Celebrate winter solstice
Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area will host a winter solstice celebration from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday. The events pay homage to age-old traditions honoring the human connection with nature and observance of the shortest day of the year.
Visitors can enjoy a bonfire, make s'mores, sip hot cocoa, share winter stories from different cultures and hear about solstice traditions and how they were incorporated into the celebration of Christmas. At sunset, guests are invited to take a self-guided walk on the wheelchair-accessible Ozark Plateau Trail completely lit with luminaries for the occasion.
After returning from the walk, participants will have the opportunity to write down what they wish to get rid of going into the new year and burn it in the fire. Using boughs from native pine trees, they can make a wreath or bouquet including pine cones, ribbon and floral wire.
Contact the park at (479) 789-5000 for more information.
Hike in the new year
Several First Day hikes will take place Jan. 1.
Sugar Creek chapter of the Ozark Society will host a First Day hike at 10 a.m. All hikers are welcome. Meet at Compton Gardens, 312 N. Main St. in Bentonville near the group of bears sculpture.
The hike is 4 miles, rated easy, on paved and gravel trails around Park Springs and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. No pets, please.
At Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area, a 4-mile hike will be from 10 a.m. to noon on the Bashore Loop of the Hidden Diversity multiuse trail. A hike of one-third mile will be from 11 to 11:45 a.m. on the Ozark Plateau Trail near the visitor center. A hike of 1.5 miles will be from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on the Shaddox Hollow Trail.
At Devil's Den State Park, a hike will be from 9 to 9:45 a.m. on the park's Woody Plant Trail. Meet at the suspension bridge downstream from the Lake Devil stone dam. A hike from 10 to 11 a.m. will go along the Lake Trail. Meet at the suspension bridge. A hike from 3 to 3:45 p.m. will be along the CCC Trail. All are rated easy.
Lake sees seasonal closure
Lake Fayetteville will be closed Friday through Jan. 14. Trails around the lake will be open. Lake Sequoyah, usually closed during these dates, will remain open.
Go cool-weather camping
Winter camping is offered at Beaver Lake through March. Campsites are available at Lost Bridge North, Prairie Creek, Horseshoe Bend and Hickory Creek parks. Camping on the White River below Beaver Dam is available at Dam Site River park.
Visit www.recreation.gov to reserve a site or call (877) 444-6777. For questions call the Beaver Lake project office of the Army Corps of Engineers at (479) 636-1210.
Catch a rainbow trout
Each fall and winter the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission stocks rainbow trout in small urban lakes across Arkansas for winter fishing. Stocked lakes in the region include Lake Atalanta in Rogers, Lake Bentonville, Lake Springdale, Murphy Park Lake in Springdale, Torraine Lake and Wells Lake in Fort Smith and Van Buren Municipal pond.
The daily limit is five trout. Anglers 16 and older must carry an Arkansas fishing license and trout permit.
Give archery, camping gifts
Gift cards for the holiday season are available for camping at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve and day passes to The Quiver archery range, both in Bentonville.
At Coler, gift cards are good for a two-night stay on a small tent platform. To purchase cards, call 479-364-0168 Thursdays through Mondays.
Quiver gift cards may be purchased at the range at Osage Park, 1701 S.W. F St. in Bentonville from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit peelcompton.org to order gift cards online.
Deer hunt closes trails
Most trails at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area will be closed for a limited permit deer hunt Jan. 7-8. Closed trails include Hidden Diversity multiuse trail, Monument Trails Wolf Den and Karst loops, Shaddox Hollow, Sinking Stream and Pigeon Roost.
At 12,000 acres, Hobbs is Arkansas' largest state park and the only Arkansas state park that allows hunting.