The Basics
Shady Lake Recreation Area
AR Highway 246
Athens, AR
Phone: (479) 394-2382 (Mena District Office)
GPS: N34.3628361, W94.0277694
Closest Towns: Athens, Langley, Mena, Wickes
Directions: From Athens, head West on AR Hwy 246 approx. 2.2 miles, then Turn Right onto Shady Lake Rd. Follow this road 3.5 miles to the recreation area on your left.
About Shady Lake Rec Area
Shady Lake is a small but scenic 25-acre secluded lake in the southern Ouachita National Forest southeast of Mena. This area and the lake were developed by the CCC in the 1930s.
The campground offers 64 sites for campers, both tent and RV/trailer. Twenty of the sites offer water and electric hookups, with most of those being able to accomodate Rvs up to 30 feet long. The rest of the campsites, 44 of them, are primitive tent camping sites, offering no hookups. The campground (in-season) offers showers and flush toilets, and a dump station as well.
Beginning near the campground, the Tall Peak Trail heads north, passing its way through the nearby Caney Creek Wilderness, and eventually climbing to the top of Tall Peak, where a restored lookout tower sits.
Other amenities include a playground, picnic shelter, and a boat ramp.
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