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Lake Ouachita (Pronounced WAH-shi-tah) is a lake created by the damming of the Ouachita River by Blakely Mountain Dam. The lake is located near Hot Springs, Arkansas. Lake Ouachita is the second largest lake in Arkansas, behind Bull Shoals Lake in Northwest Arkansas. Lake Ouachita has over 975 miles of shoreline and over 40,000 acres. It is completely surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest. Lake Ouachita is located near two other lakes, Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine. These three lakes, DeGray Lake to the near south, and the thermal springs of Hot Springs National Park make Hot Springs a popular tourist getaway.
Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Spotted bass are abundant in the lake. So is Bream, Crappie, Catfish, Walleye, and Striped Bass. In fact, Lake Ouachita is known as the Striped Bass Capital of the World.
There are 21 recreational parks and areas, 150 picnic sites, 1,106 campsites, 13 swimming beaches, and 24 boat ramps.
The Delta region is bisected by an unusual geological formation known as Crowley's Ridge. A narrow band of rolling hills, Crowley's Ridge rises from 250 to 500 feet (150 m) above the surrounding alluvial plain and underlies many of the major towns of eastern Arkansas.
Northwest Arkansas is part of the Ozark Plateau including the Boston Mountains, to the south are the Ouachita Mountains and these regions are divided by the Arkansas River; the southern and eastern parts of Arkansas are called the Lowlands. All of these mountains ranges are part of the U.S. Interior Highlands region, the only major mountainous region between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. The highest point in the state is Mount Magazine in the Ozark Mountains; it rises to 2,753 feet (839 m) above sea level.
Arkansas is home to many caves, such as Blanchard Springs Caverns. It is also the first U.S. state in which diamonds were found (near Murfreesboro). Arkansas has the only operating diamond mine in the United States.
