The upper portions of the Little Red River are known as the South Fork and the Middle Fork. The South Fork begins in the Ozark National Forest near Scotland in Van Buren County and flows into Greers Ferry Lake near Clinton.
The Middle Fork forms only a few miles from the South Fork near Tilly in Van Buren County but flows northward into Searcy County. In Searcy County the river turns east and flows into Stone County where it turns south and flows to meet Greers Ferry Lake in Cleburne County.
The two forks converge at Greers Ferry Lake and exit at the Army Corps of Engineers hydroelectric dam at Heber Springs. The single channel runs from the dam to its mouth at the White River, a distance of 30 miles. The area around the mouth of the river is within the Hurricane Lake Wildlife Management Area south of Augusta in White County.
The water level of the lower sections varies greatly due to water releases from the dam at Greers Ferry. These water releases can be challenging for boaters. The lower section has a varied geography with areas of gravelly rapids, boulder strewn areas, and slow, deep, pools.
The lower stretch of the river is well-known for its excellent trout fishing. The US Fish and Wildlife Service maintains a trout hatchery just below the Greers Ferry Dam and release large numbers of mature trout into the lower Little Red regularly. Greers Ferry Lake is the home of the world-record walleye and the Little Red itself is the home of the world-record brown trout (40 pound 4 ounce).
During the American Civil War the Battle of Whitney's Lane took place near Searcy on the banks of the Little Red.