Norfork Lake - Henderson, Arkansas - Recreation Area

Norfork Lake is a recreation area located in North Central Arkansas with Henderson one of the cities situated near the lake. There is over 550 miles of shoreline surrounding the lake along with 20 developed parks, which make this a popular recreation area especially as there is no closed season. Norfork Lake was formed with the construction of the dam which was completed in 1944, and it has several tributaries including Norfork River and Pigeon Creek.

Fishing is very popular throughout the year on the lake as the winters are mild and the water does not freeze over. Anglers can expect to catch most members of the bass family, walleye, crappie, bream, and catfish with the period between September and May considered the best time to catch black bass. During the summer night fishing with lights for crappie and white bass is particularly popular.

Hikers and cyclists will find the Pigeon Creek Trail system a good challenge running over 20 miles along the shoreline area of Norfork Lake. The trails vary in length and difficulty and are used by the Twin Lakes Bicycle Club to host the Pigeon Roast each spring, which is one of the annual Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series events. Depending on which route visitors take, they may go through deep ravines with large limestone shelves, into aromatic cedar glades and along a creek bank lined with pine trees.

A visit to one of the marinas here will enable visitors to hire houseboats, pontoon boats, ski boats, bass boats and fishing boats. Certified mechanics are available should the boat or motor require service. Visitors can also try out under water activities and aside from swimming in the lake, scuba diving instruction and equipment rental is offered at the marinas too.

There are a number of campsites in the Norfork Lake area including Hand Cove Resort & RV Park, which is located in Elizabeth. This resort offers 20 RV sites with water, 30 amp electric hook-ups, and most sites have sewer connections. Both short and long term rentals are offered here with all the sites shaded by tall hardwood trees, and overlooking the central park area or the lake.

Hand Cove Resort also offers cabins as accommodation and there are many other resorts located in the Norfork Lake area. In Mountain Home there is Blackburn's Resort, The Carlton Resort and Rocking Chair Ranch Resort amongst many others. Ten miles east of Mountain Home in Henderson there is the Crystal Cove Resort, which offers various types of one to three bedroom cottages near the shoreline of the lake.

Bars and restaurants are plentiful in this neck of the woods with food to cater for all tastes including local, Italian, Chinese and Mexican cuisine. Mountain Home in particular has many casual style restaurants and cafes such as Arena Sports Grill, Blu Pig Restaurant, Fred's Fish House and Western Sizzlin. Visitors looking for more established fast food restaurant names will find Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald's, Subway and Wendy's amongst others in Mountain Home.