Clay County: Nature, Water, and History

In Clay County, distinctive natural features sit alongside places of remembrance and collections: forests, rivers, and lakes can give a trip a focus just as museums and local history can. When choosing a vacation rental, you can consider which of these aspects you would like to explore more.

Rare Habitats and the Landscape of Crowley’s Ridge

The Stateline Sand Ponds Natural Area is a wooded area in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, amid a landscape that has been almost entirely cleared for agriculture. Its distinctive landforms include old sand-dune and pond complexes, floodplains, and terraces. The area also contains one of the last remaining habitats in this part of the state for the federally threatened Pondberry plant.

At the northern end of the Arkansas section of Crowley’s Ridge lies the Chalk Bluff Natural Area. There, the St. Francis River cuts through the ridge. The nature trail forms a loop that starts and ends at the parking lot—a useful point of reference for anyone planning to include a walk in their day. Another regional point of reference is the Crowley’s Ridge Parkway: it runs from the Missouri-Arkansas border on the St. Francis River along US 62 through St. Francis to Piggott.

Rivers and Lakes for Different Travel Interests

The Black River in the Dave Donaldson Black River Wildlife Management Area makes up a significant part of the remaining hardwood bottomland habitat in eastern Arkansas. Fishing is possible on the Black River and Little River in the area. Brookings Public Access is a boat-ramp access point to the Black River within the area. Corning Lake offers a different point of reference: it is the largest of a series of naturally formed lakes east of Corning and can be reached via a boat ramp on County Road 128, south of the railroad viaduct.

The named access points help distinguish the waterways when planning: Brookings Public Access is on the Black River in the wildlife management area, while the boat ramp described for Corning Lake is on County Road 128. Fishing on Hubble Lake is restricted to rod or pole. Check the applicable regulations for this waterway as part of your trip planning.

Museums, Places of Remembrance, and Local Collections

At the Veterans Memorial Park of Rector, the Heritage Walkway features memorial granite pavers engraved with the names of local heroes. The Rector Community Museum preserves historical artifacts from the Rector area and makes them accessible to visitors from the surrounding area and to out-of-town guests. A school exhibit displays uniforms from the Rector and Greenway schools—a specific glimpse into local education history.

The Matilda and Karl Pfeiffer Museum is housed in a Tudor-style building dating to the early 1930s. The property includes 11 acres of grounds and natural gardens. Matilda Pfeiffer collected more than 1,400 mineral specimens from around the world, as well as a library of more than 1,600 books. Film history is also part of the museum: scenes from the film “A Face in the Crowd” were shot there, and still photographs from the film are also on display. The collections and film history offer a different focus from the school exhibit in Rector.

Choosing the Right Focus for Your Stay

If you are looking for a vacation rental in Clay County, the experiences you have planned can help guide your decision. For nature and water, highlights include the Sand Ponds, the trail at Chalk Bluff, and the waterways mentioned above. Those more interested in local history can find points of interest at the Rector museum, the Heritage Walkway, and the Pfeiffer collection. The Arkansas Welcome Center at Corning provides free informational materials; if you plan to use this visitor service, check the latest visitor information in advance.

Explore More Destinations

Explore more destinations: Scott County, Van Buren County, Faulkner, Sevier County, Arkansas County, Phillips County, Craighead.

Return to the main travel overview: Arkansas.