The best footwear for exploring the longest trail at Beaver Lake might be flip-flops - that is, if you’re exploring the Beaver Lake Aqua Trail this Fourth of July holiday.
The aqua trail is designed to be seen by boat and meanders to 18 prime sights and landmarks. A free Beaver Lake Aqua Trail map and guide is available at marinas around the lake, at the Army Corps of Engineers office in Rogers and at the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce office in Rogers.
Sights to see are shown as letters on the map. The idea is for skippers to follow the aqua trail by boat from one sight to the next. A letter on shore at each sight corresponds to the letter on the map.
Landmarks start on the far upstream end of Beaver Lake near Fayetteville and go all the way to Beaver Dam near Eureka Springs. That’s about 65 miles.
With map in hand, boaters can find natural features such as the lake’s tallest bluffs, a cave and a sandstone beach.
Manmade landmarks shown on the map include the old Monte Ne resort, an Arkansas Game & Fish Commission fish rearing pond and a house foundation scuba divers routinely visit.
A paragraph or two about each sight is included in the guide. So are GPS coordinates.
Beaver Lake Aqua Trail was created in 2005 by Kevin Jensen as his Eagle Scout project. Jensen was 18 then. He’s 26 now and still keeps an eye on the aqua trail, while Boy Scouts today keep the signage on shore maintained.
The trail is divided into a northern route and a southern route, separated by the Arkansas 12 bridge. Jensen recommends exploring each route on different trips. Trying to see everything in one cruise could be a long day, he says.
Even the bridge itself is highlighted in the guide.
“This bridge was built when the road was redirected due to lake construction,” Jensen writes in the guide. “The second pier from the west is the White River bed, approximately 115 feet deep.”
Eden’s Bluff, among the mostimpressive cliffs on the lake, is on the southern route. Here the Eden family operated a ferry across the White River before the lake filled.
Monte Ne resort is on the map.
There’s not much to see nowadays, only the stone and concrete amphitheater that comes into view when the lake is low.
The lake level is high for Independence Day this year, so the amphitheater will be submerged.
Along the northern route, the entrance to Eagle Hollow Cave is at the water’s edge in the Van Winkle Hollow arm of Beaver Lake at Hobbs State Park-Conservation area. When the lake is high, kayakers can actually paddle a few feet into the cave. The lake isn’t high enough for that now.
A visit to Red Bluff, north of Rocky Branch park, reveals a complex of swallow nests the birds have built with mud. Swallows leave the nests in theevening to forage for flying insects.
From Red Bluff, bounce over the waves to Camel Head Rock, and you’ll see how this formation, surrounded by water, got its name.
How many sights to visit depends on the type of boat, Jensen says. Kayakers and sailboat captains may want to limit the number. Northern or southern routes can be seen in a day with a leisurely pontoon-boat cruise.
Pack a cooler with holiday lunch fare and enjoy a picnic on a Beaver Lake beach. Lake lovers will tell youthat Beaver Lake’s beautiful pea-gravel beaches are just like a sand beach. The grains are just bigger.
Don’t have a boat? Consider renting a pontoon boat or runabout from a marina on the lake. Split the cost among friends, and it’s affordable entertainment.
A day on the water doesn’t have to end at sunset. Ventris Trail’s End Resort puts on one of the largest fireworks displays on Beaver Lake. It can be seen only by boat near the resort, located near Point 8 on Beaver Lake. The show goes off at dark on July 5.
Whats Up, Pages 13 on 06/28/2013