Shady Lake and Bard Springs

Yesterday was such a beautiful spring day that we decided to go to Shady Lake.  We had just purchased a new Garmin GPS, so we were trying it out. The closest way to Shady Lake is over mountainous unmaintained dirt Forest Service roads.  When our GPS directed us to turn off of the road that we normally travel, we decided to see where it would take us.  It took us on roads that we had never been on before, and many many miles out of our way.  It took us an extra hour to reach Shady Lake, but the drive through the mountains was beautiful.

Shady Lake, is a 25 acre lake with a grassy beach, surrounded by a forest of large pines and hardwoods. The beautiful lake is stocked with largemouth bass, catfish and sunfish and row boats or boats with electric motors are allowed. There is a fishing pier, swim area, and a one half mile interpretive trail.  The recreational area was developed in the late 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC men built the dam across the Saline River, the picnic pavilion complete with benches, ping pong table, and two beautiful stone bridges.  The Shady Lake Recreation Area has a beautiful campground with 66 campsites.

On our way back home, by our normal route not following our GPS, we stopped by Bard Springs.  Bard Springs is a small primitive campground with Adirondack-type shelters in a remote mountain setting on a small scenic stream. The small dam and the buildings were built by the CCC around the same time as Shady Lake.  Because it is so far off of the beaten track and the camping is primitive, there are not many visitors to Bard Springs.

   

On our drive and walks during the day we saw lots of wildflowers.  The redbud and dogwood trees were blooming.  It was an absolutely beautiful spring day.

Spring is my favorite time of the year.  We had a lovely day drinking in the beauty of nature in the Ouachita Mountains.

Little Missouri Picnic

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day. We decided to take a picnic and go to Little Missouri Falls. It is quite a long drive over rough gravel roads to get to the Falls.  Although the road was in very bad condition it was a beautiful drive.  This past week there has been a lot of rain. Along the road we came across this small man made dam that we had never noticed before.



At the parking area for the falls there is a very nice picnic area along the banks of the Little Missouri River.  My parents and my sister and her daughters went with us.  We had a very nice picnic even though the wind was blowing briskly.








The Little Missouri River plunges through a cleavage creating a spectacular waterfall during periods of high water. Then it tumbles over a series of natural rock dams 2 to 4 feet high, intermixed with relatively quiet pools. then it continues as a cascade for several hundred more yards.  From the picnic area there is a foot bridge across the river that takes you to a half mile, out-and-back trail with a few steep grades. The trail climbs a series of steep steps to the edge of the cliffs overlooking the river. From here you have a great view of the area above the falls.









There were no dogwoods in bloom yet, but there were some redbuds and wildflowers.







We had a lovely afternoon, a great picnic, and it was good to get to spend time with family.