Holiday Outdoors

Long weekend offers extra time to explore

A holiday mountain bike ride on the Blowing Springs Trail in Bella Vista is one outdoors option for Memorial Day weekend.
A holiday mountain bike ride on the Blowing Springs Trail in Bella Vista is one outdoors option for Memorial Day weekend.

There’s enough to do outdoors here in our little corner of the Ozarks to last most folks a lifetime. Memorial Day weekend offers extra time to enjoy just a little of this natural fun.

So much to do, so little time - even with a three-day weekend! Here’s a threecourse menu, a picnic basket of outdoor activities for consideration: APPETIZERS THINGS TO DO IN AN HOUR OR SO◊TAKE A TOUR AT HOBBS - The visitor center at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area in east Benton County has been finished for a couple of years.

It’s amazing how many people haven’t given it a look-see. At 12,000 acres, Hobbs is Arkansas’ largest state park.

Visitors can start at the large picture window where binoculars are available to watch an array of colorful birds feasting at feeders outside. Next, head to the mini theater to see a 20-minute movie about the geology, wildlife and history of the park. There are deer antlers, hides and more for kids and adults to pick up and examine.

Check with the park to see what programs are scheduled for the holiday weekend. All activities are free. Call 789-5000.

◊BIKE AT PEA RIDGE - The 7-mile auto tour road at Pea Ridge National Military Park northeast of Rogers is a haven for bicycling. There’s little traffic here in this national park that highlights the Civil War Battle of Pea Ridge. What vehicles there are move slowly.

The tour road offers a nice loop around the park. There’s one wheezer of a climb, but that means bikers get a zippy ride on the downhill.

The road surface is chip and seal. This 7-mile route makes a nice ride for families. Or ride the loop as many times as your legs would like.

A modest entrance fee is required to get into the park.

Call 451-8122.

◊RIDE A PADDLE BOAT - Head to Devil’s Den State Park for a paddleboat ride. The drive is scenic and worth the trip.

Lake Devil is in the heart of this state park near Winslow, and paddleboats are available for rent.

After your cruise, hike one of the trails at Devil’s Den. There are short ones of one-quarter or one-half mile. Or hop on the Yellow Rock Trail for a 3-mile hike.

The park has nature programs and activities most every weekend. Call 761-3325 for details.

MAIN COURSE

HEAP ON THE FUN ALL DAY◊MORNING ELK TOUR, HIKE

  • Early risers may want to

head to the Buffalo River at

Ponca or Boxley Valley to see

majestic elk by dawn’s early

light.

Herds of elk feed in meadows

within sight of Arkansas 23 or

Arkansas 21 in the area. They’re

worth a stop for a photograph

or to watch with binoculars.

Later in the morning,

pay a visit to the Ponca Elk

Education Center on the main

drag in Ponca. It’s operated

by the Arkansas Game & Fish

Commission and has all kinds

of exhibits and activities. Call

870-861-2432.

Finish the day with a hike on

the easy and family-friendly

Lost Valley Trail. This 1.1-mile

path (2.2 miles round trip)

offers more for your hiking buck

than other paths.

There’s a waterfall that

has tunneled its way through

solid rock and spills into a

shimmering pool. There’s Cobb

Cave, which is a bluff shelter

big as a church. Lost Valley is abox canyon with a three-tiered waterfall at the back.

◊FAMILY-FRIENDLY FLOAT - The Kings River near Eureka Springs is one of the Ozarks’ most beautiful streams. It’s suitable for canoeing or kayaking by beginners. The scenery is over the top, and the fi shing is superb.

The 7-mile trip from the Rockhouse Access to Kings River Outfitters is perfect for a day on the stream. Pack a picnic feast to enjoy on a gravel bar. Enthusiastic youngsters will want to take a plunge in the clear water, though it’s still on the chilly side in late May.

Pack a fishing rod and cast for smallmouth bass. (Psst, tube baits in the green pumpkin color are deadly on the Kings.)

Canoes and kayaks can be rented at Kings River Outfi tters.

Call 253-8954.

◊RENT A PONTOON BOAT - Some marinas at Beaver Lake rent pontoon boats by the hour or the day. Get a group togetherto split the rental, and the cost is minimal.

Beaver is a beautiful lake with stunning bluffs and shoreline scenery. All species of warm-water fish dwell in the reservoir. The water is exceptionally clear this year on the northern half of the 31,000-acre lake. Prairie Creek Marina, 925-1623, is one marina that offers pontoon boat rentals.

DESSERT SWEET TREATS◊ZIP THE BUFFALO - How about a zip-line forest canopy tour in the Buffalo River country? Buffalo Outdoors Center has its zip line up and running for the holiday weekend. The canopy tour delights young and old alike for a fee of about $90.

Call 800-221-5514 for information.

◊HIKE, BIKE BELLA VISTA - The lovely Tanyard Creek Nature Trail and Blowing Springs Trail are two amenities in Bella Vista that are open to the public, not just property owners association members.

Tanyard Creek Nature Trail is a scenic 2-mile hike that, like Lost Valley, offers plenty of bang for your hiking buck.

There’s a stream, bluffs, a spring, swinging foot bridge, remnants of homesites and more. From U.S. 71, drive west on Arkansas 340 1 mile to the sign that says Tanyard Creek Recreation. The trail starts at the parking area.

Blowing Springs Trail at Blowing Springs Park is open for hiking or mountain biking. Mountain-biking is the most popular.

This trail offers about 6 miles of some of the sweetest off-road riding available.

The single-track dirt trail was professionally built and is one of the smoothest dirt mountain bike trails in the area.

After hiking and biking, visit the Veteran’s Memorial off Dartmoor Drive to remember what Memorial Day is truly about.

Whats Up, Pages 11 on 05/24/2013

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