State Parks and National Parks

Overflow National Wildlife Refuge

Parkdale, AR U.S.A.

3858 Hwy. 8 East
Parkdale, AR 71661
U.S.A.

870-473-2869
870-364-3167

Open Year-Round

No Entry Fee Charged

State Park Information

Located in southeast Arkansas in Ashley County, Overflow National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1980 to protect one of the remaining bottomland hardwood forests vital for mallard, wood duck, and other waterfowl populations in the Mississippi Flyway.

This 13,000 acre plus wetland complex consists of seasonally flooded bottomland hardwood forests, impoundments, and croplands.

During winter, a 4,000-acre greentree reservoir is created when the bottomland hardwood forests are allowed to flood. This seasonally flooded area provides a haven for mallards, wood ducks, and other waterfowl species.

This refuge is a wetland complex within the watershed of Overflow Creek, which flows southerly along the length of the refuge. On the west boundary, there are only about 100 acres of uplands found on a narrow strip along the escarpment that separates the Mississippi Delta from the Coastal Plain. The majority of the refuge is bottomland hardwood forest consisting primarily of willow and overcup oaks.

Willow oaks, found here in abundance, produce small acorns that are an excellent source of food for the mallards and wood ducks that make their winter home here.

Throughout the refuge are a number of impoundments, where the water and plants are managed to benefit wildlife, especially waterfowl. These areas, called moist soil units, are designed to ensure sufficient food for wintering birds. Natural foods provide essential nutrients for birds to survive winter and nest successfully in the spring.

These moist soil units, along with the croplands, and bottomland hardwoods forest, provide a mix of habitats that support a variety of wildlife throughout the year.

Overflow refuge headquarters is off Arkansas Hwy. 8, about 15 miles east of Hamburg and five miles west of Parkdale.

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