Lake Chicot State Park

For thousands of years the Mississippi River has wandered across its broad floodplain, swinging into great looping meanders and then, in a flood, cutting through the neck of a loop to take a shorter path. When that happens, the abandoned bend is sealed off at both ends and left as a curving lake, an oxbow, named for the U-shaped piece of a yoke it resembles.

Lake Chicot formed this way from a former channel of the Mississippi, and at more than twenty miles long it is the largest natural oxbow lake in North America. The river itself now runs a few miles to the east, but the lake preserves the exact shape of one of its old bends, a snapshot of where the great river once flowed.

The lake and its surrounding bottomland forest make Lake Chicot one of the best birding spots in Arkansas. Herons and egrets stalk the shallows, ospreys and eagles hunt over the open water, and in migration the lake draws waterfowl and songbirds moving along the Mississippi Flyway, one of the continent's great migration corridors. The town of Lake Village even has a connection to the naturalist John James Audubon, who spent time in the area.

Beyond the birds, the lake supports a full Delta cast of wildlife, including turtles, alligators in the warmer months, and the fish that make it a noted destination for anglers. The park's guided barge tour is the classic way to experience it, cruising the shoreline while a naturalist points out the creatures and explains the ecology of this watery landscape.

Lake Chicot has long been prized by anglers, particularly for bream, crappie, catfish, and bass drawn to its rich, fertile waters. Boat ramps and a marina area give ready access, and the sheer size of the lake means there is plenty of room to spread out on the water. The flat, calm arc of the oxbow makes for easy paddling and cruising as well.

The park offers waterfront camping and cabins, so visitors can wake up beside the lake and watch the mist lift off the water at dawn. With its remote location in the far corner of the state, an overnight stay makes the most of the trip, letting you catch the lake in the changing light of morning and evening when the birds are most active.

Spring brings mild weather and a surge of migrating birds, one of the best times for birding and for comfortable time on the water. Summer is hot and humid this deep in the Delta, best enjoyed in the early morning or on the shaded lakeshore, with fishing often better at dawn and dusk.

Fall cools the air and thins the crowds, an ideal season for camping and paddling. Winter is quiet but can be excellent for waterfowl, as ducks and geese gather on the lake and the surrounding flooded fields, and the bare bottomland forest opens up long views across the water.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.