August 10, 2008 was a cool day for a walk at Lake Dardanelle State Park, Arkansas.
Fishing Pier, Lake Dardanelle State Park, Arkansas, August 10, 2008
Lake Dardanelle is a major reservoir on the Arkansas River in Arkansas, USA. Russellville lies on Lake Dardanelle, and the lake provides many recreational opportunities. Lake Dardanelle covers nearly 40,000 acres (160 km2) of land, which provides lots of area for boating, fishing, picnicking, camping and scenic views. The lake extends from Dardanelle Lock and Dam (35°14′55″N 93°10′15″W) near Dardanelle, into Pope, Yell, Logan, Johnson and Franklin Counties. The lake reaches 50 miles (80 km) upstream the Arkansas River and has 315 miles (510 km) of shoreline. (Wikipedia)
Fishing Fishing Pier, another view
There have been a lot of improvements at the park over the years, made possible through the 1/8th percent Conservation Sales Tax, created by Amendment 75 to the state Constitution in 1996. The state parks get 45% of the proceeds.
Fishing Jetty
Some of the improvements have helped made the park and lake a premier location for major fishing tournaments.
Fishing Tournaments (Arkansas State Parks)
Surrounded by the natural beauty for which the Arkansas River Valley is known, Lake Dardanelle is a sprawling 34,300-acre reservoir on the Arkansas River. These two water resources combined here have put this area into the national spotlight as a major bass fishing tournament site.
Another unique facility in the (Russellville) main area is the park’s 1,861-square-foot, fishing tournament weigh-in pavilion, a world-class facility and the first of its kind in the nation that serves as a staging area for tournaments. Near the weigh-in pavilion is a covered, barrier-free fishing pier, a popular facility for bank fishing enthusiasts, sightseers, and photographers because of its sweeping view of lake and 1,350-foot Mount Nebo to the south.
Dock adjacent to fishing tournament weigh-in pavilion
Fishing pier, another view
Fast moving bass boat
I have a lot of photos accumulated over the 8.5 years since I retired. I have a system setup where the best of them can be selected on a random order basis. Currently there are over 3,700 photos in the random selection album – and there are still a lot of photos that I haven’t processed.
Instead of presenting photos one at a time, I’m going to try to publish several at a time, where possible including a narrative related to our travels and/or additional information related to the photos.
