Dry Run Creek offers a solution to parents wanting their kids to enjoy an exciting initial fishing experience. This scenic, 1/2-mile creek flows past Norfork National Trout Hatchery to its junction with the North Fork River. Until 1988, it had been closed for 30 years to all fishing. The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission decided closure of the stream was unnecessary and opened it as a catch-and-release, single-hook, artificial-lure fishery for kids under 16. Dry Run is anything but a dry fishing experience -- it teems with trout.
Big Creek Golf & Country Club (Rated Five Star by Golf Digest) sprawls over nearly 200 acres of rolling Ozark terrain featuring four lakes and Big Creek itself. White sand bunkers, lush zoysia fairways and L-93 bent grass greens provide a perfect setting for a memorable test of golf. A wide array of hole layouts makes Big Creek challenging, yet enjoyable for all. Five sets of tee boxes ranging from 5,068 yards up to 7,320 yards, along with large greens, ensure that Big Creek is a course that will always offer both challenge and pleasure to golfers of every ability.
Norfork National Fish Hatchery is a cold water hatchery primarily for the production of trout to restock the tailwaters below Norfork, Bull Shoals and other dams. In addition, Norfork National Fish Hatchery also provides trout to reservoirs and in cooperation with state game and fish agencies distributes fish throughout Arkansas and other nearby states. Norfork National Fish Hatchery was established to raise trout for restocking areas impacted by construction of dams, primarily in the tailwaters of Norfork and Bull Shoals. The hatchery is responsible for raising three kinds of trout: rainbow, brown and cutthroat.
Jacob Wolf House.
The two-story log structure known as the Jacob Wolf House stands on a hillside overlooking the juncture of the White and North Fork Rivers in the present-day town of Norfork (Baxter County). It was constructed in 1829 as the first permanent courthouse for Izard County in Arkansas Territory and is the oldest public structure in Arkansas.
Before permanent Anglo-American settlement occurred, the juncture of the White and North Fork rivers was the site of early fur-trading activities. From 1819 to 1828, numerous villages of Shawnee and Delaware Indians were located nearby. Trade with these Indian tribes prompted Jacob Wolf to establish his homestead at the mouth of the North Fork River in 1824. In 1825, he was granted a license to operate ferries across both rivers. Wolf, of German ancestry, had arrived in the area in 1820. He was a merchant, builder of log structures, carpenter, and blacksmith.
Blanchard Springs Caverns.
is the jewel in the Ozark National Forest Crown. Dubbed by Life Magazine as 'one of the most extraordinary finds of the century' this living cave is constantly in the process of formation. Two paved, lighted trails, one of which is handicapped accessible with assistance, are open to visitors of all ages. Led by knowledgeable Forest Service Guides, the tour winds through water-carved passages, including an underground river and the world's largest flowstone. The Wild Cave Tour is available by special arrangement for more adventuresome explorers.
Norfork Lake
About Norfork Lake:
Renowned for its clean, clear water, Lake Norfork is one of the most popular vacation spots in the Ozarks. The Norfork reservoir is formed by a large concrete dam across the North Fork River four miles upstream from where the North Fork runs into the White River at the little City of Norfork, Arkansas. The dam, built for both flood control and hydro-electric generation, was completed on June 2, 1944. It also serves as a bridge across the river gorge. Two turbine generators contribute to the southwestern power grid.
Recreation Seasons:
Norfork lake has over 550 miles of shoreline and 22,000 surface acres. Boating, sailing, water skiing, scuba diving, and swimming are popular from mid May through mid September. Fall weather is shirt-sleeve comfortable through October with fall foliage usually occurring the last week of the month. Fishing is good through the winter. Spring wild flowers begin blooming in early March, and trees are leafed out by May 10 most years. The cooler months of April, May, September, and October offer excellent fishing, hiking, and exploring.
Lake & River Fishing:
Norfork Lakeoffers great fishing for both largemouth and smallmouth bass, white bass, stripers, hybrid bass, crappie, bream, walleye, and catfish. Fishermen are active here throughout the year as there is no closed fishing season on Norfork and the mild winters do not freeze the lake. Several fishing guide services savvy to the ways of the lake's sport fish populations operate on Norfork. Lodging facility owners are also quite good at fishing and will share fishing strategies with their guests.
