Bull Shoals and Norfork Lakes

Water is a key ingredient for many outdoor recreational activities around the world. Campers are drawn to it, hikers prefer to walk near it, most resorts rely on it, and millions of water-sports enthusiasts revel in it.

In Arkansas, freshwater creeks and rivers certainly attract thousands of fishermen, canoeists and hikers each year, but the state's rich bounty of lakes offers an even greater smorgasbord of activities for residents and visitors. And, with over 600,000 surface acres of lakes, there's plenty of space for everyone's favorite water event.

While Corps projects were built primarily for flood control and power generation, the lakes have provided excellent outdoor recreation for visitors and residents for more than half-a-century. The lake projects continue to attract millions of people each year, providing a valuable contribution to tourism in the Natural State.

The ball really started rolling with the completion of Norfork and Bull Shoals lakes, deep in the Ozarks. Norfork, encompassing 22,000 acres, was finished in 1944 on the North Fork River, a major tributary of the White. Almost 400 miles of shoreline and 19 public use parks provide space for camping, scuba diving, fishing or just relaxing. The lake has a reputation for great striper, bass, catfish and crappie action. The nation's largest trout hatchery, near the base of Norfork Dam, offers tours to the public, and nearby North Fork River is an excellent float or wading stream. Two world-record brown trout were taken from the river in 1988.

Bull Shoals Lake, completed in 1951, is west of Mountain Home on the main channel of the White River. The largest concrete dam in the Ozarks, Bull Shoals created a 45,500-acre lake along the Arkansas-Missouri border. Corps public use parks offer more than 600 campsites around the 740-mile shoreline. Several state-record bass have been taken from the lake's impressive stock which includes crappie, walleye, striper, trout and a variety of bass species. For 100 miles below the big dam, trout is the name of the game on the White River. Resorts and a state park are available to provide everything needed to go after the rainbows and browns that make this stream world-famous.