Things to Do in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas
The best things to do in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, are seeing the spring at Mammoth Spring State Park, touring the free 1886 depot museum, and floating or fishing the Spring River. It’s a town of 929 people in Fulton County, right on the Missouri line.
The Frisco railroad arrived in 1883, and the town moved from the Missouri side of the river to be near the station. By 1927 dams on the spring made it the first town in the region with electricity. Memphis millionaire Napoleon Hill built the Nettleton hotel here, which ran from 1899 until fire destroyed it in 1932.
Mammoth Spring State Park
The spring pours out about 9 million gallons an hour at a steady 58 degrees, making it one of the largest springs in the world. It fills a 10-acre lake, then leaves as the Spring River. The 62.5-acre park has been a state park since 1957, and the spring became a National Natural Landmark in 1972.
★ Good to know The visitor center, walking trail and picnic grounds are free, and the Arkansas Welcome Center is inside the park.
Frisco Depot Museum
The 1886 railroad depot in the state park was restored in 1971 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s a free museum of the line that built the town. Across the lake, you can see what’s left of the 1887 dam, mill and the hydroelectric plant that ran until 1972.
★ Good to know The depot closes each winter, from December 14 through February 28.
Mammoth Spring National Fish Hatchery
Right next to the park, this is one of the oldest national fish hatcheries in the country, started in 1903. It uses the spring’s cold water to raise rainbow trout, Gulf Coast striped bass and endangered freshwater mussels. The Aquatic Conservation Visitor Center has an aquarium of native fish, and admission is free.
★ Good to know It’s closed Sundays and holidays, so come on a weekday or Saturday.
Float the Spring River
The Spring River runs 57 miles from the park, and the stretch from Mammoth Spring to Hardy is the popular float. The spring keeps the water cold all year. Riverside Resort, on Weatherstone Road in Mammoth Spring, rents canoes, kayaks, rafts and tubes for 5- and 8-mile floats.
★ Good to know More outfitters work out of Hardy, downstream, if you want a different put-in.
Trout fishing on the Spring River
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission manages about 12 miles of trout water, from 100 yards below Dam #1 in the state park to the mouth of Myatt Creek. The spring’s 58-degree flow keeps trout here year-round. Walleye, bass and tiger muskies also live in the river.
★ Good to know You’ll need an Arkansas fishing license and a trout permit.
Grand Gulf State Park
Just across the line near Thayer, Missouri, Grand Gulf is a collapsed cave system about three-quarters of a mile long, with walls 130 feet high. A natural bridge spans it with a 75-foot-high opening. Dye traces show water entering the gulf comes out at Mammoth Spring one to four days later.
★ Good to know Trails run along the top; there’s no official trail to the floor, and the park warns visitors to use extreme caution there.
Also in town
Downstream in Hardy, RiverStop, River Wilderness Sports and Spring River Outdoors rent boats and run shuttles, and the park’s own seasonal pedal boats are an easy way onto the spring lake.
How much water comes out of Mammoth Spring?
About 9 million gallons an hour, at a steady 58 degrees, which makes it one of the largest springs in the world.
Is Mammoth Spring State Park free?
Yes. The visitor center, walking trail, playground, picnic area and the 1886 depot museum are all free. Only extras like the seasonal pedal boats cost money.
Where does Mammoth Spring’s water come from?
Part of it comes from Grand Gulf, about 9 miles away near Thayer, Missouri. Dye traces show water entering the cave there comes out at Mammoth Spring one to four days later.
What other small towns in Arkansas are worth a trip?
See our small towns in Arkansas. For more Ozark trout water, Heber Springs sits on the Little Red River.
Where to find them
- Mammoth Spring State Park 17 Highway 63 North, Mammoth Spring, AR 72554 Website Directions
- Frisco Depot Museum 17 Highway 63 North, Mammoth Spring, AR 72554 Website Directions
- Mammoth Spring National Fish Hatchery 302 Fish Hatchery Lane, Mammoth Spring, AR 72554 Website Directions
- Riverside Resort (Spring River floats) 2154 Weatherstone Road, Mammoth Spring, AR 72554 Website Directions
- Spring River trout water Website Directions
- Grand Gulf State Park Highway W, Thayer, MO 65791 Website Directions
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Where to stay in Mammoth Spring
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