Plan ahead before going camping in Arkansas
It’s May, and it’s time to get outside to do things, maybe to go camping.
Yes, and if camping is your choice, you may be wise to prepare a Plan B. Your favorite or selected campground could be under water
The heavy rains and the tornadoes that ravished Arkansas in recent days have left some recreation sites inaccessible. This can change on a daily basis, so the recommendation is to make a phone call or two before heading out and risking pulling up to a barricade at day’s end.
We are between hunting seasons, maybe the only time this will happen since squirrel hunting now runs almost year round. Turkey hunting ended May 3, and squirrel hunting resumes on May 21.
The many wildlife management areas of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the several national wildlife refuges of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are increasingly popular with Arkansans for recreation in addition to hunting. But at present, many of these are closed or have sections closed due to flooding and, in some cases, roads blocked by fallen trees.
Indications are the high water will go away slowly, perhaps very slowly.
Many of the campgrounds of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are adjacent to lakes and rivers. Many of these are closed — but not all of them. Laurie Driver of the Corps’ Little Rock office cautioned people using boats in the high water areas. Watch out for picnic tables that may be just under the surface and unseen.
Less affected by the flooding are the camping areas in the Ozark National Forest and Ouachita National Forest. These are on higher ground, and most are open. But there could be some closed roads leading to a few of them. U.S. Forest Service campgrounds usually don’t have electrical hookups, so many recreational vehicle campers don’t use them. The St. Francis National Forest in eastern Arkansas is next to the rampaging Mississippi River, and its facilities may be affected by the water.
Buffalo National River is a beehive of activity in May, with canoes, kayaks and rafts in action. Unless more rain hits the areas, the Buffalo should be usable for floaters and for campers. The river rises rapidly with rain, but it goes back down rapidly when the rain stops. Buffalo Point Recreation Area has electrical hookups in its campground, and it is so heavily used that you may find a “no vacancy” greeting if you pull into it late on a May Friday.
Arkansas’ state parks are May-popular also. There are some closings and partial closings because of flooding and storm damage. This brief summary can change daily and may not be complete, so a phone call is suggested before an outing.
Lake Catherine State Park’s marina is closed. Its campground is open.
Some facilities at Pinnacle Mountain State Park are closed — picnic areas, fishing pier and boat launching.
Hampson Archeological Museum State Park at Wilson in east Arkansas is closed.
Jacksonport State Park on the White River is closed.
Lake Ouachita State Park is closed.
Lake Charles State Park is open but many surrounding highways are closed.
The marina at Bull Shoals-White River State Park is closed, but campgrounds are open.
Not a camping facility, the James E. Moore Shooting Range of the Game and Fish commission remains partially closed. It is east of Mayflower. Open are its skeet and trapshooting ranges. Rifle and pistol ranges, which were nearing completion of renovation when a tornado hit, are closed indefinitely for repairs.
Most boat launching ramps in Arkansas are iffy at present. Some are inaccessible due to high water and will be for quite a while. Some are usable with caution.
Anywhere you go for outdoors recreation these days — be careful if it is near water.
Joe Mosby is the retired news editor of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Arkansas’ best known outdoor writer. His work is distributed by the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock. He can be reached by e-mail at jhmosby@cyberback.com.
