Lake Dardanelle State Park: Arkansas’s Lakeside Gem

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The ability to get out in nature and also be just outside town seems like some kind of dream these days. So many of the best parks are located far away from city life. But sometimes we need (or want) to be close to town. Located just outside Russellville, Arkansas is the perfect mix of close enough to town and yet far enough away. 

Lake Dardanelle State Park is located at 100 State Park Drive, Russellville, Arkansas. Phone number 479-967-5516

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We pulled into Lake Dardanelle on July 3rd! The park was hopping and the party was starting! Going to the lake to celebrate our nation’s birthday was on the minds of many other people! The campground was quickly filling to capacity and we were glad to be in on the party. (and glad we made reservations early enough). 

If you are new to camping, check out some of the camping gear you may want for your trip. 

I’m a huge fan of Arkansas State Parks. Devil’s Den is a nature lover’s dream, but it is far from town and lacks cell phone service. 

About Lake Dardanelle

Lake Dardanelle is one of Arkansas’s largest lakes, a 34,300 acre reservoir on the Arkansas River. The Lake Dardanelle State Park is a certified Trail of Tears National Historic Site. The beautiful Visitor Center  does an amazing job telling the historical significance of this park.   The incredible building has an incredible view of the lake. The park is in two parts, the Russellville area and the Dardanelle area. 

Staying at Lake Dardanelle State Park

With 57 campsites in the Russellville area of the park, and 18 in the Dardanelle area there are lots of sites to choose from.  But if you are coming on a holiday weekend, make sure you get your site reserved in advance. 

We stayed in a campsite overlooking the lake, near the Marina in section C. I highly recommend staying lake side and getting that incredible view. Even near the marina it was never overrun with boat noise… the boats have to slow down as they come into this area, so they aren’t going to fast near here. We were able to see a heck of a sunset and watch the boats  out enjoying themselves. 

The bathhouse that we used was newer (as of 2024), and very clean. 

Our site was level, and had a very nice picnic area. 

What to do at Lake Dardanelle State Park

You can take boats on the water (and even get a rental if you don’t have your own). There is a cove for swimming, you can paddle board or kayak. And of course there is fishing.  

Our visit was only for one night, so we were here to rest and get back on the road the next day. It was a perfect spot for that. We did enjoy their nature center and just sitting and enjoying the view. We are generally a hiking family and didn’t find any trails at this park so we got our steps in just walking around the campground, which was fun and festive on a holiday weekend. 

We really enjoyed our stay here and would stay again if we were in the area and needed a place to stay. But we generally pick the parks with a hiking trail, so if we were looking for a spot to stay for multiple days this wouldn’t be our first choice.