Hickory Creek Park
Lowell, Arkansas · on Little Hickory Creek · Beaver Recreation Area
Verified · 5 independent sources · top-verified
- WATER
- reservoir
- ACCESS
- Designated swim area
- FEE
- $5 per vehicle
- SEASON
- Varies by conditions
About Hickory Creek Park
Hickory Creek Park is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campground and day-use area on the shore of Beaver Lake near Lowell, Arkansas, in the Ozark Mountains, and a convenient swimming hole for campers wanting a lake to swim in. Recreation.gov, the official federal booking and information site for the facility, lists swimming as a designated on-site activity, alongside camping, picnicking, and trail access.
The park sits along Beaver Lake's shoreline amid towering limestone bluffs and natural caves typical of the Ozark Mountains region of northwest Arkansas, with campsites described as spacious and sunny and set among a variety of trees and flowering shrubs.
Swimming at Hickory Creek Park
The site is officially designated for swimming directly off the lake shore adjacent to the campground ('steps away from the lake shore'), on Beaver Lake, a 28,000+ surface-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir; no further detail on beach layout, depth, or bottom conditions was found in available sources.
How to get to this swimming hole
Located at 12618 Hickory Creek Road, Lowell, AR 72745, on the shore of Beaver Lake.
Parking: No designated parking-area details found; the campground rules note that parking on the grass is not permitted.
The walk in
No real hike here. The water is a short walk from where you park. The designated swimming site is described by Recreation.gov as 'steps away from the lake shore' within the campground/day-use area, a drive-up spot with a very short walk from parking, no trail hike required. (Several separate hiking trails exist in the surrounding Ozark hills per the same listing, but none is described as the access route to the swim site.)
Plan your visit
Parking
Paid, $5 per vehicle day-use fee for non-campers
Recreation.gov notes parking on the grass is not permitted; no dedicated swim-area lot is described separately from general campground parking.
Restrooms
Yes
Flush toilets provided at the campground/day-use area (Recreation.gov listing); no separate trailhead or beach-specific restroom noted.
Hours
Campground check-in 4:00 p.m., check-out 1:00 p.m. (Recreation.gov; checkout changed from 3:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. effective April 1, 2026). No separate day-use gate hours were found.
On the water
Restrictions: Boats must be 'CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY' before launching (invasive species prevention). No swim-area-specific buoy or no-wake restriction was documented in sources found.
Recreation.gov states recreational boating, water skiing, and scuba diving are all permitted on Beaver Lake, and that 'several marinas are located around the lake, offering groceries, fuel, boat rentals and storage, fishing guides and camping supplies', no marina is named at Hickory Creek Park itself.
Rentals nearby
Boat and personal watercraft (PWC) rentals, tubing equipment; also wet/dry boat slips, fuel dock, and marina store
1 Prairie Creek Marina Drive, Rogers, AR 72756, on Beaver Lake, roughly 11 miles from Hickory Creek Park by road (per nearby-facility distance data) · Mon-Thu 9am-6pm; Fri-Sun 8am-7pm
Backstory
Beaver Lake, the reservoir the park sits on, was completed in 1966 and has 449 miles of shoreline.
Hickory Creek Park: FAQ
Does Hickory Creek Park charge a fee?
$5 per vehicle day-use fee for non-campers; overnight camping fees apply but specific nightly rates were not found.
Do I need to hike to reach Hickory Creek Park?
No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.
Where do I park for Hickory Creek Park?
Recreation.gov notes parking on the grass is not permitted; no dedicated swim-area lot is described separately from general campground parking.
Can I bring a kayak or paddleboard to Hickory Creek Park?
Recreation.gov states recreational boating, water skiing, and scuba diving are all permitted on Beaver Lake, and that 'several marinas are located around the lake, offering groceries, fuel, boat rentals and storage, fishing guides and camping supplies', no marina is named at Hickory Creek Park itself.
What are the rules at Hickory Creek Park?
Pets must be physically restrained (pen, cage, or 6-foot leash) at all times; no off-road vehicles or golf carts; no parking in grass; maximum stay of 14 days within any 30-day period; waste must be disposed of at designated stations; check-in 4:00 p.m., check-out 1:00 p.m.
What water body is Hickory Creek Park on?
Hickory Creek Park is on Little Hickory Creek, a natural reservoir verified in USGS hydrography data.
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