Are you thinking about visiting a waterfront soon? Maybe planning on driving to a river or lake to unwind? Well, forget those for just a moment and consider a wonderful waterfront alternative—a natural spring that becomes both a lake and a river. Where can you find one of those, you ask?
Why, in the town of Mammoth Spring, of course. Mammoth Spring the town is named after Mammoth Spring the spring, which happens to be the largest spring in Arkansas and the second largest in the Ozark Mountains. With its gorgeous dam and awe-inspiring flow rate, it’s no wonder that they built both a town and a state park around it.
Mammoth Spring State Park was created in 1957, but continued to grow for decades after its creation.
In 1971, the old 1886 Frisco depot was restored and now functions as a train museum on the state park grounds.
Mammoth Spring is mammoth indeed. It is classified as a "first magnitude" spring, which means it flows at a rate of more than 100 cubic feet per second. That’s 9 million gallons of water per hour.
It flows into a 10-acre lake.
That lake flows into the Spring River.
The Spring River provides a wonderful habitat for trout and some great water for a float trip, too.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a fish hatchery nearby.
You can rent boats there, take a walk on the trails, let the kids play on the playground, or have a nice picnic.
The old grist-mill dam was converted into a hydroelectric plant in 1925, which powered the area until 1972.
You definitely don't want to miss the dam:
Have you been to Mammoth Spring yet? Tell us about it in the comments!
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