Once Around The Park On Foot, Bike At Lincoln Lake

LINCOLN

In a contest to name the prettiest lakes in Arkansas, Lincoln Lake would be a top entry.

What the little lake lacks in size it makes up in stunning beauty. Rippled water is cradled by a shoreline of bluffs, crags and forest. Here and there, boulders peek above the water like brown icebergs made of stone. Lincoln Lake is an outdoors paradise for hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, fishing, canoeing and kayaking.

Volunteers have worked for years to chisel out a trail around Lincoln Lake. The reservoir is part of Lincoln Lake City Park situated about 3 miles north of Lincoln in west Washington County. Hikers and mountain bikers now circle the lake on the completed trail.

Short hikes on parts of the trail are possible, but exploring the whole trail offers a full-circle Lincoln Lake experience. The path offers forest, bluffs and boulders galore and a bottomland area. We saw it all during a visit to the lake on Nov. 26.

Misty Murphy, regional trails coordinator with the Northwest Arkansas Council, is helping map all trails in Washington and Benton counties for an an online trail guide the council is preparing. Her mission this sunny Wednesday was to circumnavigate Lincoln Lake wearing a GPS device that mapped the lake as she traveled.

We could have hiked or biked, but chose our mountain bikes to see the sights and map the course. She'd tackled the trail before and knew what to expect.

"I already know we'll be rating this trail as advanced for mountain biking," Murphy said before our ride. Parts of the route are a rough and tumble, rocky ride. Others are smooth as a baby's behind.

Murphy buckled her cycling helmet, then clipped a Garmin Glo GPS device to the waistband of her jeans. She plugged the gadget into her smartphone. The GPS would create the map as we pedaled.

When the project is finished, explorers will be able to see trail maps online or with a smartphone application. The online guide will come first and the app later.

A grant from the Walton Family Foundation funds the project, Murphy said. The Bicycle Coalition of the Ozarks oversees the grant, and the Northwest Arkansas Council is helping compile the data. The University of Arkansas is handling the design.

Volunteers and paid staff are mapping the trails. Some have been mapped, but there are many left to do. The guide should be finished in January, she said.

"There will be maps of everything from the Razorback Greenway to typical hiking trails," Murphy noted. "People will be able to tell what the surface is, the distance and see pictures from the trail. They can check degree of difficulty and elevation changes."

Unlike a paper guide, the online product can be easily updated as new trails are built, sections rerouted or miles added.

"We'll rely a lot on volunteer to keep this up to date," she said.

Rocky Road

We enjoyed the woodland and water scenery of Lincoln Lake while the mapping device did the work. Rides or hikes start at the parking lot off Washington County Road 669. The best route is to cross the creek on the new concrete low-water bridge and head left up the trail. This takes visitors on a clockwise route along the lake, which is the easiest to navigate, Murphy suggested.

The path heads north on top of a bluff line that's popular with climbers. Explorers immediately get a taste of the trail's rocky nature. It's a curvy, bumpy ride the first mile or so to the Lincoln Lake dam.

From here the path curves and heads east across the dam for smooth riding and nice views of the lake. There are few optional loops off the main trail. Murphy and I pondered the Spillway Loop, a spur at the east end of the dam.

"You ever gone this way?," Murphy asked. Negatory, I replied. "Good. Then let's go exploring."

The spur offered a smooth, short ride back to the main loop. From here, the going gets rougher along the lake's eastern shoreline, but the ride is gorgeous. Boulders the size of boxcars are everywhere. The trail follows a line of cliffs and crags with numerous bluff shelters most of the way to the lake's headwaters where a creek feeds the lake.

Almost immediately the landscape goes from rocky and rugged to level and smooth as the trail meanders through bottomland. There is a carpet of golden grass among several large trees.

Explorers have to make a creek crossing here. I was able to wade across the shallow water on rocks without getting wet feet. Murphy rode across the stream on her bike and emerged with dry shoes as well.

Ride With A View

We pedaled through the short bottomland stretch then headed up, up into the most rugged section of trail. Murphy is an accomplished mountain bike rider and racer. Even she had to walk her bike over most of the next half-mile.

"You'd have to be a world class rider to do the whole trail without walking," she said. Walking your bike is part of it at Lincoln Lake and other rugged mountain bike routes.

This mostly pedestrian section led us to the top of a bluff and more level, smooth riding. Off to our right, views of Lincoln Lake were the stuff of picture postcards. Now and then, there are overlooks that are worth getting off the bike to enjoy. They're ideal spots for a picnic during a ride or hike.

Views get more impressive the closer one gets to a rocky point near the end of the trail. Enjoy the scenery, but don't think about camping. The city prohibits camping at Lincoln Lake and is serious about enforcement. A sign near the point reads, "The last people who camped here were fined $1,000. Five people at $200 apiece."

From this promontory, the route heads a short distance on a two-track road back to the trailhead.

When Murphy checked her GPS at the end of our ride, she said the distance was a tad over 4 miles. That's sticking with the main loop around the lake, although we did do the short spillway spur. There are a couple of optional loops if riders want more distance.

Our loop around the lake was a fine workout. Parts are rugged, but not difficult for riders who don't mind walking their bikes now and then. Lincoln Lake trail is a fine route at one of Arkansas' prettiest lakes.