THE FLIP SIDE

Fall brings prime cruising season to Beaver Lake

Payton Usrey fishes in August at Eden’s Bluff, one of the sights on the Beaver Lake Aqua Trail.
Payton Usrey fishes in August at Eden’s Bluff, one of the sights on the Beaver Lake Aqua Trail.

Summer is over, but the best boating season of the year is just starting at Beaver Lake.

Trees are starting to show some color, and October is a fine month for a lake cruise. The water might be a bit refreshing for a swim, but the cool weather means a no-sweat trip during one of the prettiest times of year.

What better time to see the sights along the Beaver Lake Aqua Trail, a route that takes boaters to some of the major sights and landmarks at Beaver Lake. It's a great reason to take one or more trips on the lake before cold weather arrives.

Destinations include a cave entrance, rock formations and bluffs. One of these is Eden's Bluff on the south end of the lake.

The aqua trail map tells explorers that the Eden family operated a ferry on the White River near this towering rock face, hence the name of the bluff. There's a small cave entrance near the top. A much larger cave, Eagle Hollow Cave, is on the aqua trail route at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area, east of Rocky Branch park.

There are historic sites to see such as a lime kiln near Monte Ne where bricks were made and shipped out by train. Monte Ne itself is an aqua trail destination.

To explore the water trail, pick up a Beaver Lake Aqua Trail map at the Army Corps of Engineers office, 2260 N. Second St., in Rogers. The map points the way to 18 destinations from the upstream end of the lake to the dam.

It would be a stretch to see them all in a day, so the aqua trail is divided into a northern route north of the Arkansas 12 bridge, and a southern route south of the bridge.

The Beaver Lake Aqua Trail map shows the location of each landmark with a letter on the map. For example, Eden's Bluff is the letter Q on the map. Explorers go by boat to the general area until they see the letter Q on a sign post along the shoreline. Tadah! You're looking at Eden's Bluff.

The Beaver Lake Aqua Trail was created years ago by Kevin Jensen, back when Jensen was working to become an Eagle Scout. Boy Scouts and volunteers have worked more than 400 hours on the project, the map says.

While you're on the aqua trail keep an eye out for bald eagles. Eagles are starting their fall migration and their numbers grow at Beaver Lake as fall turns into winter.

Another autumn cruise option is to hop on board one of the Beaver Lake eagle watch pontoon boat tours offered by Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area.

Cruises begin Nov. 5 and visit a quiet arm of the lake where bald eagles like to roost in shoreline trees or soar overhead. Cruises are aboard the park's 20-passenger pontoon boat. They set sail from Rocky Branch Marina at 3 p.m. most Saturdays and Sundays and some weekdays through February.

No doubt about it, fall offers prime time boating at Beaver Lake.

Flip Putthoff can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAFlip

Sports on 10/18/2016

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