Crowley's Ridge Parkway Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge, AR

Due west of Blytheville on State Highway 18, this refuge, a remnant of the “Great Swamp” that once covered a huge area of northeastern Arkansas, is an important area for migrating. Up to a million wintering waterfowl are known as characteristic nesting landbirds of the Lower Mississippi River Ecosystem. Most easily explored with a boat, the refuge can also be accessed by a number of bordering roads. The refuge basin is thought to have formed from the New Madrid earthquake of 1811-12 and is fed by the Little River. It contains Mallard Lake where the state record largemouth bass was caught.