It’s was a hot September with temperatures in the upper 90s to 100s. We arrived at Lake Fort Smith State Park on Monday, September 21st for a four night stay. We got lucky as cool front moved into the area for the week.
We had sites #1 and #2 for the week in the cul-de-sac near the entrance to the campground. Donna and I took site #1 located on top of the hill. This site is secluded from other campsites, but has almost no shade until late in the afternoon. John and Lynda joined us in site #2 next door. Site #2 was well shaded most of the day and enclosed by a small block terrace wall. When we arrived we had neighbors in most of the sites in the cul-de-sac. By midweek everyone else had left and we had the entire section to ourselves.
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| Ronnie & Donna Site #1 |
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| Chui & Lynda Doing Doggie Stuff |
We've passed the Neon Moon several times when driving highway 71 through Mountainburg, Arkansas. We had never stopped so we thought this time we would give it a try. Turns out this quirky little alien themed roadside eatery had some really good burgers (they also do BBQ). We ate outside, but they have an old school bus (or alien space craft) adjacent to the outdoor seating with air condition. I used the He/She/It/Bigfoot/Alien restroom while there. I got a kick out of the restroom sign that requested you not flush various items including your "Hopes and Dreams".
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| Neon Moon with Alien and Flying Saucer on the Roof |
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| BBQ Ribs for Dinner (Missed John in My Selfie) |
Thursday morning I took a hike along the Shepard Springs Loop trail. The trailhead is behind the Lake Fort Smith Visitor Center at the western terminus of the Ozark Highlands Trail. The loop continues north along the OHT to the Frog Bayou crossing where it returns along the upper ridgeline above the OHT. Given the dry conditions there was little to no water flowing in the creeks or the water fall and the Shepard Spring had only a trickle of water.
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| Dry Waterfall |
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| Fisherman on Lake Fort Smith |
Old Chimney in the Middle of the OHT
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| Shepard Spring |
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| Scenic Overlook Bench - Boy Scout Eagle Project |
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| American Beautyberry |
Evening sunset at the Lake Fort Smith day use area.
Lake Fort Smith State Park is one of the newest and cleanest Arkansas state parks. As always we enjoyed our stay. Life is Good!
