Carden Point

Carden Point Day Use Park sits along the shores of Nimrod Lake and Dam, cradled between Arkansas' Ouachita and Ozark Mountains. Carden Point features a large day use group picnic shelter, with drinking water, grills and tables. A playground, horseshoe pit and swimming beach make the area ideal for large parties or family functions. Fishing is one of the most popular activities at the lake, with an abundance of catfish, bluegill, bass and crappie. Boating, water skiing and tubing are also popular, with 11 boat ramps around the lake; skiing and tubing, however, are only allowed from the tip of Carden Point eastward toward the dam, because areas west of there are too hazardous. Visitors are likely to spot white-tailed deer, eastern wild turkey, bobwhite quail, squirrel, rabbit, fox, mink, black bear, dove and waterfowl, and seasonal hunting is permitted throughout the lake except in or near recreation areas. Nimrod Dam was completed in 1942 as part of a comprehensive plan for flood control and development of water resources in the Fourche LaFave River. Although recreation was not part of the initial mission, the lake and surrounding 21,000 acres of pristine land have now become a recreational oasis for outdoor enthusiasts. Nimrod Lake sits adjacent to State Highway 7, a National Scenic Byway, near Petit Jean State Park, Mount Nebo State Park and Hot Springs National Park.