Beaver Lake Information

Beaver Lake lies just east of the metroplex of Bentonville, Bella Vista, Rogers, Springdale, and Fayetteville, Arkansas, in northwest Arkansas. The White River feeds Beaver Lake, which lies in mostly in Benton County, but also in Carroll, Madison, and Washington Counties, in the Ozark Highland region of Arkansas.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) manages Beaver Lake. Beaver Lake covers 28,200 acres with an average depth of 58 feet, a maximum depth of 216 feet, and 449 miles of shoreline. Limestone bluffs, natural caves, and a wide variety of flora and fauna characterize Beaver Lake.

Beaver Lake is known as a residential lake. Its close proximity to the Bentonville metroplex makes it easy for folks to commute to work. The Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area, with a visitor’s center, is one of Arkansas’ largest conservation areas with 12,000 acres of nature just south of Beaver Lake.

Beaver Lake winds and snakes around the White River with hundreds of coves all around it. The Hobbs Area follows along the center arms of Beaver Lake on the south. Beaver Lake is popular for fishing, canoeing/kayaking, sailing, swimming, and water sports.

Beaver Lake History

The idea of a dam on the White River emerged in 1911, but the USACE first conducted feasibility studies for building a dam on the White River in 1929 and 1930. Congress finally passed a flood control act in 1954 that authorized Beaver Dam in Carroll County. The multi-purpose project provides flood control, hydroelectric generation, water supply, and recreation. Construction Beaver Dam began in 1960.

Beaver Dam did not have a dedication ceremony. It took five years to build Beaver Dam. President John F. Kennedy was to dedicate the dam, but after his assassination, no one rescheduled the dedication ceremony. The USACE had to identify 39 grave yards and move 1,584 graves. Beaver Lake changed northwestern Arkansas’s landscape forever.

Pre-European exploration shows evidence of the Mississippian culture influenced by the Caddo culture from the south. The Goforth-Saindon site, near Siloam Springs, Arkansas, is one of three known Mississippian Period mound centers in the Western Ozark Highland region.

After completing the Louisiana Purchase in 1903, the U.S. government quickly went to work negotiating for major land cessions from the Osage tribe in today’s Beaver Lake area. In an 1808 treaty, Cherokee agent Major William Lovely negotiated the cession of more Osage land in 1816 and renegotiated in an 1818 treaty. By 1825, the Osage tribe, and by 1828, the Arkansas Cherokee tribe had ceded all their land to the U.S. This opened the land up to legal white settlement.

The White River regularly flooded the farmland in its watershed, killing people and livestock before they built the dam. Beaver Lake transformed cheap, rocky ground into prime, lake-front real estate. The Beaver Lake region grew from a Native American hunting ground into fruit and timberland production, and now into a fast growing and economically viable region in northwest Arkansas.

Fishing Beaver Lake

Predominant game species are largemouth, smallmouth, hybrid striped, striped and white bass, bluegill, blue, channel, and flathead catfish, black and white crappie, redear sunfish, walleye, and warmouth. Beaver Lake boasts a good population of trophy-sized stripers, and crappie fishing is excellent.

Early spring and winter are the best seasons for stripers because they are easier to pattern in the cold weather. Anglers will find shoreline fishing readily available in numerous public access areas surrounding Beaver Lake. These same public areas allow portage for canoes, kayaks, and other small watercraft. The following are key areas on Beaver Lake for productive fishing.

The Lower End and the Cliffty’s water near the dam is consistently clearer than the rest of Beaver Lake. Big Creek and Clifty Creeks are good pre-spawn and spawning beds for bass. It is an angler’s choice for smallmouth bass.

The Rocky Branch area has a mix of main-lake points, islands, and small spawning coves that offer habitat for fish in all stages of the spawn. It also has some of the larger offshore flats and humps in the lake. It is a good area to track smallmouth. The mid-island area has you fishing in a mix of rock and deep cedar trees.

The Prairie Creek area serves as the boat ramp for fishing tournaments and tours at Beaver Lake because it holds an abundant population of bass. This area produces trophy bass and is a frequent tournament-winning honey hole.

The Monte Ne Branch located up the White River, one of the most historic places on Beaver Lake, was an unsuccessful health resort in the early 1900s. Beaver Lake flooded the resort and one of the old hotel buildings and amphitheater can still be seen during normal lake levels. The Monte Ne Branch has a good population of big largemouths. The docks, points, and coves lining the creek provide a route with resting places for bass to run in off the main river as they push back to spawn.

In the backwaters of the White River on the very south end of Beaver Lake, where it turns into the White River, War Eagle Creek branches off the southeast. The backwaters that jut off of War Eagle are popular with anglers. It is a muddier part of Beaver Lake but is productive for largemouth. The sharp bends of the creek create shallow flats that can hold large concentrations of fish in the pre-spawn stage. Anglers can target spotted and largemouth bass off of the bluff banks on the outer edge of the creek.

Check out experienced local pro guides on our Beaver Lake Fishing Guides page.

Boating Beaver Lake

The vastness of Beaver Lake with its rolling bluffs and hundreds of coves and small tributaries provides stunning scenery, smooth surfaces for watersports, plenty of places to anchor off, or find a secluded inlet for a private picnic and swim. Beaver Lake sports seven marinas. They are all full service and provide the following services: gasoline, boat rentals, slip rentals, groceries and snacks, and water related rentals. These marinas have varying summer and winter hours.

Horseshoe Bend Marina: 16168 Highway 94 East Rogers, Arkansas, 72756
Lost Bridge Marina: P.O. Box 95 Garfield, Arkansas, 72732
Starkey Marina: 4022 Mundell Road Eureka Springs, Arkansas, 72764
Hickory Creek Marina:12737 Hickory Creek Road Lowell, Arkansas, 72745
Prairie Creek Marina: 1 Prairie Creek Marina Drive Rogers, Arkansas, 72756
Ugly John’s Rocky Branch Marina: P.O. box 1459 Rogers, Arkansas, 72757
War Eagle Marina: 23151 War Eagle Marina Road Springdale, Arkansas,72764

Shop or sell a boat on our Beaver Lake Boats for Sale page.

Plan your trip to Truman Reservoir by calling one of the marinas today on our Beaver Lake Marinas page.

Beaver Lake Rental Cabins

There are rental cabins in a few parks and resorts at Beaver Lake. Beaver Lake also has many vacation home rentals available. The USACE parks do not have cabins. The cabins and vacation homes feature a wide variety of amenities, and range in different sizes for couples to large families. Prices for a vacation home stay generally range from just below $200 a night to just above that. They may charge a deposit fee. Visitors will find cozy cabins to large homes with modern appliances at Beaver Lake that fits their ideal vacation needs.

Find the perfect vacation home on our Beaver Lake Cabins page.

Beaver Lake Real Estate

The Beaver Lake real estate market comprises the second largest marketplace for lakefront property in Arkansas. The mean list price for Beaver Lake homes is $481,000. Typically, there are about 110 lake homes for sale at Beaver Lake, and 280 listings for lots and land. Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, the closest major airport, is 30 miles away from the Prairie Creek area of Beaver Lake west of Bentonville, and Rogers, Arkansas.

The Rogers School District is the closest school district to the eastern arms of Beaver Lake. The towns of Bentonville, Springdale, and Fayetteville all have school districts. The four towns are the shopping areas closest to Beaver Lake on the east, with a few shopping options.

Find your next home on the lake with our Beaver Lake Homes For Sale page.

Beaver Lake Camping

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates twelve recreational parks on the lake. Some of the campsites in these parks can be reserved online. All of them have drinking water on site.

Dam Site Lake Campground: 348 Dam Site Lake Road, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, 7263, small campground right next to the dam on the west, 30 and 50-amp electric RV sites, dump station, boat ramp, 10 tent sites, but no full hookups for RVs, vault toilets, swim beach, playground, and picnic areas.

Dam Site River Park: 181 Dam Site Road, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, 72631, 59 tent and RV sites with 50-amp and water hookups, vault toilets, showers boat ramp, and shoreline fishing.

Hickory Creek Park: 12618 Hickory Creek Road, Lowell, Arkansas, 72745, small marina, day use only, 60 tent only campsites with 50-amp hookups, playgrounds, showers, and picnic areas.

Horseshoe Bend A Park: 16165 East Highway 94 Rogers, Arkansas, 72758, 90 tent and RV sites with 30, and 50-amp and water hookups, a few double and triple campsites, vault toilets, showers, boat ramp, and plenty of shoreline.

Horseshoe Bend B Park: 16165 East Highway 94 Rogers, Arkansas, 72758, primitive campsites, tent campsites with hookups, 30 and 50-amp RV sites, boat launch, courtesy dock, group shelters, picnic areas, showers, vault toilets, and swim areas.

Indian Creek Park: 13324 Indian Creek Road Garfield, Arkansas, 72732, 33 tent and RV campsites, 30-amp only, no water, day use and picnic area, swim area, courtesy dock, vault toilets, showers, and boat ramp.

Lost Bridge North Park: 12485 Marina Road, Garfield, Arkansas, 72732, marina, swim area, day use and picnic area, 48 RV sites, 30 and 50-amp full hookups, 1 ADA accessible, group camping area, courtesy dock, boat ramp, playground, vault toilets, and showers.

Lost Bridge South Park: 12001 Buckhorn Circle, Garfield, Arkansas, 72732, 36 campsites, 50-amp electric, with and without water hookups, swim area, boat launch, courtesy dock, showers, vault toilets, small picnic and day use area, and playground.

Prairie Creek Park: 9300 North Park Road, Rogers, Arkansas, 72756, 89 campsites, tent with 50 amp, dump station, playground, marina, boat ramps, courtesy dock, several group shelters, swim area, ADA accessible areas, playground, vault toilets, and showers.

Rocky Branch Park: 20181 Park Road, Rogers, Arkansas, 72756, 44 tent and RV sites, 30 and 50-amp hookups, no water, boat ramp, courtesy dock, playground, vault toilets, showers, and swim areas.

Starkey Park: 4022 Mundell Road, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, 72631, small park, small marina, 23 tent and RV sites, 30-amp electric, no water hookups, one pavilion, boat ramp, showers, vault toilets, and day use and picnic area.

War Eagle Park: 18450 War Eagle Road, Springdale, Arkansas, 72764, small park, small marina, 22 camps sites, 30-amp electric, no water hookups, dump station, boat ramp, courtesy dock, showers, and vault toilets.

The Hobbs State Park Conservation Center offers 11 primitive campgrounds, but they are not on Beaver Lake. The Hobbs State Park Conservation Center covers 1,200 acres on the south side of Beaver Lake. There are several other privately owned parks, campgrounds, RV parks, and lodges available on Beaver Lake.

Check out our list of campgrounds and RV parks for your family adventure on our Beaver Lake Camping page.

Hiking Beaver Lake

The Beaver Lake Loop Via Lost BridgeTrail

This is a 6.6-mile moderately challenging loop trail near Garfield, Arkansas. It takes an average almost three hours to complete. It is a popular trail for birding, camping, and fishing, The trail is open year-round and dogs are welcome on a leash.

The Shaddox Hollow Nature Trail

This is a 1.4-mile moderately challenging loop trail near Rogers, Arkansas. it takes less than an hour on average to complete. It is a popular trail for birding, hiking, and running, so you will likely encounter other people while exploring. The trail is open year-round and dogs are welcome on a leash. It is located off of AR 303 between the Lakeland Hills and Tanglewood communities.

Dogwood Overlook Trailhead

This trail is located just south of the Dam Site Park. This 1.3 to 2-mile loop trail offers a splendid view of Beaver Dam, with some steep stairs and an overlook. It is easy to lose the path on this trail. There is another path off of this trail that leads up a steep hill for views of the lake.

The Hobbs State Park Conservation Center

The Hobbs State Park Conservation Center offers a 54-mile trail system in its 1,200 acres for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding trails.. This park’s property runs along the southern border of Beaver lake. It is day use only, unless you are camping. You can get trail maps at the visitor center. The visitor center is located at 20201 East Highway 12, Rogers, Arkansas, 72756.

Hunting Beaver Lake

Hobbs State Park Conservation Area WMA allows regulated hunting. The rules change yearly, and sometimes hunting seasons are closed, like alligator, black bears, and turkey during certain years. Crow, deer, quail, rabbit, and squirrel seasons are usually open.

For example, deer season might have dates similar to this:

Deer Archery: Sept. 25 to Feb. 28,
Deer Muzzleloader (permit hunt): Nov. 16 to 20,
Deer Modern Gun (permit hunt): Dec. 7 to 11,
Deer Modern Gun Youth Hunt (permit hunt): Jan. 7 to 8

WMA Deer Bag Limit: Four deer, no more than one antlered buck, which may include:

A WMA Deer Hunt Permit is required to hunt deer with firearms on this WMA.
One antlered buck with archery.
Four antlerless with archery.
One antlered buck or antlerless with muzzleloader permit.
One antlered buck or antlerless with modern gun permit.
During youth hunt, youths may take two deer, one antlered buck and one antlerless.

Beaver Lake WMA Hunting

Beaver Lake WMA covers 8,007 acres and includes Devil's Eyebrow Natural Area at the northern end of Beaver Lake along Indian Creek and its tributaries. Hunters pursue deer, bear, small game, and waterfowl in the area. Furbearer trapping is allowed on the WMA. Check the current Arkansas Hunting Guidebook for details and see Beaver Lake WMA, and wear hunter orange when appropriate. Leash pets for their safety.

Things to Do at Beaver Lake

There are a few restaurants scattered around Beaver Lake, but it is a quiet lake with a peaceful atmosphere surrounded by natural beauty, Wildlife Management Areas, USACE property, and private homes. There are no golf courses, and you either create your own nightlife or go to one of the towns. Some of the marinas get lively on the docks, but the marinas are on USACE property.

The Ozark Mountain Zip Lines offers exhilarating thrill of a Zip Line Canopy Tour right in the heart of the beautiful, pristine Ozark Mountains at Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Soar through the air from up to 300-plus-feet-high with cable lengths from up to 2000-feet long over gorgeous, beautiful Ozark hardwood trees and limestone cliffs. They have ten cables and one swinging bridge. They are located at 208 West Van Buren,
Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Belle of the Ozarks offers exceptional Beaver Lake passenger vessel service tours. Enjoy a 12-mile cruise on Beaver Lake with an informative narration of lake history and attractions. View Beaver Dam, the lost bridge area. They cruise near cliffs where the Ozark Bluff Dwellers burial ground was discovered in 1920, and around a 200-acre island wildlife game preserve. They are located at 4024 Mundell Road, Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Visit Thorncrown Chapel, located at 12968 US-62, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, rises forty-eight feet into the Ozark sky. It is a magnificent wooden structure containing 425 windows and over 6,000 square feet of glass. The chapel’s simple design and majestic beauty make it one of the finest religious spaces of modern times. Since the chapel opened in 1980, over seven million people have visited this woodland sanctuary. Renowned architect, E. Fay Jones, designed this chapel.

Visit the War Eagle Cave on Beaver Lake, located at 21494 Cavern Drive, Rogers, Arkansas, and walk straight into a mountain through a huge natural entrance on the shores of Beaver Lake. The cave features story-telling guides on a one-hour long adventure into the depths of the cavern. After the tour, feed the fish at the boat dock on Beaver Lake, explore short nature trails, enjoy pretty lookouts along bluff lines, and play in the "Big Dig". Pan for real gems at the War Eagle Mining Co., and keep everything you find. Search for five lost Indian villages in the Lost in the Woods Maze, then find your way out. The newest attraction is the Moonshiners' Mystery Shack. This park is pet and stroller friendly, open seven days a week, and the last tour is one hour before closing.

The Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, located at 239 Turpentine Creek Lane, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is one of the largest big cat sanctuaries in the United States. The non-profit USDA licensed refuge, founded in 1992, has grown to become the most popular attraction in Eureka Springs. Lions, cougars, leopards, tigers, and bears are displayed in large natural habitats surrounding the main enclosures and gift shop. Overnight accommodations are available via the Safari Lodge, RV park, and camping facilities. Tours are available from 9 am until 4 pm.

Eureka Springs Historic District Tram Tours take you to learn about Eureka Springs in their open-air, trolley style trams. Each tour is fully narrated by a fun, knowledgeable local guide. The tour makes 2 stops. First stop is at the 1886 Crescent Hotel, where there will be ample time to look around inside and outside the hotel, as well as enjoying the view of the beautiful Ozark mountains and the Christ of the Ozarks Statue.

The second stop is at one of the historic cold water springs. The tram is covered but open on the sides. This makes it great for being able to see the beautiful homes, buildings, limestone walls, and sidewalks and the tree covered hillsides throughout this amazing historic district. Find out why Robert Ripley, of Ripley's Believe it Or Not, called Eureka Springs one of the most interesting U.S. cities.

The tram is open at different times from March through October, and sometimes open in November. Adults are $17.00 plus tax and fee youth 4 to 11 years old are $8.00. It is located at 137 West Van Buren Street, Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Plan your trip with our What To Do At Beaver Lake page.

Beaver Lake Weather & Climate

Beaver Lake sees an average of 54 inches of rain per year, with four inches of snow and 216 days of sunshine. The winter low in January is 30 degrees and a summer high in July of 92 degrees. April, May, and October are the most comfortable months for this region. July and August are the least comfortable months.

Keep an eye on the skies at our Beaver Lake Weather page.

Beaver Lake Zip Codes

Benton County: 72732, 72745, 72756, 72758.

Carroll County: 72631, 72632.

Madison County: 72756.

Washington County: 72703, 72738.

Beaver Lake Flora and Fauna

The terrain surrounding Beaver Lake is rugged and steep, with deep, bluff-lined hollows separated by steep ridges. Much of the area is underlain by alternating layers of chert and limestone that include caves and many springs. Sighting of bald eagles, black bears, deer, elks, minks, river otters, turtles, and wild turkey are common.

Plant communities are diverse and include high-quality glades, woodlands, bluffs, rich hardwood forests, and riparian forests. The Devil's Eyebrow WMA supports one of the highest concentrations of rare plant species in Arkansas, with several species typically found far to the north and others that are restricted in distribution and considered globally rare.