Event Calendar

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Lake Dardanelle’s diverse habitat is home to a wide variety of creatures. Join a park interpreter at the amphitheater to explore some of the players in this vital ecosystem.

Dr. Seuss wrote the thought-provoking book “The Lorax” filled with quotes like, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” This book has spurred many people into action. Meet a park interpreter at the amphitheater to listen to the reading of “The Lorax.” Bring your copy from home if you’d like to follow along!

Join a park interpreter in the grassy area across from the visitor center for this fun story time and craft designed for children under 5 to learn about and explore nature and the many creatures that call Lake Dardanelle State Park home. Be prepared to sit in the grass or bring something to sit on.

Letterboxing is a centuries old activity much like geocaching but uses a compass. Join a park interpreter at the visitor center to learn to use a compass and get started on your hunt for the letterboxes hidden in the park. Supplies are provided.

Lake Dardanelle State Park is home to many turtles, both on land and in the water. Visit the park interpreter’s Look & Learn Table at the visitor center to learn about the turtles that make this park their home.

When you walk around in nature and you see a track, do you take the track at face value as just a footprint or do you look around to see what the big picture holds? Join a park interpreter in the grassy area across from the visitor center and see what you can determine about the game scene in the area.

Have you ever wondered about the daily lives of the Cherokee who inhabited this area before removal long before this after was a park? Meet a park interpreter in the grassy area across from the visitor center to learn some of the games they played to pass the time and develop their hunting skills.

Kayaking the coves of Lake Dardanelle gives you the opportunity to get a closer view of birds and wildlife you may not have had before, all from the safety of your boat. Join a park interpreter for a lake excursion via kayak, sign up at the visitor center (479-967-5516) at least one day in advance. The fee is $12 for adults, $6 for children 6-12 years old, under 6 not permitted. Please specify when you sign up if you want a tandem (2 person) or solo kayak. We will meet at the front desk of the visitor center.

Bald Eagles are incredible not only for their beauty and speed but for their size as well. Join a park interpreter in the grassy area across from the visitor center and discover how you measure up to an eagle.

The Arkansas River creates many opportunities for enjoyment as it journeys through Lake Dardanelle. What all lives in the lake besides fish and turtles? Well, here is your chance to find out. We will meet at the kayak beach to seine for macro-invertebrates and see who is living in the lake. Come prepared to get wet and wear water shoes.

The diverse habitats in and around Lake Dardanelle State Park create many opportunities to see wildlife. The wildlife you encounter while camping may even one of the most memorable parts of your trip. Stop by the park interpreter’s Look & Learn Table at the visitor center to discover a few of the mammals that you might see from your campsite.

Have you heard the music that the insects here at Lake Dardanelle make in the evenings? Join a park interpreter at the amphitheater to learn more about how insects make their music and help us create our own “insect orchestra.”

You can explore nature at this park because Lake Dardanelle’s diverse habitats sustain many living creatures. Meadowbrook Trail is home to many of these creatures. Join a park interpreter in front of the visitor center and then head down the trail to see how many creatures you can see or what traces of them we can find.

Many creatures find a home in a Lake Dardanelle State Park, including a variety of reptiles. Join a park interpreter at the amphitheater to discover what makes our reptiles unique.

Lake Dardanelle’s fishery is healthy and diverse. We’ll be using the fishery as inspiration to make some beautiful creations. Meet a park interpreter in the grassy area across from the visitor center to create some fishy art.

Lake Dardanelle State Park provides plentiful habitats for butterflies at all stages of the life cycle thanks to its many gardens planted with them in mind. Visit the park interpreter’s Look & Learn Table at the visitor center to learn more about butterflies as they transform.

Depot Park - In partnership with Downtown Russellville and River Valley Veterans Coalition

Lake Dardanelle State Park boasts many spectacular sunsets. Join a park interpreter at the visitor center to take an easy sunset stroll along the shoreline of the lake and enjoy the iconic views of the park.

The plants found in Lake Dardanelle State Park depend on spreading their seeds far and wide in order to survive, but they don’t move around like animals. Stop by the park interpreter’s Look & Learn Table at the visitor center to discover how plants get their seeds from one place to another.

Thanks to the healthy fishery of Lake Dardanelle, you can experience the thrill of nature and the success of the catch. Join a park interpreter in the grassy area across from the visitor center to discover the diversity of the fishery and Lake Dardanelle State Park’s role in maintaining that. You will then have the chance to practice your casting!

Exploration, opportunity and progress forged the culture you find here today. Meet the park ranger in the grassy area across from the visitor center to hear some stories of the past that create the wonderful and unique culture in the River Valley. Bring blankets and chairs to sit on the grass, as you see these stories come to life right before your eyes!

Lake Dardanelle State Park has a diverse ecosystem that supports a wide variety of life. Meet at the amphitheater to race through this tree maze to discover some of the trees found here and what makes them stand out from the others.

Join a park interpreter at the kayak beach near the visitor center to take one of the park’s kayaks out for a test drive. This is a perfect opportunity for those who want to try kayaking but don’t have a boat. Each test drive will last just long enough for paddlers to get a feel for kayaking, but kayaks can be rented from the visitor center when conditions allow. Participants must be at least 6 years old.

Some animal calls are very familiar while others are rather vague and when they all mix, it can be difficult to pick them out. Meet a park interpreter at the amphitheater to learn a few of the animal calls you could hear at Lake Dardanelle State Park.

Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles

Learn about Arkansas's safe boating laws and practices in one day class. Anyone born after 1985 must take and pass an approved Arkansas Game and Fish Boating Education Course and carry proof that he or she has satisfactorily completed the course in order to operate a motorboat in Arkansas. The law also affects operators of sailboats. After passing the test, you will receive your boater education card. This is a free course, but you must pre-register online at https://register-ed.com/ The class will be held at the Lake Dardanelle State Park’s Visitor Center.

Many of the early explorers, including those that traveled through the area around what is now Lake Dardanelle State Park, kept journals of the things they saw and experienced as they traversed the wilderness. Join a park interpreter at the amphitheater to learn why it was so important and make your own nature journal to take with you.

The construction of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System allows for much easier travel up and down the Arkansas River. Join a park interpreter in the grassy area across from the visitor center to discover how travel on the river has evolved over time.

How can you tell an animal has been in the area without having seen it yourself? You can often find hints left behind. Stop by the park interpreter’s Look & Learn Table at the visitor center to learn about a few of the animals tracks you may see when you visit Lake Dardanelle State Park.

As the Arkansas River journeys through Lake Dardanelle, it continually shapes the land and creates opportunities for people like you. We must be careful when enjoying these opportunities, so we don’t affect others. Join a park interpreter in the grassy area across from the visitor center and help her solve a marsh mystery.

The Arkansas River journeys through Lake Dardanelle’s diverse fishery. What lives in the Lake is determined by its health. Join us at the kayak beach near the visitor center as we test the waters of Lake Dardanelle to determine how healthy our lake is and how that impacts its diversity.

Lake Dardanelle State Park provides a home for birds of all shapes and sizes. Each species’ beak is specially adapted to help it eat. Visit the park interpreter’s Look & Learn Table at the visitor center to discover how widely the birds in the park vary.

The diverse habitats around Lake Dardanelle create many opportunities for discovery and exploration. Meet a park interpreter at the amphitheater to find out what is in her magic bag! We’ll play a little game to let you touch and feel your way around. Hints will be given, but you’ll be testing your sense of wildlife!

Join Lake Dardanelle State Park staff and other community groups to celebrate National Public Lands Day. In this nationwide event, volunteers will be giving back by caring for their public lands on September 24th. Scouts, civic groups, and other community groups, as well as individuals are invited to adopt a public space for a litter pick-up. Supplies will be provided at no cost through Keep Arkansas Beautiful and the Great Arkansas Cleanup. Volunteers should sign up by calling the Visitor Center at (479) 967-5516.

Imagine that you are a child traveling to new territory with your parents long ago. What would you have done for fun? Join a park interpreter in the grassy area across from the Visitor Center to discover how kids passed the time while their parents forged the culture you find here today, and try your hand at some old fashioned fun. All ages welcome!

Enjoy a quiet morning on Lake Dardanelle on this 1.5 hour guided paddle with a park interpreter. You will be able to explore the coves of the lake and watch the wildlife as we go. A park interpreter will provide instruction and guidance, so no experience is necessary, but you should be comfortable around water. Kayaks, life jackets, and paddles are provided. The fee is $12 for adults, $6 for children 6-12, under 6 not permitted. Sign up at the visitor center or call 479-967-5516 at least one day in advance. If you prefer a tandem kayak (2 people), please specify when you register. We will meet at the visitor center. This will be conditions permitting.

Lake Dardanelle has an abundance of macroinvertebrates living in the water. Stop by the park interpreter’s Look & Learn Table at the visitor center to find out what some of our macroinvertebrates are and why they are so good to have around!