Horseshoe Bend (Dierks Lake)
October 2026
About
Overview
Horseshoe Bend Park, located along the Saline River just south of Dierks Dam, is home to a paddlers dream course. This aquatic whitewater park, built along three quarters of a mile of pristine river funneled over native river stone, offers four or more challenging drops. The course is designed with paddlers in mind and is an excellent training location. The water park was home to the Olympic trials in the late 90’s and is dependent on spillway releases from Dierks Lake dam. When water conditions are right the course simulates Class II to Class IV rapids, all within a safe location that is easily accessible for paddlers to practice new techniques. For those looking to stay and play a while, 12 class A campsites are available along the riverfront
Recreation
Camping
Day use
Playground
Shelter
Paddling
Facilities
12 Campsites (Overnight)
1 Pavillion (Day Use)
2 Restrooms 1 Shower Facility
Playground
Natural Features
Dierks Lake is in the Ouachitas region of Arkansas and sits on the Saline River. Horseshoe bend sets at the base of a 300 foot verticle cliff offering scenic views along the steep wooded areas
Nearby Attractions
A day trip to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, just 30 miles from the park, is a popular activity. The diamond mine is the only one of its kind in the country, where visitors get to keep any diamonds and semi-precious stones they unearth, regardless of value.
Hot Springs National Park known for its naturally headed springs ust an hours drive away offers a multiple bathouses, resturants, and activies.
Choctaw nation located just an hour away at Brokenbow offers world class gaming casino as well a variet of natural features and resturants
Amenities
Phone: 870-286-3214
Is Horseshoe Bend (Dierks Lake) fully booked?
A campground showing no availability is almost never full for good. People cancel — plans change, weather turns, someone books three weekends and keeps one — and the site goes straight back into the booking system, usually without warning and often at odd hours. The reason sold-out campgrounds feel impossible is not that sites never free up; it is that nobody is watching at the moment they do.
CampHawk watches Horseshoe Bend (Dierks Lake) in Dierks, AR for you. We recheck it every 15 seconds, around the clock, and the moment a site opens we send a text, an email and a push notification — and on Recreation.gov we can put the site straight into your cart, so it is held while you get to your phone.
Searching is free and needs no account — the calendar above is live right now. Watching Horseshoe Bend (Dierks Lake) for cancellations is the paid part.