Mississippi River State Park sits southeast of Marianna on the southern end of Crowley's Ridge, where the ridge, the Mississippi River and the Delta converge. It was authorized by the legislature in 1973, and Arkansas State Parks began managing Bear Creek Lake in 2009. The federal government bought this land from private owners in the 1930s under the Resettlement Administration, and the WPA built Bear Creek Lake, Storm Creek Lake and the ridge road in 1938. The park has three lakes, hiking, camping, paddling and fishing, and it lies on two National Scenic Byways, the Great River Road and Crowley's Ridge Parkway.
The park is the gateway to the St. Francis National Forest, and its visitor center in Marianna serves both. President Eisenhower proclaimed the forest on November 8, 1960, from land the Forest Service had held since 1954. It covers 21,090 acres in Lee and Phillips counties and is one of the nation's smallest national forests. The visitor center has an exhibit hall on the Delta and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
At the Phillips Bayou area, a quarter-mile walk from the parking lot leads to the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Francis rivers and a large sandy beach. Arkansas State Parks lists the spot as a Trail of Tears National Historic Trail site and describes it as a place for quiet recreation and reflection.
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