The county contains a portion of Greers Ferry Lake, a tourist destination and is bordered by Searcy (north), Stone (northeast), Cleburne (east), Faulkner (southeast), Conway (southwest) and Pope (west) Counties. Parts of Van Buren County were used to form Cleburne County in 1883 and Stone County in 1873. Several other boundary changes occurred in the 19th century.
The county comprises a part of Greers Ferry Lake, a well-liked destination, and is bordered by Searcy (north), Stone (northeast), Cleburne (east), Faulkner (southeast), Conway (southwest), and Pope (west) Counties. Regions formerly part of Van Buren County were merged with Cleburne County in 1883 and Stone County in 1873. There were also several adjustments to the county's boundaries during the 19th century.