Haunted Waters Lake Tour

Editor’s note: The event featured in this article occurred in 2017, but you’ll find this and other great happenings for the current year on our Events page.

What is it about the dark that can make a pleasant place take on a foreboding feel? At Lake Fort Smith State Park in Mountainburg, it’s the telling of authentic Ozarks ghost stories during a nighttime water cruise from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 27 and 28.

Park interpreters will lead this haunted water fun. The cost is $10 for adults, $6 for children ages 6-12, and free for children 5 and younger. In the spirit of Halloween, costumes are welcome at this not-for-the-faint-of-heart event. The tour is weather dependent. Reservations are suggested and can be made by calling the visitor center at 479-369-2469.

About the park:

This park lies on the western side of 1,400-acre Lake Fort Smith, nestled in a scenic valley of the Boston Mountain Range of the Ozark Mountains. Outdoor adventures include camping, fishing, kayaking, swimming, mountain biking, hiking, and nature study. For backpackers, the park serves as the western terminus of the 165-mile Ozark Highlands National Recreation Trail.

Take advantage of its many features: campsites, cabins, picnic sites, pavilion, swimming pool, marina with boat rentals, boat launch ramp, hiking trails, playground, visitor center, and interpretive programs.

Visit ArkansasStateParks.com/LakeFortSmith for more information or to book a campsite or cabin, or call 888-695-3526.

To get there, travel eight miles north of Mountainburg on U.S. 71, or take Exit 29 off Interstate 49 at Mountainburg and go east on Ark. 282 for 1.8 miles to U.S. 71, then head north on U.S. 71 for 7.5 miles to Shepherd Springs Road, turning east on Shepherd Springs Road and driving two miles to the park.