park. The site officially became a state park when funding was approved by the Arkansas General Assembly in 1975.[1] Although initially only a day-use park, Lake Frierson has grown to a full service park with visitor center and camping facilities.

Recreation

Dogwood Lane Trail

Camping is available in four class C and three class D campsites on the east side of the lake. Picnic areas are scattered throughout the park, and an air-conditioned and heated pavilion with room for 80 attendees is available for rent. Fishing for bream, catfish, crappie, and bass is available in the timber-filled Lake Frierson. Non-motor fishing boats and pedal boats are available for rent, and bait, fishing and camping supplies and gifts can be purchased at the visitor center.[2] Visitors are also able to hike along the circular 1⁄2-mile (0.80 km) Dogwood Lane Trail, a self-guided interpretative trail.[3]

Crowley's Ridge State Park is 10 miles (16 km) to the south on Arkansas Highway 141, offering additional camping and recreational activities.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lake Frierson State Park.

References

  1. ^ a b c Staff of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism (May 24, 2012). "Lake Frierson State Park". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Butler Center for Arkansas Studies and Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d "Lake Frierson State Park" (PDF). Arkansas State Parks and Tourism. 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Staff of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. "Dogwood Lane Trail Guide/Activity Book" (PDF). Retrieved February 10, 2013.
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