Lake Ouachita is a large reservoir created by the impoundment of the Ouachita River. The lake is surrounded almost entirely by the Ouachita National Forest an enormous and pristine woodland blanketing hill country. There are many islands on the lake that are broadly distributed along its complex shoreline. The area around the Big Fir Use Area is offers a good variety of open water narrow convoluted coves and large and small islands. This area is a good jumping-off point for canoe camping adventures.