Lake Catherine State Park will be temporarily closed to all recreational activities beginning Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, through Saturday, March 18, 2023. During this time, crews will perform needed maintenance, including repairs and replacement of the inground sewer infrastructure.“Lake Catherine is one of the busiest Arkansas State Parks. It has structures that date back to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) era of the 1930s,” said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “These updates and repairs will help preserve this natural and historical resource for years to come.”
During the temporary closure, the visitor center will remain staffed to take reservations, answer questions and monitor maintenance progress. Access will not be allowed to the day-use areas, cabins, marina, campgrounds and most trails for the duration of the shutdown because of safety concerns, contractor expectations, equipment movement, performance of in-house maintenance/renovation projects and trail work. However, Slunger Creek Nature Trail will be accessible during the closure.
“Closing a state park is never a decision that we take lightly, but a temporary closure is sometimes necessary to safely and expediently perform long-needed repairs and maintenance,” said Shea Lewis, director of Arkansas State Parks. “This shutdown will allow us to focus entirely on the needed repairs at hand as well as creating an opportunity to complete some maintenance work in such a well-loved park.”
The Arkansas Department of Transportation will post “closed” signs on all main access point signs to inform potential park visitors that the park is closed. The roadway into the park will be blocked at the “Y” across from the administration building and down to the day use/beach one-way road.
All campsites and cabins have been blocked for reservations for more than a year to plan for this shutdown. Many regular park visitors are already aware of the upcoming closure.
