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State park

Lake Fort Smith State Park

Arkansas

About

Lake Fort Smith State Park is an Arkansas state park managed by State Park and Recreation, about 4 miles from the town of Chester. It sits within the Boston Mountain Ranger District of the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Mountainburg show April highs around 72°F and October highs around 74°F, while July and August average in the low 90s. The Main Bluffline climbing area is just 0.6 miles away, and Frog Bayou offers canoeing about 3.5 miles off. Farther out, the Bradford East Outer Loop hike and White Rock Campground are both within about 9 miles.

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Location

Lake Fort Smith State Park

Arkansas

Data source: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (Protected Areas Database, public domain)

Facts about this place

When to go

Best time to go: Mar–May. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 63–79°F and lows of 37–55°F.

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Mountainburg 2 Ne, AR weather station, 4 mi away. High / low in °F, and days with snow.

  1. Jan49° high26° low
  2. Feb54° high29° low
  3. Mar63° high37° low
  4. Apr72° high46° low
  5. May79° high55° low
  6. Jun87° high64° low
  7. Jul92° high67° low
  8. Aug91° high66° low
  9. Sep84° high58° low
  10. Oct74° high47° low
  11. Nov61° high36° low
  12. Dec52° high29° low

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Nearest town
Chester, Arkansas · 3.8 mi

Source: USFS EDW boundaries; USGS GNIS populated places

Conditions

Active alerts for Boston Mountain Ranger District as of Oct 9, 2026:

Source: USFS forest alerts

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)

    Lake Fort Smith State Park — State park in Arkansas | Roamze