Enjoying the outdoors is big fun for many Arkansans. And western Arkansas offers nearly unlimited opportunities for both residents and nearby visitors looking to save travel money while still having plenty of summer fun.
Just opened last year, the 260-acre lake Fort Smith State Park overlooks sparkling Lake Fort Smith in the Boston Mountains north of Mountainburg.
The park features 30 campsites, a lodge that sleeps 32, an 8,000-square-foot visitor center, picnic sites, a pavilion, swimming pool, marina with boat rentals, boat launch ramp, playground and hiking trails, including the west end of the Ozark Highlands Trail. More information is available online at arkansasstateparks.com/lakefortsmith.
Getting outdoors doesn't mean you have o travel very far from Fort Smith.
The Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center is built on 170 acres of hardwood forest that was formerly part of Fort Chaffee. The visitor center offers many activities for children, such as animal feeding, story time, guided hikes, paddling and archery classes.
Wells Lake, next to the center, is a popular fishing destination, and trails around the lake and grounds provide views of the area's varied animal and plant life.
The nature center is at 8300 Wells Lake Road. More information is available online at rivervalleynaturecenter.com.
But if getting out of your car in the summer heat doesn't appeal, there's still good options for enjoying the outdoors on some wheels.
The Arkansas & Missouri Railroad Excursion Train offers restored railroad cars from the early 20th Century, The trips offer relaxing rides through the scenic Boston Mountains during spring and summer.
Conductors point out scenic features along the way and tell stories of the area's past, such as the haunted hotel in Chester. Trips vary in distance and starting points. One package includes a 2 1/2-hour layover in historic downtown Van Buren for shopping and dining.
But if you really want an Arkansas high, you will have to travel a little bit.
Mount Magazine State Park offers a 60-room lodge with 13 cabins at Arkansas' highest point, 16 miles south of Paris in Logan County. The lodge, which opened in 2006, offers stunning views of Petit Jean River and Blue Mountain Lake in the valley below.
The park also offers hiking and biking trails, along with areas for picnicking and camping, and is popular with hang-gliding buffs and rock climbers.
More information is available online at mountmagazinestatepark.com.
Insider Tips
- At the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center, check out free canoes and kayaks to paddle around on Wells Lake.
- Rods-and-reel combos can be borrowed to fish for trout (in season) and catfish in Wells Lake, but there is a charge for bait.
- Lunch is available in the dining car aboard the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad Excursion Train.
- Passengers are allowed in the train's caboose, but be warned, conductor Charlie Jimerson says it's not air-conditioned.
- A three-mile hike at Lake Fort Smith takes you to the stone ruins of old Shepherd Springs.
- The park offers boat tours of Lake Fort Smith, or visitors can rent watercraft.
- Guided tours provide historic perspective on Mount Magazine State Park, and cyclists can enjoy the bike paths.
- Weekend visitors can watch hang gliders soar with the vultures off the cliffs of Mount Magazine.
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