Most people drive into Craighead Forest Park, spot a picnic table, and call it a day. I used to be one of them. Then somebody handed me a paddle and pointed me toward Hurricane Lake, and I have not looked at a Saturday morning the same way since.
Hurricane Lake sits tucked inside the southern edge of Craighead Forest Park, just a few miles southwest of downtown Jonesboro off Lawson Road. It is not a secret — locals have been fishing its banks for generations — but it is genuinely underused as a paddling and nature destination, which means you are unlikely to fight a crowd for a launch spot on a quiet weekday morning or even a breezy Sunday afternoon.
The lake covers roughly 170 acres, and the moment you push off from the boat ramp and glide into open water, the city noise falls away with a speed that feels almost theatrical. Cypress trees line the shallower coves, their knobby knees poking up through the surface like old sentinels. Great blue herons stand motionless at the edges, apparently unimpressed by the kayaker drifting past. In spring, the tree line blooms in layers of green so saturated they look almost artificial, and in autumn the whole scene turns amber and rust in a way that makes you want to stay on the water until your arms give out.
Fishing is serious business here. Anglers pull largemouth bass, catfish, and crappie from these waters with regularity, and the lake’s coves give bank fishermen plenty of quiet access points without a boat. But you do not need a rod to have a reason to come. A canoe or kayak is all the ticket you need for a genuinely restorative two to three hours. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission maintains the ramp, and the park surrounding the lake offers restroom facilities, shade shelters, and enough picnic infrastructure to turn the outing into a full family afternoon.
If you do not own a paddle craft, that is a solvable problem. Local outfitter options in and around Jonesboro can point you toward rental options, and the flat, calm surface of Hurricane Lake is about as forgiving as it gets for first-timers. There are no rapids, no strong currents, and no technical challenges. Just open water, bird calls, and the pleasant ache of a good paddle stroke settling into your shoulders.
The surrounding forest trails are worth a slow walk before or after your time on the water. The park’s mature hardwood canopy keeps the temperature noticeably cooler in summer, and the trail network around the lake’s perimeter gives you a different vantage point on the same scenery — a kind of two-act experience that makes the whole visit feel longer and richer than the clock suggests.
Bring sunscreen, a water bottle, and a willingness to move slowly. Hurricane Lake rewards the unhurried. Jonesboro hands you plenty of reasons to rush through your weekend. This is one of the few places in town that politely asks you not to.
