Mississippi River State Park, Arkansas' Newest, Moves Into New Phase

LITTLE ROCK – Mississippi River State Park is about to open a visitor center in Marianna but development of the park’s various sites within the St. Francis National Forest in east Arkansas is to continue for years.

The park includes part of the southern reach of Crowley’s Ridge, which stands in contrast to the vast Delta bottomland. Next up for development is a site next to the Mississippi River itself.

That site will be for day use only, park Superintendent John Morrow said Tuesday. Plans are being developed but the site will likely include a picnic area and a walking trail or boardwalk.

The might of the river limits the potential uses for a site along the bank but there is plenty of room for overnight use at other sites.

Rather than occupying a contiguous piece of land, Mississippi River State Park includes a number of stand-alone parcels.

The project to open the park was first discussed in the 1960s. It took until 1999 for the commission that oversees the Arkansas State Parks to sign a pact with the U.S. Forest Service to use lands within the St. Francis National Forest to develop the park.

It will cost an estimated $23 million to develop the various sites, parks spokeswoman Joan Ellison said in an email. The first phase of development cost $8 million, funded by the state 1/8-cent sales tax for conservation, the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, and a National Scenic Byways Program grant, Ellison said.

When the facilities are complete, the park will include 536 acres within the St. Francis National Forest.

The Forest Service will manage timber and wildlife, work on habitat improvement and handle fire suppression. The state parks system will manage and maintain recreational facilities.

Bear Creek Lake Recreation Area is now in use and features a swimming beach and fishing, though use of power boats is limited to those with motors of less than 10 horsepower. Boaters can also now use Horner’s Neck Lake Access. Beech Point Campground near Marianna was completed last fall.

Development is planned at the confluence of the St. Francis and Mississippi rivers, and the Storm Creek Lake Recreation Area. What were once Forest Service campgrounds and facilities are being refurbished for new use, Morrow said.

With the opening of the visitor center – a ceremony is set for Thursday – the park will be easier to find and Morrow said the volume of visitors may increase.

“We’ve had campers from all over the United States. Most visitors are from east Arkansas and west Tennessee – the Memphis area – and north Mississippi,” Morrow said.

A unique feature of the park is that it includes part of Crowley’s Ridge Parkway, which runs along the 150-mile north-south ridge, one of the few Delta features that isn’t as flat as a pancake. And it runs parallel to the Great River Road.

“In one part they are about 50 yards apart but have 150 feet in elevation change,” Morrow said. “It’s really a different type of tour to take down through this beautiful forest.”

The area is a birding hotspot, and wildlife is abundant.

“We have a large population of deer, turkey, many small mammals, an occasional bear,” Morrow said. “Migratory birds are fantastic, and our birding changes seasonally. We see a lot of species through here in the Mississippi Flyway and the birds are easily observable.”

Morrow said the park has alligators, most of which are along the Mississippi River. It also has its share of snakes, but Morrow said the visitor center issues only a general caution to visitors to be mindful of their surroundings.