The park is divided into two districts the Platt Historic District and the Lake of the Arbuckles.

The Platt Historic District is comprised of the former Platt National Park area, established in 1906, and the Veterans Lake area.

The Lake of the Arbuckles was constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation in the late 1960s.

These districts were combined into the Chickasaw National Recreation Area in 1976.